A Birmingham mother has been indicted on two felony charges, accused of horrific abuse of her two children.
A Jefferson County grand jury on Monday issued the indictments against Belinda Ann McCormick of southwest Birmingham. She has been jailed since November 2018 when a Bessemer police officer spotted her in court in the Cutoff on an unrelated matter and immediately became alarmed at the appearance of her two daughters, ages 13 and 11.
“He very well could have saved these kids’ lives,’’ said Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams said of the officer.
McCormick, 35, was attending a court hearing for someone else on Nov. 5, 2018. “The officer observed both kids and became concerned about their appearance,’’ Williams said. The Jefferson County Department of Human Resources was called to the courthouse and an investigation immediately launched.
The children were taken to Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham, and investigators quickly determined the alleged abuse incidents happened in Birmingham, Williams said. Both children were suffering from physical injury and malnourishment. They remained hospitalized for more than 10 days.
The indictments state McCormick punched the older daughter in the face, resulting in two black eyes. The mother is also accused of beating her in the head with a baseball bat, whipping her with an extension cord, not feeding her and locking her in a closet.
As for the younger daughter, McCormick is accused of also beating her with an extension cord, not feeding her, and locking her in a closet. Court records state the alleged abuse happened on multiple occasions.
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