Belle was born in Independence, Louisiana. She is of Irish descent. When she was six years old, her mother died in a car accident; Belle entered the foster care system, staying in a succession of homes for the next two years until she was placed with a more stable foster family that eventually intended to adopt her. Belle lived with them from age 8 to 12, but again became a ward of the state when her foster mother was diagnosed with cancer and, according to her foster cousin, found caring for Belle to be too taxing on her already weak existence
