Boyfriend of Maddie Bell makes tearful plea for her return

HIGHLAND COUNTY, Ohio (FOX19) - As the search for Madison Bell continues, those who saw her last are dealing with grief and heartache.

Bell, 18, who goes by ‘Maddie,' left her house in Greenfield, Ohio on Sunday and did not return. Investigators say they found her car abandoned in a church parking lot with her keys and cell phone left inside.

As she left her house, Maddie’s mother says she told her she was going to a tanning appointment.

Her boyfriend says he was there as well.

Cody Mann spoke to FOX19 NOW Tuesday night, fighting back tears in his first Tri-State media interview. He said he’s gotten little sleep since Maddie’s disappearance.

“'I’ll see you when you get back,’ is the last thing I got to say,” Cody recalled.

Previously | Volunteers descend on Highland Co. as search for Ohio teen continues

Cody lives with Bell family. He says he and Maddie have been together for five years.

“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.

“Each day that passes makes it even harder,” Melissa Bell, Maddie’s mother, added.

Cody says his only sleep comes on the couch.

“I won’t sleep in bed,” he said. “I have to sleep on the couch because I know she’s not in bed. It’s just wrong.”

Asked what messages they would have for Maddie, Melissa and Cody gave tearful messages.

“I would say, ‘Baby, please come home,’” Cody said. “'Do anything you can. I miss you.'”

“I’ll say, ‘Maddie, please come home,’” Melissa said. “'Do what you can. Think. Just do whatever you can do. Get away.'"

Anyone with information on her disappearance is being asked to call the hotline at 844.727.9111 or the Highland County Sheriff’s Office at 937.393.1421.

Copyright 2020 WXIX. All rights reserved.