'She was my rock’: Man wants driver who caused fiance’s fatal crash to come forward

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — A man is pleading for help to find the person who killed the mother of his baby girl after a hit-and-run crash. Troopers are looking for the driver who caused the deadly crash in Cleveland County Friday night.

It happened around 7:30 p.m. on Highway 150 near Ridge Road, southwest of Waco.

Troopers said a driver tried to pass a silver Nissan in a no-passing zone. When that driver faced a certain head-on collision, they swerved into the Nissan, forcing it off the road.

The Nissan hit a tree and caught fire. The driver, Stacey Bell, died at the scene. Her baby was in the car and survived. Her nephew was also in the car and is still in the hospital.

On Monday, Channel 9 reporter Ken Lemon spoke with Bell’s fiancee, Matthew Belk.

“She was everything to me,” said Belk, who is still coming to terms with the loss. "I wish I could hear her speak again. Just talk to me. She was my rock.”

On Friday night, Bell was headed to the store to buy water wings for their 8-month-old daughter, Ava.

“She was very excited for her baby to go swimming for her first time,” Belk said.

Ava, who was born three months premature and fights a chronic lung illness, suffered a broken leg in the crash.

“It’s a miracle that she is here with us right now from all that she has gone through,” Belk told Channel 9. “She is eight months old. She will never know her mother.”

Bell’s 15-year-old niece suffered multiple broken bones but will survive.

Belk said he just wants the driver responsible to turn themselves in.

“I hope that person feels grief and remorse,” he said.

Officials said troopers were able to get video footage of the crash from a home security camera.

They are looking for a 2010s model silver Honda Civic with a sunroof and alloy wheels. It had dark-tinted tail lights and damage to the right side with possible red paint transfer.

The car was last seen around 7:30 p.m. Friday and it was occupied by two men on NC 150, heading toward Shelby.

This an ongoing investigation. Check back with wsoctv.com for more information.

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