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Madison Bell

Missing Highland County teen Maddie Bell found safe Saturday, May 23rd 2020 Advertisement Ohio teen is found safe a week after she went missing on her way to a tanning salon just hours before her graduation By

Published: 16:08 BST, 23 May 2020 | Updated: 18:19 BST, 23 May 2020



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Missing Ohio teen Madison Bell, 18, has been found safe after disappearing on Sunday, according to police.

Madison was reported missing around 11.20 am on Sunday May 17 after she left her home to visit a tanning salon a few hours before her high school graduation ceremony.

Her car was later found abandoned in a church parking lot, unlocked with her cell phone and keys still inside, sparking immediate suspicion of foul play.

However, the Highland County Sheriff's Office now says that Madison has been in contact to confirm that she is safe and left of her own free will, but does not want her location disclosed. Police say no arrests will be made in the case.

+9 Missing Ohio teen Madison Bell, 18, has been found safe after disappearing on Sunday [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/20/15/28621620-8340189-image-a-26_1589983895653.jpg] +9 Madison was reported missing around 11.20 am on Sunday May 17 [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/20/15/28621640-8340189-image-m-25_1589983890599.jpg] Missing Ohio teen Madison Bell, 18, has been found safe after disappearing on Sunday

+9 Madison's family was certain that she would not leave on her own just hours before graduation, but it now appears that she left willingly and did not want her family to find her [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/23/16/28621642-8350751-Madison_s_family_was_certain_that_she_would_not_leave_on_her_own-m-12_1590248991528.jpg] Madison's family was certain that she would not leave on her own just hours before graduation, but it now appears that she left willingly and did not want her family to find her

The teen's disappearance generated tremendous community concern, and a $15,000 reward had been posted for information leading to her return.

Madison's family released a statement saying: 'We ask that the public and media respect our privacy during this difficult time while we are emotionally raw.'

'We are just relieved to know Maddie is alive and not in physical danger.'

The family thanked all of the agencies that joined in the massive search for the teen, as well as the community for rallying around them during the trying ordeal.

'Every single effort to find Maddie has touched us and we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts,' the statement added.

The mysterious case quickly attracted national attention, with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine pleading for the teen's safe return, and the FBI joining the investigation.

The teen disappeared just two days after tanning businesses had reopened in Ohio following coronavirus lockdowns.

When Madison, known to her family and friends as 'Maddie,' did not return home from the tanning salon after about an hour, her mother started texting and calling her, but received no response.

+9 Madison's mother, Melissa Bell (left), and the teen's long-term boyfriend, Cody Mann (right), made emotional pleas for her safe return during the week she was missing [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/23/16/28621608-8346725-Madison_s_mother_Melissa_Bell_left_and_her_boyfriend_Cody_Mann_r-a-17_1590246326820.jpg] Madison's mother, Melissa Bell (left), and the teen's long-term boyfriend, Cody Mann (right), made emotional pleas for her safe return during the week she was missing

+9 Bell (pictured with her live-in boyfriend of five years, right), was set to graduate on Sunday afternoon. Her mother said she would not have missed it [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/23/16/28621632-8350751-Bell_pictured_with_her_live_in_boyfriend_of_five_years_right_was-a-8_1590248453489.jpg] +9 Her mother said she would not have missed her graduation [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/23/16/28621618-8350751-Her_mother_said_she_would_not_have_missed_her_graduation-a-9_1590248453723.jpg] Madison (pictured left with her live-in boyfriend) was set to graduate on Sunday afternoon. Her mother said she would not have missed it

Mother Melissa Bell insisted her daughter would never leave her family and friends, especially during graduation week.

'She would always contact me even if she was going to be five minutes late,' the distraught mother said after she disappeared.

Concerned that Madison may have gotten into a car accident, her mother and longtime boyfriend drove together to the Good Shepherd Church parking lot near the Corner Market tanning salon, where they found her car.

'The windows are up, we open the door, her phone is laying in it, her keys in the ignition, the change is in the container she had. The car was left unlocked,' the mother recounted to . 'She would never leave her car unlocked, she would never leave her phone in there.'

Bell's car was found abandoned with the keys still in the ignition in the parking lot of the Good Shepherd Church in Highland County (pictured) [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/22/06/28621622-8346725-Bell_s_car_was_found_abandoned_with_the_keys_still_in_the_igniti-a-68_1590125970636.jpg] Bell's car was found abandoned with the keys still in the ignition in the parking lot of the Good Shepherd Church in Highland County (pictured)

+9 Madison Bell, 18, was last seen leaving her home in Ross County, Ohio, on Sunday night [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/22/06/28621644-8346725-Madison_Bell_18_was_last_seen_leaving_her_home_in_Ross_County_Oh-a-70_1590125991365.jpg] +9 She was heading to a tanning salon, but she never made it there [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/23/16/28621598-8346725-She_was_heading_to_a_tanning_salon_but_she_never_made_it_there-a-18_1590246326828.jpg] Madison Bell, 18 (left and right), was last seen leaving her home in Ross County, Ohio, on Sunday night. She was heading to a tanning salon, but she never made it there

Bell said she tried to unlock Madison's phone but was unable to and handed it over to law enforcement.

Cody Mann, Madison's boyfriend of five years, broke down in tears pleading for her safe return during an interview with on Tuesday.

'She’s the most loving girl I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean, I can’t even explain it... I just want her to come home,' he said through sobs.

'I’ll see you when you get back is the last thing I got to say', he added.

+9 This man, spotted near the area where Madison's car was found, had been sought, but it is unclear whether he has any connection with the case [https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/05/23/16/28690230-8350751-Police_on_Thursday_released_this_image_of_a_man_they_want_to_ide-a-10_1590248482956.jpg] This man, spotted near the area where Madison's car was found, had been sought, but it is unclear whether he has any connection with the case

More than 300 volunteers came out to search for Madison on Sunday and Monday, spending thousands of man-hours scouring trails and woods, and distributing flyers.

On Thursday, police released images of a man and a car with California plates sought in connection with the case, saying the man was spotted in the parking lot where Madison's car was found.

A church worker told police the white four-door vehicle they saw in the lot stood out as there were no services due to COVID-19.

They said a white male stood near the vehicle, which they believed to have California license plates. An image released by police was taken at a nearby business.

After Madison was confirmed safe, it was not clear whether the man had any connection with her decision to leave her family without informing them.

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No Yes Madison Bell: Ohio teen is found safe, sheriff says - CNN By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of , and . More information about I agree By Melissa Alonso, CNN



Updated 1834 GMT (0234 HKT) May 23, 2020

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An Ohio teenager has been found safe after vanishing on her way to a tanning salon. 01:08 (CNN)An since Sunday has been found, the Highland County sheriff tells CNN.

Madison Bell went missing May 17. [//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/200519190157-02-madison-bell-missing-large-169.jpg]Madison Bell went missing May 17.Madison Bell, 18, was last seen when she left home Sunday morning, telling her mother she was going to a tanning salon."Bell has been located safe and left on her own free will," Sheriff Donnie Barrera tells CNN. No other information was made available. The sheriff's office said this week that it seemed Bell didn't make it to the salon. Her car was found at a church parking lot nearby.Her mother, Melissa Bell, found her daughter's car unlocked with her phone inside and the keys still in the ignition, she told .Read More"This would be her senior week of high school, so we had a lot of events going on this week that she wouldn't miss," Melissa Bell said.CNN's Carma Hassan and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

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Information storage and accessApplySave Preferences Accept allChat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Police say 18-year-old Madison Bell has been safely located | WBNS ... Breaking News | | 1/2 Live Video | Madison Bell, 18, of Highland County, has been found safe. ((Courtesy/Bell family)) By: and Breaking News Staff Updated: May 23, 2020 - 7:03 AM Highland County — The Highland County Sheriff’s Office says Madison Bell has been found safe.

A release was sent Saturday morning stating that the 18-year-old was found safe. The HCSO also confirmed that Madison left of her own free will and does not want to disclose her location. No arrests will be made in this case.

The family also released a statement saying “We ask that the public and media respect our privacy during this difficult time while we are emotionally raw. We are just relieved to know Maddie is alive and not in physical danger. Thank you to every single person who looked for Maddie including Rescue 101 Search and Rescue, Texas Equusearch, the amazing members of our local community, and volunteers that came from other areas to search for our daughter. Thank you to everyone who donated on Maddie’s behalf to assure we had reward money to offer for her safe return. Thank you to the law enforcement agencies and members for their hard work over the past 6 days, and for leaving no rock unturned. Thanks to friends and family who have supported us during the most difficult time of our lives. Every single effort to find Maddie has touched us and we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts."

Madison Bell was last seen on the morning of Sunday, May 17, 2020.



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