Toddler Survives 10 Days Alone ~*KG*~

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- A 22-month old girl named Miracle survived for up to 10 days on whatever food she could find in a pantry and cabinets after her pregnant mother died in their apartment, police say.

Police responding to a report of a foul odor and a swarm of flies broke down the door over the weekend and found the toddler standing next to her mother's body, which was so decomposed that the woman had to be identified by fingerprints.

An autopsy indicated Lawarna Stevenson, 26, died of from complications of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Miracle was released from the hospital Tuesday after being treated for malnutrition and dehydration. Her grandfather has custody.

"This had to have been just gruesome," police spokesman Sgt. John Quigley said. "I hope the child doesn't have any memory of this."

Quigley said there was evidence the girl scrounged for food.

"She had to have had something to survive for seven to 10 days," he said. "It appeared she'd been in the cabinets looking for food, and there were some soda cans laying around."

The medical examiner said Stevenson had been dead at least five days, but no one reported seeing her for 10 days, and unopened mail in her box was postmarked almost two weeks earlier. On Sunday, neighbors knocked on the door and called police.

Kenneth Spencer, who lived above the family, said he last saw Miracle on Friday through a window. "That child was looking at me, probably asking for help," Spencer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Stevenson's father, James Stevenson, said his daughter had been ill for a while. He spent time with his granddaughter on Tuesday.

"Now we're just trying to figure out the next step," he said. "I have to take care of my grandchild and get a eulogy together for my daughter."

The girl's father, Wesley Robinson, said his daughter hugged him when he arrived at the hospital Sunday after hearing about the situation on the news.

"It's tragic that I lost the mother of my child, but Miracle is doing fine," he said. "All we can do now is move forward."

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