Party Held For Cantonment Teen Missing For 15 Years
July 31, 2016
Danielle Bell of Cantonment and her family would have celebrated her 29th birthday last Thursday. Instead, family members joined friends and the community in a birthday party Saturday evening to mark the upcoming 15th anniversary of her disappearance.
The KlaasKIDS Foundation and Danielle’s family reaffirmed their commitment to continue the search for the missing teen during the part at the Harvester Homes Community Park on Belmont Avenue in Cantonment. A birthday cake with the words “Your life is not forgotten” was served.
“The disappearance of a 14-year old girl from our community that has continued to go unsolved for 15 years should be a clear call for action and answers from every parent in our area,” said Brad Dennis, director of Search Operations for Klaaskids.
A new Facebook page has been launched by the KlaasKIDS Foundation which will serve to post information about Danielle Bell and her case leading to the 15th anniversary of her disappearance. Click here for that page.
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After leaving the Harvesters Home Park on September 28, 2001, Danielle was last seen at a party in the 500 block of Cedar Tree Lane, between Highway 29 and Highway 95A in Cantonment.
Witnesses told authorities that Bell left a party with a man that was in his mid-twenties at the time. Escambia County deputies later questioned that man and searched his home, but he was never charged in connection with the case.
During the summer of 2007, Alfredo Gomez Sanchez, Jr. was charged with providing law enforcement with false information about his whereabouts at the time Bell disappeared. He was not implicated in her disappearance.
In October 2010, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit served a search warrant at the home.
As part of that search warrant, a septic tank behind the residence was pumped out, and dogs from Escambia County Search and Rescue were also used to search the area. Investigators said nothing was found, and they would not say what new information might have led to the search.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Danielle has a scar on her right forearm and blue eyes. She had brown hair at the time of her disappearance. Danielle, whose nickname was “Dani”, was a member of the Tate Aggies cheerleading squad. The popular teen enjoyed dancing and drawing.
Anyone with information about Bell is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured top photos: A birthday party for missing teen Danielle Bell Saturday evening in Cantonment. Courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com. Pictured bottom inset: Investigators pumped and searched a septic tank at this home on Cedar Tree Lane in Cantonment in October 2010 in the case of missing teen Danielle Arion Bell. Pictured below: A search and rescue K-9 team was also on site. Pictured bottom: A septic tank company employee prepares to pump a septic tank at the home. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
3 Responses to “Party Held For Cantonment Teen Missing For 15 Years”
My heart aches for this and other families alike that have missing children. I cannot imagine their daily living nightmare!
I ask & pray that EVERYONE that reads this article will pray for this family & all the other MANY families with missing children. Pray for their strength, sanity & faith in Jesus Christ!
PLEASE PRAY that each of the missing children now some adults WILL BE found safe & alive. Pray for the KlassKids Foundation as they search for so many missing people. They are an amazing foundation & are VERY GOOD at what they do! Also please pray for our ECSO & our local LEO’s to be given wisdom & knowledge from God to solve this & many other cases.
Our ECSO & our LEO’s have solved MANY high profile crimes (Bonnie & Clyde) to name one! The couple had been in MANY states prior to coming here…but our local LEO’s are the ones who stopped/caught them! They have also caught several other national high profile crime spree people when they made the wrong decision to enter Escambia County! This speaks VOLUMES for our local LEO’s/ECSO!! A huge shout out is well deserved to all of them for trying to keep us safe in Escambia County!!
@Melodies4us In the original investigation, was everyone who attended the party that night not questioned? (I am asking bc I didn’t get to see the facts that surrounded the initial investigation) This seems very odd not to question EVERYONE who was at this party?! I agree with you 100%, SOMEONE KNOWS something!
ANYONE who attended this party that night needs to pray & ask God to please help reveal ANYTHING that may help jog their memory, no matter how small a detail they think it may be- REPORT it to the lead investigator of this cold case or crime stoppers anonymously if you feel unsafe.
Danielle’s family has suffered beyond words for 15 YEARS…It’s time for someone who knows ANYTHING to come forward to help end this families daily living nightmare!
Sounds like the hispanic man may of had something to hide. Hopefully keeping her memory alive will put some pressure on some folks. I pray this family keeps up this fight. God Bless Them.
So sad. My heart goes out to her family. I do not believe that the initial investigation was thorough. Everyone at the party should have been questioned. Someone knows something. She left the party with her boyfriend and his uncle.