CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA: In a chilling incident that has left the nation shocked, an eight-year-old girl from West Virginia resorted to a harrowing act of survival after enduring days of starvation and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents. Ryan Keith Hardman and Ellio M Hardman, both 33, now face charges of felony gross neglect of a child creating a risk of injury or death.

The heart-wrenching episode unfolded when the little girl, barefoot and tightly clutching her beloved teddy bear, showed up at a Family Dollar store on Arnoldsburg Road at around 10.30 pm. She bravely approached employees, tearfully begging for something to eat. Her poignant plea struck a chord with the staff, who immediately called 911 to report the dire situation.

Who are Ryan and Ellio Hardman?

The Hardmans are charged with felony gross neglect of a child, and now find themselves behind bars, held at the Central Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond. According to sources, the unnamed child disclosed that for three agonizing days, her parents Ryan and Ellio withheld food from her, leaving her with just one sandwich given to her by one of her siblings. She painfully revealed that her parents constantly made her feel unwanted and unloved.

One of the employees noted, “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?'" The employees at the store provided her with an assortment of snacks, hoping to ease her hunger and distress while simultaneously contacting 911 to report the distressing incident.

Child's daring leap for food exposes deplorable home situation

When paramedics arrived at the scene, they listened to the little girl's heart-wrenching account, which mirrored the story she had told the employees. She confessed that she felt so desperate for food that she resorted to a daring act of jumping out of a second-story window in search of sustenance. The young girl revealed that she had been forbidden from going downstairs and that thirst left her dehydrated.

Authorities wrote in her complaint, “She felt dehydrated because she hadn’t drunk enough water and wanted to see if the Family Dollar had anything for her to eat. 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."

As authorities investigated the home situation, they found enough "food in the cupboards, food pantry, refrigerator, and freezer for the entire family." However, they also discovered drug paraphernalia, suggesting deeper underlying issues. The child's parents seemed oblivious to her absence when questioned, adding to the haunting sense of neglect. The little girl bravely expressed her strong reluctance to return home. The authorities intervened to ensure her safety and promptly removed the victim and her siblings from the home.