Alabama mom charged for beating daughters, 11 and 13, with a baseball bat, starving them and locking them in a closet
An Alabama mother has been arrested and charged after it was found that she beat her two young daughters with a baseball bat and starved them to the point that they were malnourished.
The abuse came to light when 35-year-old Belinda Ann McCormick of Birmingham, was attending a court hearing for someone else on November 5, 2018, according to AL.com. Court documents state that a Bessemer Police officer spotted her in the court and immediately became concerned over the appearance of her two daughters, aged 11 and 13.
He subsequently notified the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources, who responded to the courthouse and launched an investigation into McCormick.
The two children were transported to the Children's of Alabama for treatment, with both suffering from numerous physical injuries, as well as malnourishment. They remained hospitalized for the next 10 days, with investigators determining that the incidents had taken place in Birmingham.
Over the course of their investigation, they found that McCormick had punched the 13-year-old in the face, leaving her with two black eyes. They also found that the teen was beaten on the head with a baseball bat, whipped with an extension cord, starved, and locked in a closet.
The younger daughter had been similarly abused and had also been beaten, starved, and locked in a closet. Court documents allege that the alleged abuse happened on multiple occasions.
Both are now in the custody of the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources.
Speaking about the case, Sgt. Johnny Williams praised the officer who first suspected the abuse "He [the officer] very well could have saved these kids' lives," he said. "He obviously saw something that didn't appear right and he absolutely did the right thing."
McCormick was charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse in connection to the incidents after a Jefferson County grand jury issued the indictments on Monday, July 15.
She has been incarcerated at the Jefferson County Jail since her initial arrest in November 2018 and is being held on a $120,000 bond. A court date has not yet been set for the trial.
