What Happened to Sam Beal? Former Giants Cornerback Missing for Seven Months

Former New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal has gone missing, and his family says they have spent months trying to piece together what happened.

Sam entered the NFL with real promise, but injuries and setbacks repeatedly stalled his career. The Giants selected him in the third round of the 2018 supplemental draft. ESPN reported that he never made it through a full practice as a rookie because of a pre-existing shoulder injury, forcing him to miss the entire 2018 season.

Sam also faced legal trouble. In 2021, ESPN reported that he pleaded guilty to gun-related charges tied to a 2020 arrest in Ohio. Now, the former NFL player is missing, and his family is urging anyone with information to come forward immediately.

Sam last made contact on July 13, 2025. Since then, his sister, Essence Zhane Beal, has turned to Facebook and the public for help. She said the family needs anything that could point them toward where he is, or what went wrong.

“Tomorrow makes it seven months since we’ve last heard from or seen my brother,” Essence wrote. “We’ve done everything we could on our end to piece things together, and at this poin,t we’re in desperate need of support on all ends. I’m not here to answer a bunch of whys and hows. 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."

According to ABC 7, Sam last saw his girlfriend on July 12, 2025, after dropping her off at a family member’s home. He borrowed his girlfriend’s vehicle that day and planned to go to work, but he never showed up. At some point, Sam traveled from Michigan to Virginia Beach, Va.

During a phone call with his girlfriend, he said he was in Virginia Beach and planned to head back home. He never arrived. The vehicle later turned up in Virginia Beach. Investigators noted that Sam’s shoes and socks were found inside.

Meanwhile, Sam’s brother Cory told WTVR that the family hasn’t gotten meaningful communication from law enforcement since they filed the report — and he confirmed the family knows the girlfriend’s family recovered the vehicle in Virginia Beach, but Sam wasn’t with it.

Police have released few details about Sam’s disappearance. Virginia Beach police said they’re supporting the Kentwood Police Department, which remains the “department of record.” In a statement shared with WTVR, Virginia Beach police said they’re “aware of the situation.”

“The Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) is aware of the situation and is actively supporting the department of record, the Kentwood Police Department, in their ongoing investigation. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available,” the statement read.

Police have not publicly released new details about where Sam went after Virginia Beach or what investigators believe happened next.