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Human Remains Discovery Renews Interest In Danielle Bell Case

October 13, 2012

The discover Thursday of human remains in a wooded area in Cantonment ignited renewed interest in the case of Danielle Bell, a Tate High student missing for 11 years.

Escambia County Sheriff’s investigators and the medical examiner are still working to identify the remains located by land surveyors off Well Line Road…not far from where Bell was last seen in 2001, but they say they are not Bell.

“Investigators are fairly confident that the remains found are not those of missing Danielle Bell,” Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

“We were first hoping that it might be her when we found out the remains had been found,” Bonnie Bell, older sister of Danielle Bell, said early Friday evening. “We are hoping for closure. We gave up hope a long time ago that she would be found alive.”

The Bell family is working hard to take advantage of the sudden renewed interest in Danielle’s case. They will canvas the Well Line Road area Saturday, putting up and passing out new missing persons fliers featuring Danielle’s information.

“We are taking this opportunity to let everyone know that we still care, and we are putting the pressure on the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to keep working on the case,” Bonnie Bell said. “I want to find out where is my sister’s body.”

Danielle Arion Bell, 14, was last seen at a party in September 2001 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. She would now be 24 years old. 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: Human remans were discovered Thursday in this wooded area off Well Line Road in Cantonment. (Courtesy Amber Southard, WEAR). Pictured below: 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. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

9 Responses to “Human Remains Discovery Renews Interest In Danielle Bell Case”

Bobby on March 30th, 2013 3:49 pm

This case is so bogus!The ploice fail to mention that they ignored this girl for three months,shame on them.Now they go about messing up the lives of of good people just cause they can.Thats my house and there was never a party. Just alot jailhouse informants trying to out of jail.One so blatant that they charged him for it. (Roger Pohlman). Ive offered the family an independant lie detector test, so far no takers. Leave me alone.
Anyone on November 15th, 2012 5:09 pm

The investigators have been told several times what happen to her! But they don’t listen or try to point the blame! She could have been found years ago!!!
ammo22 on October 15th, 2012 12:49 pm

What about the girl from Atmore that went missing from the Poarch area? Could it be her.
me on October 13th, 2012 6:30 pm

I don’t think their covering for someone I think they’d love to find who did this not only is it the biggest unsolved mystery in cantonment-molino that would make them look good but they know this family needs a break whoever done this really covered their tracks and has left everyone clueless praying for the family
Patriot on October 13th, 2012 5:39 pm

In response to Hmm:
Your belief that the Sheriff’s Office has “been quiet” does not mean they are “covering something up”.
Believe it or not, sometimes law enforcement withholds information to prevent compromising an investigation.
Your statement that they are covering up something insinuates that they are implicit in a crime. That’s hogwash.
This ain’t “CSI” and they ain’t solving this in an hour with commercials.
Hmmm on October 13th, 2012 4:16 pm

The ESCO sure has been quiet. They won’t say what information they have, what led them to want to search the property or what they may or may not have found at the residence. They are covering up something. She was classified as a runaway when she disappeared and that’s just not right. It’s obvious that someone did something. They need to step up and REALLY investigate. Why if Dani was a someone they knew. They’d be all of it until it was solved. No one needs to forget that she is still missing. Someone knows something and they need to ease their guilty conscience by coming forward. PLEASE?!
shannon on October 13th, 2012 10:06 am

My prayers for the family!! I just pray that they get some answers if it is her!!!<3
ray on October 13th, 2012 9:56 am

it might be the body from the richard hunter case the female in this case was never found either
Michelle on October 13th, 2012 8:54 am

My heart goes out to the Bell fsmily. Haven’t you suffered enough, I pray you have your answers and final closure you need soon.
GOD Bless you all and keep you strong.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News