The family of Sana Bell, a 31-year-old African American Chicago police dispatcher, is pleading for the public’s help after she was reported missing late last week.
Bell was last seen Thursday afternoon in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood, after reportedly returning a rental vehicle near 1313 East 60th Street.
She was last seen wearing gray jogging pants and has not been heard from since. Family members describe her disappearance as highly unusual and deeply troubling.
Bell, who has served as a dispatcher for the Chicago Police Department, reportedly suffers from depression, and her family fears she may require urgent medical attention.
“She would never just disappear without contacting someone,” said a relative during a community-led search on last week Friday.
Known Habits Offer Clues
According to her loved ones, Bell often finds peace by visiting the lakefront and is known to ride the CTA Red Line for extended periods. These locations are now central to the search effort as family and friends retrace her potential routes and distribute flyers.
Bell is described as:
- A Black woman
- 5 feet 3 inches tall
- Weighing 120 pounds
- With black hair and brown eyes
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the Chicago Police Department’s Special Victims Unit at 312-747-8274.
Spotlight on a Broader National Crisis
Sana Bell’s disappearance is also shedding light on a larger, systemic crisis: the disproportionate rate at which Black women and girls go missing in the United States—and the lack of urgency and visibility that often accompanies their cases.
According to the Black and Missing Foundation, Black women represent nearly 40% of all missing women in the country, despite accounting for only 13% of the female population. Advocates and families say systemic bias continues to influence both media coverage and law enforcement prioritization.
“We can’t let these cases go unnoticed. Every missing person deserves the same level of urgency and coverage,” said one community advocate.
As the search for Sana Bell intensifies, her family remains hopeful that increased awareness and community support will lead to her safe return.
