Savanna was last seen in Isle of Palms, South Carolina on April 24, 1994. Her father, Benjamin Harris Todd III, who goes by his middle name, Harris, has custody of her. She was abducted by her mother, Dorothy Lee Barnett, on what was supposed to be only a weekend-long supervised visitation. She convinced the supervisor to allow her to take Savanna to a birthday party unescorted, and they never returned. A photograph and vital statistics for Barnett are posted below this case summary. A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution warrant was issued for her on April 28, 1994. There are also felony warrants out for her arrest on charges of child stealing and custodial interference.

Harris met Barnett in 1987 and they married in 1991. Harris stated that Barnett was frequently violent towards him during their marriage and once tried to kill their dog. In 1993 they separated; when filing for divorce in March of that year, Barnett alleged desertion and Harris physical cruelty.

Barnett was pregnant with Savanna at the time the divorce proceedings started. Harris sought sole custody of the baby after he realized Barnett had bipolar disorder and refusing to seek treatment or take medication to control the illness. He offered to settle for joint custody if Barnett agreed to get psychiatric treatment, but she refused. Harris hired private detectives who presented evidence to the family court judge that Barnett drank heavily while breastfeeding and had numerous sexual affairs. Barnett had several outbursts in court during the custody proceedings and the judge ordered that an armed bailiff be present. The judge eventually gave sole custody of Savanna to Harris, and Barnett was allowed two supervised visits a month. Two months later, Barnett abducted the child.

Savanna and Barnett were assisted in their flight by Children of the Underground, an organization which helps hide mothers and children who claim to have been abused. Barnett never accused Harris of abusing Savanna in any way, however. Faye Yager, a major associate of the group, admitted that she helped hide them not because of any abuse but because, she claimed, Harris is a homosexual. He denies this. Yager offered to help Harris find Barnett and Savanna if he would agree to let Barnett have custody and pay child support. He refused because he did not believe Yager could help him.

Barnett and Savanna may be in Richardson, Texas; Houston, Texas; Australia; South Africa; Switzerland; Belize; Mexico; or elsewhere in Latin America. Barnett's family has a home in Belize and she once lived there, and a map of South America was found in her home after she abducted her child. There have been several sightings of Barnett since 1994 and she has always been alone, without a child with her. None of the sightings have been confirmed.

Savanna's case is unsolved. Texas authorites are assisting with the investigation.