Murdaugh family latest – Mallory Beach’s parents reveal harrowing moment they ‘knew she was dead’ in 20/20 documentary

MALLORY Beach's parents revealed the harrowing moment they learned their daughter was dead in a 20/20 special that aired on Friday.

In the 20/20 special episode, The Fall of the House of Murdaugh, Mallory's parents detailed the heartbreaking moment when their daughter's body was recovered, just a week after she disappeared in a boating accident.

The search for Mallory Beach went on for a week after she fell from the Murdaugh family’s boat in February 2019.

Mallory's parents were on site at the boat landing every day hoping for good news.

";I just kept praying that they would see her, on a sandbar, that she was safe,” mom Renee said.

Countless people helped search for Mallory, including “the Department of Natural Resources, the Coast Guard, volunteers, anybody with a boat," said Michael DeWitt Jr, the managing editor of the Hampton County Guardian.

“We prayed for that closure for seven days,” Phillip Beach, Mallory’s father, said.

“The eighth day was a Sunday and we went to church.”

On March 3, 2019, Renee and Phillip Beach were driving home from church and stopped by the boat landing, where they had returned every day since their daughter disappeared.

A group of people were standing there, including a man in a shirt that read “CORONER” on the back.

“We knew,” Philip said.

The 20/20 special also revealed the recording of the 911 call made when Mallory’s body was discovered.

Two fishermen who were part of the volunteer search team came across the remains in the creek.

The 911 operator asked about the nature of the emergency.

“We think we found her,” came the grim reply.

";Her life meant something," Philip said in the 20/20 documentary.

"To us, she was our baby."

Paul Murdaugh pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach's death.

The group on the boat had been "grossly intoxicated," according to police, even though they were all underage and could not legally buy alcohol.

Paul's family’s ties to the legal system sparked questions about whether the investigation into the teen's death was done properly.