Case file
Key facts
- Name: Samuel “Sam” Beal
- Age at disappearance: 28
- Missing since: July 12, 2025 (last contact by phone on July 13, 2025)
- Location: Caledonia, Michigan, near Kentwood and Grand Rapids; his girlfriend’s car was recovered in Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Description: 6 feet 2 inches tall, 185 pounds, Black male with a muscular, athletic build, short black hair, a short beard and brown eyes
- Status: Still missing — Yahoo Sports and EssentiallySports confirmed in October 2026 that he remains missing nearly 15 months after disappearing, with the investigation ongoing and his case registered with NamUs
- Investigating agency: Kentwood Police Department, (616) 698-6580; Virginia Beach Police Department, (757) 385-4141; Black and Missing Foundation, 877-97-BAMFI
The drive nobody can explain
Sam Beal, 28, grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, starred as a cornerback at Western Michigan, and was taken by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2018 NFL supplemental draft. By 2025 he was back home in western Michigan, living and working in the Kentwood area. On July 12, 2025, he dropped his girlfriend off at a family member’s home in Caledonia and borrowed her car. He told her he was headed to work. He never arrived.
Instead, Beal drove more than 700 miles — from western Michigan to Virginia Beach, Virginia. His girlfriend realized something was wrong when a service alert and the car’s GPS showed the vehicle in Pennsylvania. When she called him, he told her he was still in town and the app must be wrong. The GPS later placed the car in Virginia Beach. On July 13, 2025, Beal spoke with her again and told her he was in Virginia Beach and planned to return home. Those were the last words anyone has heard from him.
Shoes, socks and sand in an empty car
His girlfriend’s car was later recovered in Virginia Beach, in a parking area near the oceanfront. Inside, on the floor of the front passenger seat, were Beal’s shoes and socks, along with sand on the floor. Beal himself was gone. According to the NamUs summary of the case, he had taken almost nothing with him: the clothes he was wearing, a pair of slides, and his wallet, holding his driver’s license and banking card. His cards have shown no activity since.
The Black and Missing Foundation, which lists Beal as an endangered missing person, gives the circumstances of his disappearance in one word: “Unknown.” No one has publicly explained why a man who borrowed a car to drive to work in Kentwood instead drove through the night to a beach city in another state — or what happened to him after the car was parked.
A case reported late, listed late — and still open
The timeline of the official response matters in this case. His girlfriend contacted Kentwood police in August 2025 about filing the missing-person report, telling them there had been miscommunication about when it was filed. The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in October 2025 — roughly three months after Beal was last heard from. The Kentwood Police Department in Michigan is the lead agency; the Virginia Beach Police Department assists, because the car was found there.
The case stayed quiet until January 2026, when Beal’s older sister, Essence Zhane, posted a public plea on Facebook on January 12 — sharing his driver’s license photo, the missing-person report and a receipt from the day he was last heard from. “Tomorrow makes it seven months since we’ve last heard from or seen my brother,” she wrote. “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. I’m not here to answer a bunch of whys and hows. I just need this to land in the right direction to gain some form of answers or closure. 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.” Her post brought the case national attention for the first time. In October 2026, at the 15-month mark, Yahoo Sports and EssentiallySports confirmed what the family already knew: there have been no credible sightings, no bank activity, and no reports of his whereabouts. Authorities have not announced evidence of foul play — and have offered no explanation at all.
Who Sam Beal is
Beal’s football career is the reason his name is searched, and it is worth stating plainly. At Western Michigan he was a second-team All-MAC cornerback. The Giants rated him a first-round talent and spent a third-round supplemental pick on him in 2018. A shoulder injury wiped out his rookie season; he played nine games across 2019 and 2021, opted out of the 2020 season over COVID-19 health concerns, and was waived late in 2021. After football, he came home to Michigan. Whatever went wrong in his life after the NFL, the documented facts of his disappearance are the ones above — and his family, not a depth chart, is who is still waiting for an answer.
What is not known
Why Beal drove to Virginia Beach. Whether he went there to meet someone. Where he went after the car was parked, and where he is now. Investigators in two states have produced no public answers in 15 months, and no confirmed sighting of Sam Beal has been reported since July 13, 2025.
Have information?
Contact the Kentwood Police Department at (616) 698-6580, the Virginia Beach Police Department at (757) 385-4141, or the Black and Missing Foundation at 877-97-BAMFI (877-972-2634). In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- July 12, 2025 — Beal drops his girlfriend at a family member’s home in Caledonia, MI, borrows her car, says he is headed to work in Kentwood — and instead drives toward Virginia Beach.
- July 13, 2025 — Last contact: Beal tells his girlfriend by phone that he is in Virginia Beach and plans to return home. He is never heard from again.
- Later in July 2025 — The girlfriend’s car is recovered in Virginia Beach near the oceanfront with Beal’s shoes and socks and sand on the front passenger floor.
- August 2025 — His girlfriend contacts Kentwood Police about the missing-person report, citing a miscommunication over its filing.
- October 2025 — The case is entered into NamUs, the national missing-persons database.
- January 12, 2026 — His sister Essence Zhane’s public Facebook plea — seven months after he vanished — brings the case national attention.
- October 8, 2026 — Yahoo Sports and EssentiallySports report Beal is still missing nearly 15 months on; Kentwood and Virginia Beach police continue to investigate; no sightings or updates.
- Today — Still missing. No credible sighting has been reported since July 2025.
FAQ
Is Sam Beal still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, former New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal remains missing — nearly 15 months after he disappeared in July 2025, per October 8, 2026 reporting by Yahoo Sports and EssentiallySports. His case remains open and registered with NamUs.
When was Sam Beal last seen?
He was last seen on July 12, 2025, in Caledonia, Michigan, after dropping his girlfriend at a family member’s home and borrowing her car. His last contact was a phone call on July 13, 2025, in which he said he was in Virginia Beach and planned to come home.
Where was Sam Beal’s car found?
In Virginia Beach, Virginia, near the oceanfront, more than 700 miles from his Michigan home. His shoes and socks were found on the front passenger-side floor, with sand on the floor. Beal was not with the car.
What happened to Sam Beal?
Nobody knows. He drove to Virginia Beach for reasons no one has explained, made one final phone call saying he would return home, and has not been seen or heard from since. His wallet cards have shown no activity, and police have announced no evidence of foul play and no credible sightings.
What does Sam Beal look like?
He is 6’2″ and 185 pounds, with short black hair, a short beard and brown eyes, and a muscular, athletic build.
Who is investigating?
The Kentwood Police Department in Michigan, (616) 698-6580, with assistance from the Virginia Beach Police Department, (757) 385-4141. His case is also listed by the Black and Missing Foundation (877-97-BAMFI).
How can I help?
Share his Black and Missing Foundation listing — especially in Virginia Beach and western Michigan — and contact either police department if you saw Beal, his girlfriend’s car, or anything unusual around the Virginia Beach oceanfront in mid-July 2025.
Sources
- Advocacy / official listing: Black and Missing Foundation, missing-person listing for Samuel Beal (missing since 07/12/2025 from Caledonia, MI; 6’2″, 185 lbs, black hair, brown eyes; Kentwood Police Department (616) 698-6580; BAMFI 877-97-BAMFI). Rechecked October 20, 2026.
- Official database reporting: NamUs case details as reported by Fox News and Unheard Voices Magazine, “7 Facts to Know About the Sam Beal Missing Case” (January 15, 2026 — last seen after dropping his girlfriend off in Michigan; last contact July 13, 2025; case entered into NamUs October 2025; took only his clothes, slides and wallet; car recovered in Virginia Beach with shoes, socks and sand; Virginia Beach Police (757) 385-4141).
- News: Yahoo Sports, David Schneidman, “Former New York Giants player still missing 15 months after disappearing” (October 8, 2026 — still missing; 700+ mile drive; car recovered without him; investigation ongoing).
- News: EssentiallySports, “Ex-Giants Star’s Family Desperate For Answers as 29-Year-Old Remains Missing for 15 Months” (October 8, 2026 — Kentwood PD and Virginia Beach PD leading; registered with NamUs; sister Essence Zhane’s January 2026 plea; no reports of his whereabouts).
- News: Yardbarker, “Former Western Michigan Star Missing For 15 Months, Family Still Seeking Answers” (October 2026).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 20, 2026.