BECKLEY, W.Va. — It was a full house at Tuesday’s Beckley Common Council meeting.
Family and friends of Belinda Cox, 48, gathered to watch the council honor her two young daughters receive a plaque for intervening during the September 17 incident.
Cox was allegedly set on fire by her fiance Dwayne Lane, 47 of Beckley, following an argument. According to police records, Laila and Jayla Cox called 911 and stopped Lane from burning their house down with them inside.
Beckley Police Detective Morgan Bragg presented the plaque at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We have two superheroes among us…your actions prevented further loss of life. Your composure during the incident with your mother was truly remarkable. I thank you for that.”
Bragg also said the girls were cooperative with dispatchers on the phone as well as first responders in what he described as the “most horiffic crime” in his 10 years as a detective.
Following the incident, Cox was transported to a Pittsburgh burn center in critical condition with nearly 70 percent of her body burned. She died from her injuries on October 4.
The girls received a standing ovation from everyone in attendance upon receiving their plaque.