Ryan Keith Hardman and Ellio M. Hardman (West Virginia Regional Jail)
Two parents in West Virginia were arrested last week for allegedly starving their 8-year-old daughter, who earlier this month was so hungry that she jumped out of a second-story window in their home and walked to a local business to ask for food. Ryan Keith Hardman and Ellio M. Hardman, both 33, were taken into custody last week and charged with felony gross neglect of a child creating a risk of injury or death, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by Huntington, West Virginia, CBS affiliate WOWK-TV, employees at the Family Dollar located in the 400 block of Arnoldsburg Road at about 10:30 p.m. on July 7 called 911 after the little girl showed up to the store — barefoot and holding her stuffed teddy bear — to ask for food. The girl reportedly told the two employees working the night shift that for the last three days she had only eaten a single sandwich, given to her by one of her three siblings. She also said her parents regularly told her that she was unwanted.
“The little girl, she came through the store, just walked straight up to us was like, ‘I’m hungry, my mom and dad don’t want me no more, do you have anything I can eat?,’” one of the employees reportedly told Huntington, West Virginia, NBC affiliate WSAZ-TV.
The employees said they called 911 to report the girl was starving and all alone. They gave her a litany of snacks, including cereal, fruit cups, candy bars, chips and pizza.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders spoke with the little girl who reportedly told them the same story. The girl allegedly said she removed the screen and jumped out the second-story window to search for food because she had not eaten anything on July 5 or July 7, and that on July 6 she was only given “one peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” She reportedly added that she was “not allowed to go downstairs.”
“She felt dehydrated because she hadn’t drunk enough water and wanted to see if the Family Dollar had anything for her to eat,” authorities reportedly wrote in the complaint. “Her parents told her she had an attitude and when they think she has an attitude, they tell her she’s not being good and they don’t want her.”
“This was not the first time they told her they didn’t want her,” police reportedly said in the complaint.
The child told police her parents’ names and officers responded to the home located on Rustic View Road, where the child specifically told them she did not want to return, per WSAZ. When they spoke with the parents, police reportedly said the mother and father were both unaware their child was not in the house.
During a search of the home, police said they found enough “food in the cupboards, food pantry, refrigerator and freezer for the entire family,” as well as drug paraphernalia.
The victim and her siblings were all removed from the home. The Hardmans were arrested and are currently being held in the Central Regional Jail on a cash-only $100,000 bond.
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