The Empty Nursery by Jaclyn Weldon White

by Jaclyn Weldon White

On July 3, 1992, seven-month-old Haley Hardwick was reported kidnapped. Her father Kenny Hardwick told police that he had stopped to assist two stranded motorists and, upon returning to his own vehicle, discovered his daughter missing. The case became a media sensation overnight. People in the metropolitan Atlanta area became obsessed with the mystery of the baby's disappearance. Huge searches by hundreds of volunteers produced no trace of the child. Although they spent hundreds of man-hours following up leads about the kidnapping, the police began to believe that the father was responsible and, with the media, began a campaign to pressure him into revealing the truth.Numerous interviews with the lead investigators and the child's mother have provided in-depth insight into the case from two very different perspectives. While the police followed one lead after another, the child's mother was torn between believing a husband she loved and the authorities who kept telling her he was responsible for the baby's disappearance. As the investigation dragged on, Haley Hardwick became everybody's baby.

Genres: True Crime

Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Jaclyn Weldon White was born, raised and has lived all her life in the South. She was a police officer for six years where she investigated street crimes and traffic offenses. She worked for four years as a detective investigating murders, sex crimes, burglaries and other offenses. She left police work and retired as an administrator for a large metropolitan Atlanta juvenile court.
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Reviews

[Wynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2016, a book published in 2001 about a crime in 1991. This is a crime I have never forgotten.

I lived only a few miles from the Hardwick home in Lawrenceville, GA at the time. I remember this case very well. I remember the constant news coverage and I remember CBS filming for their 48 hours news program. This case was huge in Gwinnett County and was in the news for a few years until Kenny Hardwick was finally sentenced. The book is very detailed about Kenny Hardwick’s behavior and actions after reporting his daughter‘s “kidnapping”. It’s also very detailed in regards to the investigation by dedicated detectives and police officers. It’s also very sad and stirs up memories. It’s sad to think about Kenny Hardwick siting in prison now for over twenty years. I looked him up with the Georgia Department of Corrections. His long brown hair is now short and gray. His face is worn. He wears glasses. More importantly, I wonder what Haley would look like now and who she would be. Thankfully, Kathy Hardwick moved on to a better marriage and more children. It’s also sad to relive a time when Gwinnett County was much smaller. The mud flats (or mud boggs as I knew them) are gone. That area used to be so dark at night and isolated. Now, it’s full of apartment complexes and a USPS facility. Every time I drive on I-85 and drive past the Boggs road exit I always think of Haley Hardwick. I probably always will.

[Indie Author Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this occurred, Our daughter had just turned one year old. We lived in the neighboring county. This case at first sent waves of fear over those of us with children. The fear turned to anger when it was discovered the father was at fault. Anger and suspicion remained at the mother. How could she not know he did it?

This book looks back at the case and gives a point of view different from the media circus and court of public opinion from that time. It is a very troubling story. Jaclyn White does an excellent job of telling the story from her point of view as a law enforcement officer. It is not a book I will ever forget and I will think about Haley every time I pass Boggs Road.