CA CA - Sydney “Syd” West, 19, Univ of CA student, San Francisco, 30 Sep 2020 #2

[ElizabethAnne]

I agree; I think the concussion is mentioned because it sounds plausible (e.g., concussions can make it harder to stare at a computer all day). But Sydney dropped out in the first week - that makes me think she was overwhelmed almost immediately and there was more to it than a concussion. Presumably she would’ve spent some time on her computer prior to enrolling and would’ve known if that was going to be a major issue (or even if it was a major issue, it may have taken more than a week to reach that major decision to drop out).

College is hard enough, I can’t imagine starting with COVID isolation in effect and having the extra pressure of feeling like you really “have to make it count” after a gap year.

Many students accepted into Berkeley are class valedictorians, salutatorians, one of the top 5 students of their graduating class, or the top 1% of their class. Since the IB Integrative Biology major does not accept AP credit for major requirements, she was likely surrounded by classmates who had already scored a 5 on AP Calc and AP Chem and AP Bio, etc.

Sydney says on her "Chance Me" posting that she made the honor roll the first two years of high school (I would presume this means at Foothill High in Pleasanton), but it seems as though she never made it on the honor roll her last two years and was never inducted into Carrboro High's National Honor Society since her Chance Me posting never mentions it. She says she failed 3 out of 8 AP tests, including failing the AP Calculus exam twice. Her first semester in the Integrative Biology (IB) major at Berkeley (assuming that was her major), she would have had to take Calculus, Chemistry, etc. regardless of the option - for details see Integrative Biology Major Requirements and Freshman Admits to Cal

Her ability to actually handle a highly demanding major at a highly demanding UC given she had postings back to 2019 about suffering from depression such as Gap Year Blues, regardless of COVID, seems questionable.

 

[collegeisintense]

According to the public Find Sydney website run by the family, they have engaged a very high-end PR firm located in Washington D.C. to manage the case. Does anyone know why a PR firm would be needed since the family doesn't do (or hasn't done) any media interviews? I don't think I've heard of PR firms managing abduction/disappearance cases before. Curious as to why.

The head of the PR firm is a family member of her mothers.

 

[owleye]

Sydney says on her "Chance Me" posting that she made the honor roll the first two years of high school (I would presume this means at Foothill High in Pleasanton), but it seems as though she never made it on the honor roll her last two years and was never inducted into Carrboro High's National Honor Society since her Chance Me posting never mentions it.

I wonder if she always had mental health issues, or if they began once she was moved to NC during high school. I guess I'm wondering if her depression was clinical (chemical) or if it had to do with hardships stemming from such a major life change outside her control. I wonder if life was better for her in Pleasanton and her health was better there too and then her move to NC started a downward spiral.

 

[collegeisintense]

I wonder if the PR firm (the one who is run by a family member) will appear in their interviews instead of the parents. The Nancy Grace podcast was an interview with their PI Dudek. I personally think that muddied a lot of details and raised more questions so I think it’s all about damage control.

They care a lot about image so it may just be to maintain their reputation and public image.

 

[collegeisintense]

I wonder if she always had mental health issues, or if they began once she was moved to NC during high school. I guess I'm wondering if her depression was clinical (chemical) or if it had to do with hardships stemming from such a major life change outside her control. I wonder if life was better for her in Pleasanton and her health was better there too and then her move to NC started a downward spiral.

One of her friends said her depression was prevalent in high school.

 

[collegeisintense]

According to the public Find Sydney website run by the family, they have engaged a very high-end PR firm located in Washington D.C. to manage the case. Does anyone know why a PR firm would be needed since the family doesn't do (or hasn't done) any media interviews? I don't think I've heard of PR firms managing abduction/disappearance cases before. Curious as to why.

Yup, close family member on her mother’s side. I think it’s because many people have questioned their behavior and the many contradictions/discrepancies.

 

[collegeisintense]

I wonder if she always had mental health issues, or if they began once she was moved to NC during high school. I guess I'm wondering if her depression was clinical (chemical) or if it had to do with hardships stemming from such a major life change outside her control. I wonder if life was better for her in Pleasanton and her health was better there too and then her move to NC started a downward spiral.

I think it was clinical. She went missing during a “depressive episode” according to a family member. Seems more like bipolar (like others have pointed out for a variety of reasons) or chronic depression. Or a combination of the two even. I also think if her depression started or even exacerbated post concussion or move to SF they would have said that.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

I think it was clinical. She went missing during a “depressive episode” according to a family member. Seems more like bipolar (like others have pointed out for a variety of reasons) or chronic depression. Or a combination of the two even. I also think if her depression started or even exacerbated post concussion they would have said that.

Her instagram home page says "I peaked in middle school" and rather than that being some sort of joke, I think she put that down as her motto because she believed she in fact did peak in middle school. A few days before she disappeared, the Cal Daily also posted an article from a Berkeley student on peaking in middle school....Reflections during a pandemic: A personal essay

 

[Lusitana]

Yeah, I also think Sydney's issues got worse because she was attending Cal. I wish she would've just gone to a smaller school or didn't go at all. It does feel like she was never guided into finding who and what she wanted to be, it was Ivy League or nothing. It's sad, she could've been happy going to a junior college, she could've been happy trying out jobs, etc.

 

[NSamuelle]

I wonder if the PR firm (the one who is run by a family member) will appear in their interviews instead of the parents. The Nancy Grace podcast was an interview with their PI Dudek. I personally think that muddied a lot of details and raised more questions so I think it’s all about damage control.

They care a lot about image so it may just be to maintain their reputation and public image.

The PI’s answer to “why was she at the GGB that day” on Nancy Grace was frustrating. He said “because she is a kid that loves nature.” He could not have known what was in her mind. Why would she have left her backpack behind before entering the bridge if she was there to enjoy nature? He also acted like staying in a hotel was common practice, but provided no dates or other details to back that up, nor a description of what Sydney did in the month after withdrawing from Berkeley. The only 2 new details to arise from the interview were that she took an Uber, couch-surfed, and stayed in a hotel (a discussion group on social media had already found the hotel tip, but it was not made public until the Nancy Grace interview).

 

[NSamuelle]

Yeah, I also think Sydney's issues got worse because she was attending Cal. I wish she would've just gone to a smaller school or didn't go at all. It does feel like she was never guided into finding who and what she wanted to be, it was Ivy League or nothing. It's sad, she could've been happy going to a junior college, she could've been happy trying out jobs, etc.

She had said on Reddit that she just wanted to find a community college. I wish she had.

 

[collegeisintense]

She had said on Reddit that she just wanted to find a community college. I wish she had.

Me too. Seems like she was living for other people and not herself. So sad.

 

[collegeisintense]

The PI’s answer to “why was she at the GGB that day” on Nancy Grace was frustrating. He said “because she is a kid that loves nature.” He could not have known what was in her mind. Why would she have left her backpack behind before entering the bridge if she was there to enjoy nature? He also acted like staying in a hotel was common practice, but provided no dates or other details to back that up, nor a description of what Sydney did in the month after withdrawing from Berkeley. The only 2 new details to arise from the interview were that she took an Uber, couch-surfed, and stayed in a hotel (a discussion group on social media had already found the hotel tip, but it was not made public until the Nancy Grace interview).

Right, the hotel detail was glossed over. Wish Nancy questioned Dudek harder. Most of what he said didn’t make sense in my opinion. Also, not quite sure what a kid loving nature has to do with her being at the bridge. I thought that was a weird comment too.

 

[owleye]

The PI’s answer to “why was she at the GGB that day” on Nancy Grace was frustrating. He said “because she is a kid that loves nature.”.

The PI also said (msm interview) that the dad reported her missing to the police less than 18 hours after speaking with her simply because they are a really close family and speak frequently.

 

[NSamuelle]

The PI also said (msm interview) that the dad reported her missing to the police less than 18 hours after speaking with her simply because they are a really close family and speak frequently.

That’s inconsistent with them saying that she was reported missing on October 1, ~48 hours after she spoke to her dad. He said they spoke in the evening, but it would’ve been 2pm her time in CA on 9.29.

 

[collegeisintense]

The PI also said (msm interview) that the dad reported her missing to the police less than 18 hours after speaking with her simply because they are a really close family and speak frequently.

I tend to think something may have happened, maybe a text she sent or maybe previous behavior tipped them off to knowing something was wrong.

They also according by to Jay’s only recorded interview had a “very long emotional conversation about loving each other and the family along with what she needed to do to stay healthy.” So maybe whatever prompted this discussion to happen already caused them to be concerned.

 

[collegeisintense]

That’s inconsistent with them saying that she was reported missing on October 1, ~48 hours after she spoke to her dad. He said they spoke in the evening, but it would’ve been 2pm her time in CA on 9.29.

I noticed that too, I thought she was reported missing on Oct 1...

 

[owleye]

That’s inconsistent with them saying that she was reported missing on October 1, ~48 hours after she spoke to her dad. He said they spoke in the evening, but it would’ve been 2pm her time in CA on 9.29.

This is from the official public website (for clarity, in case I recalled the PI interview incorrectly):

WHEN WAS SYDNEY REPORTED MISSING?
She was reported missing to the Orange County, North Carolina police on Oct. 1, 2020.

WHAT CAUSED HER FAMILY TO REPORT HER MISSING?
Sydney is very close with her family and speaks with them regularly. She had a lengthy phone conversation with her dad the evening of Sept. 29 and he fully expected to speak with her the next day. When he was unable to reach her after multiple attempts he became worried and the family contacted the authorities.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

There was another traumatic event that occurred in April 2019, possibly during her internship, a gas explosion in downtown Durham that killed two people and injured dozens.

Sydney's post about her gap year seems to be deleted now so I don't know if the dates overlap or not.

rsbm bbm

Apparently she started the internship a few weeks after the explosion. Her LinkedIn account with the dates has been deleted. However the company website (https://www.bioskryb.com/sydney-west/) says the following:

"Syd is a recent high school graduate who is currently pursuing a gap year before attending college next fall. She began interning as the fourth employee of BioSkryb after her graduation in June 2019. Her internship has since developed into a part time position as a Lab Technician, where she is excited to see science and entrepreneurship collide firsthand."

 

[ElizabethAnne]

That’s inconsistent with them saying that she was reported missing on October 1, ~48 hours after she spoke to her dad. He said they spoke in the evening, but it would’ve been 2pm her time in CA on 9.29.

This has puzzled me. Also if she was actually couch surfing with friends in Pleasanton as the PI revealed in the Nancy Grace podcast, would it not have been the Pleasanton resident(s) that she was staying with who would have reported her missing? If she actually did go from Pleasanton to SF to shop, wouldn't the Pleasanton family she was staying with have reported her missing to the Pleasanton police when she did not return? How did she get to SF from Pleasanton? Wouldn't there have been photos on her entering one of the Pleasanton BART stations to SF on Sept 29th?

If she was actually couch-surfing in Pleasanton, where was this? If there is a family in Pleasanton she was staying with, why have they not revealed themselves? Missing children and adults are usually posted to the Pleasanton Rants and Raves Facebook group account. The mother once was a member of this group, but now only Sydney is. I find it strange that if she was staying with friends in Pleasanton, that her missing status was not originally posted in that group, and that no family or friend in Pleasanton seems to have come forward in 6 months saying she was staying with them when she disappeared. Also if she was staying in Pleasanton, why wasn't the Pleasanton Police department contacted? You would think they would have far more resources to investigate a missing persons case than the SFPD.