Aaliyah Bell

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Rock Hill Police Department (SC)

Missing From:

Rock Hill, SC

Summary:

Aaliyah Bell was an 18-year-old who went missing from a Rock Hill, South Carolina home on November 25, 2014, two days before Thanksgiving. She left her uncle's house for a walk on Chestnut Street, a half-mile route she had done dozens of times to reach her godmother's home. She has never been heard from again and left behind her cellular phone, wallet, and all her clothes and other belongings.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Aaliyah was at her uncle Bobby's home on Chestnut Street where she had been doing her younger sister's hair before she left at about 10:00 p.m. to walk to her godmother's Confederate Avenue home where she'd been staying. Although it was later in the evening and rainy, no one had any concerns as the walk was only a half mile total in her Rock Hill, South Carolina neighborhood. There were not any signs of a struggle on her path on Chestnut Street and authorities believe she did not run away. She left behind her cellular phone, wallet, all her clothes and other belongings. A family member wired her $100 on the day of her disappearance so she could go shopping, but she never picked up the money. Since Bell's disappearance she hasn't been active on her social media accounts and hasn't contacted her family, which is uncharacteristic of her behavior. There were possible sightings of Bell at a motel after her disappearance.

Additional Details:

Bell was a student at Phoenix Academy on Flint Street at the time of her disappearance, a non-traditional high school with a flexible schedule that offers online classes as well as face-to-face instruction twice a week. She attended school on the day of her disappearance. She planned to become a hairdresser after graduation. Initially, Rock Hill police did not believe foul play was involved in Aaliyah's disappearance, and she was classified as a runaway. Police have tracked down every lead within the last four years, but they all lead to dead ends. Several young women have looked like her, but it was not her. Police do not believe she ran away. There was no evidence she had anyone or anything to run away from. There was also no sign of a struggle on the residential path she took home. If Bell did start a new life, police have not been able to find any tax records, police records, registrations or even signs that she has applied for a credit card. She may be in Charlotte or Fayetteville, North Carolina or in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2023, Rock Hill police said investigators are reviewing information to see if there's a correlation between a girl's disappearance and a suspected New York serial killer with ties to South Carolina. Rex Heuermann was arrested several days ago for his alleged involvement in three murders and a suspected fourth in the Long Island area over the past 13 years, known as the Gilgo Beach murders. Rock Hill police said so far there is no indication that leads investigators to identify Heuermann as a suspect in Bell's disappearance. In 2021, Aaliyah's godmother Juanita passed away. In her obituary, Aaliyah was listed as one of her children, speaking to the unbreakable bond between them.

Case Last Updated:

Aug 18, 2026