Drake Bell Found Safe After Being Reported ‘Missing and Endangered’

Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has been found safe after he was reported missing Thursday morning. Hours after the Daytona Police Department said the actor, 36, was “missing and endangered,” police confirmed that “law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe.” No further information was provided.

The update was shared at 1:26 p.m. local time, roughly four hours after the police department reported that “officers are looking” for Bell. The department said at the time that the actor should be traveling in a 2022 grey BMW and his last known location is potentially the area of Mainland High School on 4/12/2023 just before 9 p.m.,” and was “considered missing and endangered.” The department, which requested those with information to reach out to Detective Jayson Wallace, confirmed in the comments that “this is a legitimate post from the Daytona Beach Police Department.”

Bell’s social media accounts have not been updated since April 3, when his verified Twitter account shared a video of a podcast interview he recently participated in. The actor’s Instagram account, meanwhile, has not been active since March 6, when he shared a video of his infant son, whom he shares with his wife Janet Von Schmeling.

Bell, who starred on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show before later leading Drake & Josh alongside Josh Peck, has faced trouble in recent years. In 2021, the actor was arrested for attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, charges he pleaded guilty to later that year. The charges were in relation to a case involving a female victim the actor met online who accused him of “grooming” her since she was 12. He was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service.

Later opening up about the situation, Bell said he did not know the age of the victim at the time of their virtual communication and that “all conversation and communication stopped” when he became aware. He wrote, “I responded to a fan whose age I didn’t know. When I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped,” adding that when he was “presented with a plea deal because of the messages, I felt that it was the best way to get this over quickly and for everybody involved to be able to move on and for me to get back to doing what I love.”