An eight-year-old girl in West Virginia’s Arnoldsburg who was allegedly starved by her parents jumped off the first-floor window holding her teddy bear and begged for food at a nearby shop.
The girl’s parents were identified as Ryan Keith Hardman and Ellio M. Hardman, both 33 years old. The couple was charged with neglecting a child. The girl told the staff at the shop that her parents refused to give her food and that she hadn’t eaten in several days. She also shared with the employees that she was "unwanted."
Starving US Girl Jumps From Window
The store employee told WOWK that the little girl had walked into the store clutching a teddy bear in her hand. She had said that she was hungry and that her mom and dad didn't want her anymore. She had asked if she could have anything to eat.
According to the complaint, the girl had last eaten a sandwich three days earlier, given to her by her sibling.
The store employee said that, as a mother herself, it was heartbreaking to see a kid say that she was hungry. She wished no little girl would ever feel unwanted by her parents.
The girl told the police officials that she was forced to jump out the window because her parents wouldn’t let her go downstairs. She also claimed that her parents would often punish her by locking her up in a room without food for up to a week.
A police search of the family’s house revealed that the cupboard and refrigerator were stocked with abundant food for the entire family and that no food was expired. Authorities also reported finding drug paraphernalia in the house.
The little girl and her siblings were sent to Child Protective Services after the parents were arrested. The couple is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
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