Aaliyah Bell, 18: Last Seen Walking Down The Street In 2014
Stories about people who disappear in broad daylight are some that disturb me the most. It seems unfathomable that a person can be walking down the street one moment and then unaccounted for the next, but unfortunately, that is a frightening reality that occurs from coast to coast. It was just two days before Thanksgiving in 2014 on November 25, and 18-year-old Aaliyah Bell was visiting her uncle’s home in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She was seen in the area walking down Chestnut Street, but that is the last known information that anyone has about Aaliyah’s whereabouts. Family, nor friends, have heard from her since that day.
Authorities initially thought that she could have run away or visited with friends, but she left behind all of her belongings including her cell phone, wallet, and clothing. That same day, one of her family members wired her $100 so that she could go shopping, but that money was never retrieved. Also, Aaliyah’s family stated that the high school teenager was always active on her social media accounts, none of which have seen any movement since her disappearance.
It was confirmed that on the day that she vanished, Aaliyah Bell attended school at Phoenix Academy. It’s an institution that works on an unconventional schedule where students can take online courses in addition to in-class instruction two days out of the week.
“Whether she’s eighteen or not, this is not her normal thing to do, to stay away from family this long. Something is keeping her from home,” said family friend Chandra Cleveland-Jennings. “We are a little frustrated. As far as we know, there have been spottings of her at a motel.”
Investigators hit the streets looking for any sightings of Aaliyah Bell and calls came in from the public that, as the family friend stated, the teen was living or visiting a motel. Police said that Aaliyah could be in Fayetteville, North Carolina, or Atlanta, Georgia. The follow-up to those leads is unknown.
The missing teen’s family is no closer to identifying what happened to the girl with dreams of one day becoming a hairstylist. In an effort to help Aaliyah’s frustrated yet worried family, representatives from local chapters of the NAACP met with the teen’s loved ones.
“They came in to make sure everything was handled correctly, and they are using their resources to get out that she’s still missing,” Cleveland-Jennings said.
It is the opinion of Aaliyah’s family that she is alive and being held against her will.
“She stepped off the porch and has not been seen since,” Capt. Brent Allmon said. “It was around midnight. It was raining. She was going to walk a few blocks to get to the other home and never arrived. She has not been seen or heard from since… We considered her missing and still do classify her as missing. There was no indication she wanted to go missing and get away.”
“She has not been on the radar of anything electronic or any other way since,” Allmon said. “No Facebook, no other social media. There has not been any connection to her since.”
At the time of her disappearance, Aaliyah Bell was 5 feet 6 inches tall and 145 pounds. She has dark brown/black shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. Aaliyah was last seen wearing gray leggings or jogging pants and a black peacoat with neon blue and green shoes. She has star tattoos on her left abdomen and has a lip piercing. Her middle name is Shadeay and she would be 22-years-old at the time of this publication. She may go by the last names “Hall-Bell” or “Bell-Hall.”
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Rock Hill Police Department at 803-329-7200, at 803-329-7293, or their local authorities. The agency case number is 1411291262.
Please share this story regarding the disappearance of Aaliyah Bell to help reignite the investigation into this case. She is our sister and her life matters.
Follow Our Black Girls on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay updated on the latest cases as soon as they’re posted here on the website.
Sources
WSOC-TV
The Herald
WBTV
The Charley Project
NamUs
Joey Dale Cline Ted Osborne Jr