Seven months after former NY Giants cornerback Sam Beal vanished, his family says the silence has become unbearable—and they are pleading for help from anyone who may know what happened.
According to NBC News, Beal, 29, disappeared in July 2025. Since then, there have been no confirmed sightings, no financial activity, and no contact with loved ones.
His sister, Essence Zhane, marked the grim milestone this week with an emotional public message posted on Monday, January 12.
“Tomorrow makes it 7 months since we’ve last heard from or seen my brother,” Zhane 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.”
According to information released through missing-persons bulletins, Beal was last seen after dropping off his girlfriend at a family member’s home. He borrowed her car and said he was heading to work—but he never arrived. Later that day, he spoke with her by phone and said he was in Virginia Beach and planned to head home.
That was the last known communication.
The situation grew more alarming when the borrowed vehicle was recovered in Virginia Beach. Inside were Beal’s shoes and socks, placed on the front passenger seat, along with sand on the floor. Authorities say he appeared to leave with almost nothing.
“Samuel 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,” his missing-persons file states.
Zhane has been careful to shut down speculation, focusing instead on the need for answers. “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.”
She added, “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.”
Before his disappearance, Beal was best known for his time with the NY Giants, who selected him in the third round of the 2018 supplemental draft. He appeared in games across three seasons, recording 27 tackles and one pass defensed. He opted out of the 2020 NFL season during the COVID-19 pandemic and was released by the team in 2021.
Multiple law enforcement agencies remain involved, and investigators are urging anyone with information—no matter how small—to come forward.
Tips can be directed to the Kentwood Police Department at (616) 698-6580 or the Virginia Beach Police Department at (757) 385-4141.