In Mallory's Honor

She lost her daughter in a boat crash caused by Paul Murdaugh. Now Renee Beach is working to fulfill her child's mission in life

- CHRISTINE PELISEK

Mallory Beach was driving home from work at a fashion boutique in Beaufort, S.C., when she saw a litter of puppies on the side of the road. "The strays always found her," says her mother, Renee Beach, who was at home when Mallory told her to put on her coat, grab a flashlight and head out into the cold on that February 2018 evening. Together, mother and daughter searched the woods for the abandoned puppies. "They had curled up in some straw underneath a pine tree to keep warm," recalls Renee, 51. "Mallory was looking at me with tears in her eyes, saying, 'We have to take them home.' And so we did."