Cops Find Woman's Body After Brother-In-Law Admits Where He Buried Her

By Lora Korpar

Fellow

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Mississippi police discovered the remains of a woman believed to be Felicia Cox after her brother-in-law David Neal Cox admitted responsibility for her 2007 killing shortly before his execution for other crimes.

On November 17, David Cox became the first person executed in Mississippi in the past nine years for killing his wife, Kim Kirk Cox, and sexually assaulting his stepdaughter in front of her dying mother in May 2010.

According to district attorney John Weddle, shortly before the execution, David Cox gave instructions on where to find his sister-in-law's body, waiving his attorney-client privilege after death.

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The body was recovered on land in Pontotoc County that used to belong to Felicia Cox's family. Pontotoc County Coroner Kim Bedford said a state crime lab will test DNA to confirm the remains belong to Felicia Cox.

David Cox was long thought the most likely suspect in Felicia Cox's disappearance. She was last seen in July 2007 after visiting Kim Kirk Cox. In an interview with a local television station, Amber Miskelly, Felicia Cox's daughter said she believed David Cox was the last person to see her mother alive.

In an Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel news release, David Cox said he "felt deep remorse and wanted to bring closure" to Felicia Cox's family, prompting him to disclose the location.

Miskelly told the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger giving her mother a proper burial and having a place she can visit her "means everything" to her.

David Neal Cox, execution

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David Cox pleaded guilty in 2012 to capital murder for the May 2010 shooting death. He also pleaded guilty to multiple other charges, including sexual assault.

Cox had dropped his appeals, filing court papers calling himself "worthy of death" before the state Supreme Court set his execution date.

Questions had remained about whether David Cox was responsible for the 2007 disappearance of Felicia Cox, his brother's wife, who was last seen in a neighboring county.

The information David Cox gave before his execution was presented to Weddle's office two days later, the district attorney said last week, adding that David Cox has been a longtime suspect in his sister-in-law's disappearance.

"Our office is greatly indebted to many as we reflect on the discovery of what appears to be the remains of Felicia Cox today in Pontotoc County," Weddle said Sunday in a statement posted to his official Facebook page. "We are thankful the family can now begin the process of giving Felicia Cox a burial."

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