CA CA - Sydney “Syd” West, 19, University of CA student, San Francisco, 30 Sept 2020

[SouthAussie]

Thank you for checking that.

It's too bad there isn't a smaller area defined where she was last seen then. Aside from her mom saying she was seen in the Golden Gate Bridge area in the early AM of Sept. 30, possibly headed to Crissy Field, there's not much to go on. That area covers a lot of ground especially if she actually made it to the bridge.

I don't think the police have a lot to go on. We are not hearing any "last seen at *advertiser censored* location". Or seeing any CCTV footage of Syd at any location at all. Unless they are keeping it very quiet for some reason. But one would think that wouldn't be the case for a girl they deem as 'at risk'. I would think that should stimulate a good deal of urgency to locate any witnesses to Syd's movements.

I think someone mentioned there was CCTV on the bridge? One would think that, if that is the case, perhaps Syd didn't go to the bridge.

 

[SouthAussie]

Looks like there are motion detectors and cameras right on the bridge, to try to stop people from climbing.

“I will say security is really tough,” Teatime said. “They have motion detectors, cameras. I have a lot of experience with stuff like this, so I was able to get around and on the cables.”
Security Changes for Golden Gate Bridge After Teens' Climb -- Security Today


And there seems to be at least several cameras that look at the bridge. Not sure what kind of images a person could see on them at night. The first linked camera might have a good view from one direction.

Live Cameras | KRON4
Golden Gate Bridge Live Webcams
LIVE NOW! San Francisco Cam

 

[Sillybilly]

Can I say what her mom is saying on FB about her last known location? It's an answer to a question posted to her missing poster.

Sleuthing the personal social media of family is not allowed.

IF the family member is an Admin of the official missing person group support page, then an Admin can be quoted.

Also (not directed at you, distracted) ... jumping off this post with an excerpt from The Rules:

"If a social media page is set to private and you get in the back way, you may not post what you find. Private means private!"

Members may sleuth and discuss via private messaging, but don't post it on the public thread if it is not in accordance with The Rules.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

Folks, it's very important that all members review Websleuths TOS (aka The Rules, linked in my signature), and specificially the thread Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Websleuths has literally hundreds of active threads. WS Mods and Admins cannot possibly sit on every thread 24/7 to know what members are posting in real time. We rely on members to Alert us if there is a problem with a post or a question about what is allowed.

Just because one member posted something that was not removed doesn't mean it is approved ... it just means that nobody Reported it to us for review. We'd rather receive a Report than have to clean up pages and pages of responses, and response to those responses, to something that violates TOS.

If you have a question for us about whether something is allowed or not, please use the private message feature to ask a Mod or Admin rather than assume it's okay when it is not.

ALL members need to familiarize themselves with TOS and post in accordance with it. This is what members agree to when they register with Websleuths.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

Here is a video concerning Sydney West and a story they ran on KRON that is a Bay Area TV station Sydney West is still missing. Bay Area volleyball players hoping she is found safe | KRON4

There are webcams and cameras around the area, but how well they work in the dark is hard to say. Also the week she disappeared, the Bay Area on some days was getting heavy smoke from surrounding fires. No one knows if she was picked up on some sort of camera or whether it was a phone ping or an eyewitness, but the fact that her clothing description changed and hair changed from ponytail to in a bun after a couple of days sounds to me that they have an eyewitness or some camera evidence that saw her in the area.

 

[ocsalumni]

Sleuthing the personal social media of family is not allowed.

IF the family member is an Admin of the official missing person group support page, then an Admin can be quoted.

Also (not directed at you, distracted) ... jumping off this post with an excerpt from The Rules:

"If a social media page is set to private and you get in the back way, you may not post what you find. Private means private!"

Members may sleuth and discuss via private messaging, but don't post it on the public thread if it is not in accordance with The Rules.

If the person’s social media page is public (as in, you don’t have to get in the back way) is that still considered against the rules?

edit: Nevermind, I took a look at the link you posted with the social media rules. Good to know, thanks.

 

[distracted]

Looks like there are motion detectors and cameras right on the bridge, to try to stop people from climbing.

“I will say security is really tough,” Teatime said. “They have motion detectors, cameras. I have a lot of experience with stuff like this, so I was able to get around and on the cables.”
Security Changes for Golden Gate Bridge After Teens' Climb -- Security Today


And there seems to be at least several cameras that look at the bridge. Not sure what kind of images a person could see on them at night. The first linked camera might have a good view from one direction.

Live Cameras | KRON4
Golden Gate Bridge Live Webcams
LIVE NOW! San Francisco Cam

Due to the number of people who have jumped off the bridge, they are in the process of installing a barrier to prevent it but it won't be completed until 2023. The project was started prior to the pandemic and it sounds like it slowed but continued.

Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier work continues during pandemic

The statistics are pretty grim and there have been people who jumped and were never located. Some have been found in the bay, some closer to Marin County and one all the way in Monterey Bay.

 

[kelsie]

Sydney West is still missing. Bay Area volleyball players hoping she is found safe | KRON4

 

[kelsie]

Find Sydney West
I find it disturbing they're talking about her in the past tense on the most recent post

 

[Kaligirl]

Looks like they changed the tense. I think a family friend is running the page and just trying to advocate for Sydney and her distressed parents.

 

[Mamabear2525]

Long time WS lurker, but finally felt compelled to make an account and chime in. It seems to me like they (police, family, friends) think she went missing on her own accord. If anyone else is familiar with the Hannah Graham & Morgan Harrington cases (two college girls who went missing in Virginia several years apart, ultimately both found murdered and by the same perp), it seems like there was so much more police activity, begging and pleading from their families, search parties, vigils, etc. while they were missing than we have here with SW. JMO.

I've been to SF quite a few times and am in my 30s, but as a woman, I just can't imagine walking around that city by myself in the dark. I truly hope she is found soon and all is well.

 

[dotr]

Long time WS lurker, but finally felt compelled to make an account and chime in. It seems to me like they (police, family, friends) think she went missing on her own accord. If anyone else is familiar with the Hannah Graham & Morgan Harrington cases (two college girls who went missing in Virginia several years apart, ultimately both found murdered and by the same perp), it seems like there was so much more police activity, begging and pleading from their families, search parties, vigils, etc. while they were missing than we have here with SW. JMO.

I've been to SF quite a few times and am in my 30s, but as a woman, I just can't imagine walking around that city by myself in the dark. I truly hope she is found soon and all is well.

Welcome to Ws Mamabear2525!
The Hannah Graham & Morgan Harrington cases are among the most memorable for many here, absolutely haunting, hoping Syd dodges running into the likes of Jesse Matthews. imo.

 

[BirdieB]

I am in SF and they are posting these all around the Marina!

 

[10ofRods]

I don't think the police have a lot to go on. We are not hearing any "last seen at *advertiser censored* location". Or seeing any CCTV footage of Syd at any location at all. Unless they are keeping it very quiet for some reason. But one would think that wouldn't be the case for a girl they deem as 'at risk'. I would think that should stimulate a good deal of urgency to locate any witnesses to Syd's movements.

I think someone mentioned there was CCTV on the bridge? One would think that, if that is the case, perhaps Syd didn't go to the bridge.

Having lived in SF and having traveled there frequently since, I am going to say that SF's PD is a joke. It's almost unbelievable. I was assaulted twice in SF (the last time about 10 years ago - didn't go again for at least 5 years after that). I knew it was pointless to call the police, because I had witnessed people being assaulted and beaten (on the streets, in a motel parking lot, outside a restaurant - 3 different times, really scary, employees at the restaurant came to the person's aid, but the motel employees locked up their office and hid).

I was told to use their online form to report these events! I still follow San Francisco on reddit and it is still the same. Their clearance rates on homicides, last I checked, was very low. They claim they don't have the staff. And it's probably true - the entire area has so much "petty crime," but that breeds other crimes and everyone should know that.

I just checked and now their clearance rate is unusually high. I am skeptical.

I have worked with lots of different LE agencies (never with SF, though) and I am not anti-LE at all. I just think the SFPD is useless. Since their clearance data became public, they suddenly have a 100% clearance rate for last year's homicides. I don't trust that number, as I believe they're using the "exceptional means" category to get that rate.

Anyway, if we look at the clearance rate on other crimes...it's not good:

Clearance Rates Dashboard | San Francisco Police Department

I believe SFPD puts all its effort into clearing crimes, and very little into "at risk" missing persons. They only clear about 35-40% of assaults (and those are usually very serious, none of the assaults I witnessed nor my own assaults were serious - probably just bruising). There's this "tradition" among wannabe gang members that they have to assault some innocent person, usually a woman, while their homies look on, to get one foot on the first rung of the gang ladder. I believe that's what happened to me the last time, and the previous time, I believe the person was mentally ill. The first time, I was knocked down, the second time I was able to stay on my feet (and thank god my DH didn't see it happen, as he would have gone ballistic - which is part of why they do it, to start fights that they will finish with group violence).

If you look at the assault clearance rate, above, you'll see what I mean. Or even sex trafficking - as you can see, it's not a cheerful picture.

 

[Birdie1212]

I wonder how many women or girls go missing in SF each year. Especially lately.

 

[Kittybunny]

Having lived in SF and having traveled there frequently since, I am going to say that SF's PD is a joke. It's almost unbelievable. I was assaulted twice in SF (the last time about 10 years ago - didn't go again for at least 5 years after that). I knew it was pointless to call the police, because I had witnessed people being assaulted and beaten (on the streets, in a motel parking lot, outside a restaurant - 3 different times, really scary, employees at the restaurant came to the person's aid, but the motel employees locked up their office and hid).

I was told to use their online form to report these events! I still follow San Francisco on reddit and it is still the same. Their clearance rates on homicides, last I checked, was very low. They claim they don't have the staff. And it's probably true - the entire area has so much "petty crime," but that breeds other crimes and everyone should know that.

I just checked and now their clearance rate is unusually high. I am skeptical.

I have worked with lots of different LE agencies (never with SF, though) and I am not anti-LE at all. I just think the SFPD is useless. Since their clearance data became public, they suddenly have a 100% clearance rate for last year's homicides. I don't trust that number, as I believe they're using the "exceptional means" category to get that rate.

Anyway, if we look at the clearance rate on other crimes...it's not good:

Clearance Rates Dashboard | San Francisco Police Department

I believe SFPD puts all its effort into clearing crimes, and very little into "at risk" missing persons. They only clear about 35-40% of assaults (and those are usually very serious, none of the assaults I witnessed nor my own assaults were serious - probably just bruising). There's this "tradition" among wannabe gang members that they have to assault some innocent person, usually a woman, while their homies look on, to get one foot on the first rung of the gang ladder. I believe that's what happened to me the last time, and the previous time, I believe the person was mentally ill. The first time, I was knocked down, the second time I was able to stay on my feet (and thank god my DH didn't see it happen, as he would have gone ballistic - which is part of why they do it, to start fights that they will finish with group violence).

If you look at the assault clearance rate, above, you'll see what I mean. Or even sex trafficking - as you can see, it's not a cheerful picture.

That's discouraging overall, and especially as pertains to Sydney. If I were her family and friends, I'd get "feet on the street" ASAP to put up fliers and maybe informal searches of where they think she was last seen. Perhaps her Uncle who lives nearby can spearhead the effort. It's possible she's voluntary missing, but also possibly in danger. I wouldn't want to take any chances or rely on LE in such a large city.

 

[legalmomma]

A new post from the 'Find Sydney West' Facebook Page

If you have seen or heard from Syd, please let us know. To her friends, what was the last communication you had with her? Do you know anything at all that could help us further?
Please contact the SFPD Tip Line IMMEDIATELY!
415-575-4444
Please continue to share these posts, this page and any of your own pictures or positive thoughts for Syd here. The idea is to keep the attention on finding her and a demand to keep the search going!!
We are heartbroken, to say the least. We miss Sydney and need her home!! We are trying to stay hopeful and hope that you will too!
Sydney, so many people are thinking about you and praying for your safe return. People all over the world, who don’t even know who you are but know you are loved! Please come home, sweet girl!
#FindSydneyWest

BBM

I still don’t understand why we aren’t hearing something from her friends that last saw her. Maybe LE is stifling them due to the investigation.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

Many Pleasanton students that started at UC Berkeley last year as freshmen if they lived in dorms there or go to places like USF (that is, if they lived in the dorms---some are commuter students that take the BART in), moved back home during the shelter-in-place order in March.

The CSUs are closed and most of the UCs are closed with the only dorm students being: 1) international students that can't travel back home 2) students who are seniors that have to take lab classes to graduate this spring. Most students going to CSUs and UCs are taking distance ed classes remotely.

 

[Emi]

Sydney West: Former teammates hope for Berkeley student’s safe return | KRON4

The disappearance of a young athlete, Sydney West, has her friends, family, and former teammates extremely worried.

Their only hope is that she is found safe.

It’s been two weeks since anyone has seen or heard from the 19-year-old star volleyball player and UC Berkeley student.

Police departments in San Francisco and North Carolina have opened missing person cases for her.

this is snipped from the above linked article

 

[ocsalumni]

I wonder when (if ever) we'll be given context about how they know what she was wearing when she went missing. There is a post on the official Facebook group where they share an article, and a correction is made in the comments that she was wearing long dark leggings and a teal hoodie, not white shorts.