Former New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal has been missing for seven months, leaving family, friends and authorities with more questions than answers in a case that has drawn national attention.
Beal, 29, was last heard from in mid-July 2025 after unexpectedly traveling from Michigan to Virginia Beach, according to his sister and national missing person records.
“Tomorrow makes it 7 months since we’ve last heard from or seen my brother,” his sister, Essence Zhane, wrote in a social media post Monday. “We’ve done everything we could on our end to piece things together.”
Last Contact and Discovery
Beal was reported last seen by his girlfriend on July 12, 2025, after he dropped her off at a family member’s home in Michigan.
“He was supposed to drive to work,” said the missing persons report shared by his family. But instead of heading to his job, Beal “headed toward Virginia Beach.”
Beal called his girlfriend the next day and said he was in Virginia Beach and planning to return home. He never arrived.
His girlfriend’s vehicle was later found in Virginia Beach by a family member. Inside, authorities discovered Beal’s shoes, socks and sand on the front passenger-side floor.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Beal did not take any personal items except the clothes he was wearing, slides and his wallet containing his banking card and driver’s license.
In her post, Zhane expressed a desire for closure rather than speculation. “I’m not here to answer a bunch of why’s and how’s,” she wrote. “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,” Zhane added. “This has been a heavy feeling for months to carry around.”
Authorities with the Kentwood, Michigan, Police Department and the Virginia Beach Police Department are encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
Beal, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, played college football at Western Michigan University before being selected by the Giants in the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft.
He appeared in nine games with the Giants, including three starts, before injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic affected his career. He opted out of the 2020 season and was released by the team in 2021.