The family of former NFL player Sam Beal is asking for help seven months after he disappeared without a trace.
“We’ve done everything we could on our end to piece things together and at this point we’re in desperate need of support on all ends,” Beal’s sister Essence Zhane shared via Facebook on Monday, January 12. “I’m not here to answer a bunch of why’s and how’s I just need this to land in the right direction to gain some form of answers or closure.”
She continued, “I’m a Big sister and I need my brother to know that We Love You and miss you and this has been a heavy feeling for months to carry around.”
Essence urged any individual with information about her brother to contact the Virginia Beach Police Department, where Beal, 29, was last seen on July 13, 2025, or the Kentwood Police Department in Michigan, where Beal is from.
After a collegiate career at Western Michigan University, Beal was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL supplemental draft by the New York Giants.
Beal appeared in nine games during two seasons with the Giants. He was released by the team in December 2021.
According to his missing persons report, Beal was last seen by his girlfriend dropping her off at a family member’s house.
“He borrowed her vehicle that day and was supposed to head to work; however he headed to Virginia Beach, VA,” the report said.
Beal’s girlfriend spoke to him over the phone on July 14, the last time anybody had contact with him. During their phone call, he told his girlfriend he was in Virginia Beach and would be heading home, but he was never seen by any family or friends again.
The girlfriend’s car was later recovered in Virginia Beach, but Beal was not inside. However, Beal’s shoes and socks were found on the passenger seat along with some sand on the floor.
According to the report, Beal “did not bring anything with him aside from the clothes he was wearing, a pair of slides, and his wallet that contained his banking card and driver’s license.”
The revelation that Beal had already been missing for seven months before the family made their social media posts resulted in an overwhelming amount of questions and confusion.
One person commented on Essence’s Facebook post, “This is the first time I’ve heard about this he was a great player for my favorite team. He’s been missing 7 months? When were the police notified ? Did y’all call for the police the first week?? Or after a few months?”
Beal’s sister, Mariah Davis, who posted the same message as Essence via Facebook, addressed some of the backlash.
“So disappointed that people are reacting insensitively,” Mariah wrote in a separate Facebook post on Monday. “Had hoped that by sharing information publicly, would receive support or guidance from others. A simple acknowledgement would have sufficed, without requiring further elaboration to anyone, whether friend, family, or otherwise. ‼️”
