Update: per a new announcement from the Daytona Beach Police Department, "law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe."
Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has been in the news over the past couple years, unfortunately due to various controversies and allegations that have been made against him. And the most recent story also seems dire, as the Drake and Josh actor has reportedly gone missing in the Daytona Beach area. What’s worse is that law enforcement authorities believe that Bell may be in danger, wherever he is at this moment.
TMZ reported this situation, as the Daytona Beach Police Department put out a request for any and all information pertaining to Drake Bell’s whereabouts. According to the information shared with the public, he was last spotted on April 12th “potentially in the area of Mainland High School,” driving a Grey 2022 BMW. Why Bell would be endangered has not been specified, so for the moment, we’ll have to wait for further information as this situation develops.
Most recently, it was reported that Drake Bell’s marriage broke up, as his wife of five years Janet Von Schmelling was reportedly fed up with Bell’s legal woes. Throughout their courtship and eventual marriage, stories like Bell’s 2015 DUI arrest have popped up from time to time.
Even more serious issues would arise, such as the 2021 child endangerment/grooming case where Drake Bell pled guilty and was sentenced 200 hours of community service. On top of the earlier 2020 physical abuse allegations from ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt, a pattern of misconduct seemed to be forming in Bell’s personal life.
Outside of the more serious portions of his recent headlines, Drake Bell had an alleged feud with Josh Peck, his Drake and Josh co-star. While Peck himself revealed to the BFFs podcast (via Buzzfeed) that deciding not to invite Bell to his wedding was more because they’d drifted apart, Drake’s eventually deleted tweets on the matter inspired the public to assume it was something messier.
The music star and Ultimate Spider-Man voice actor seemed to be turning things around, or at least was making an attempt to do so in the past couple of months. With the reports of his marriage ending, Drake Bell was also reported as entering a treatment program of unspecified specialty. Hopes of Bell and Janet Von Schmelling becoming “great co-parents in the future” were even mentioned by an unnamed source close to the proceedings.
The story surrounding Drake Bell’s reported disappearance is still a mystery. One can only hope that more information comes to light soon, with Bell being found in good health. For now, the search is on for Bell in the Daytona Beach area, and law enforcement officials are asking for the public's assistance in locating him. Any potentially helpful information should be reported to the Daytona Beach Police Dept., who can be reached at (386) 671-5207.
