Drake Bell missing, police fear for his safety

Jared Drake Bell, the American actor best known for his roles on Nickelodeon shows Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, has been reported missing.

As reported by TMZ, the 36-year-old actor was last seen yesterday (12 April) near Mainland High School in Daytona, Florida at 9PM local time. The Daytona Beach Police Department says: “He is considered missing and endangered.”

According to the police, Bell is apparently travelling in a 2022 grey BMW. The public are being encouraged to contact Detective Jayson Wallace on 386-671-5207 if they have any information that could lead to Bell’s whereabouts.

The news was first posted to Facebook on the official Daytona Beach Police Department page. In the comments section, after a number of users questioned whether it could be a hoax, the police clarified: “For those asking, this is a legitimate post from the Daytona Beach Police Department. If you have any information, please contact Detective Jayson Wallace.”

As The Hollywood Reporter writes, in 2021, Bell was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service after pleading guilty to attempted child endangerment. Reportedly, he met the victim - who was a young fan - online when they were 12 years old. It’s claimed that the exchanges became “blatantly sexual” around the time that they turned 15.

Later in 2021, Bell published a video message addressing the situation: “I responded to a fan whose age I didn’t know. When I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped,” he said. “This individual continued to come to shows and pay for meet-and-greets, and although I was unaware that this was the same person I was communicating with online, that’s what I pled guilty to.”

He continued: “I want to make clear that there were no sexual images, nothing physical between me and this individual. I was not charged with anything physical. I was not charged with the disseminating of photographs or images or anything like that. This is strictly over text messages.”