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

[Lilibet]

I find it very concerning as well. GG Bridge is walking/jogging distance, the bay is right there and a long swim is probably not the best idea (especially if toward the bridge). The stretch between Crissy Field and the bridge is rather desolate. It reminds me a bit of the young man who went missing in Australia.

Did she actually ever go to Cal? She took a gap year - but did she actually attend this year? Do we know?

All we know for sure is that she moved into a dorm in late August, classes started August 26 for the fall semester. It has been reported that she moved in with friends in S.F., but we don’t know when. She disappeared Sept 30. Whether she actually attended classes I haven’t seen reported for sure.

 

[dotr]

Syd's parents video appeal at link...
VIDEO: Former UC Berkeley student's parents plead for information in disappearance
rbbm.
''Sydney West’s parents, who didn’t identify themselves, released an emotional video Thursday asking for the public’s help in their daughter’s disappearance. West was last seen or heard from early in the morning of September 30 in the Crissy Field area near the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Syd," as her mother said she likes to be called, was reported missing last Friday and, until recently, was a student at UC Berkeley. Her father described her as "an incredibly talented musician, an athlete, an artist and is highly intelligent."
"This is every parent’s worst nightmare," her father added. "All we want is our daughter Sydney to be found safe and brought home to our family."

 

[BirdieB]

Syd's parents video appeal at link...
VIDEO: Former UC Berkeley student's parents plead for information in disappearance
rbbm.
''Sydney West’s parents, who didn’t identify themselves, released an emotional video Thursday asking for the public’s help in their daughter’s disappearance. West was last seen or heard from early in the morning of September 30 in the Crissy Field area near the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Syd," as her mother said she likes to be called, was reported missing last Friday and, until recently, was a student at UC Berkeley. Her father described her as "an incredibly talented musician, an athlete, an artist and is highly intelligent."
"This is every parent’s worst nightmare," her father added. "All we want is our daughter Sydney to be found safe and brought home to our family."

What was she doing by the bridge before sunrise....

 

[Lilibet]

Last seen wearing long dark leggings, a teal sweatshirt and a bun on top of her head (per linked video). The information seems to have been updated from black shorts and slip on vans. I wonder if this is from cameras.

 

[Lilibet]

What was she doing by the bridge before sunrise....

I don’t like the sound of this at all.

 

[Knox]

Self harm is a strong possibility in my mind also. Reminds a little too of Owen?, the young man in Oregon - high expectations from his parents, that he had for himself. College is a tough experience for some.

Yes!! Very similar I agree.

From what little I read from her reddit account, she seemed to be a high-achiever. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as it isn't the sole basis for self esteem & worth.

Tomorrow is day 5. Really hoping this intelligent young woman who has so much to offer our world, resurfaces in the next day or two.

 

[Lilibet]

The automatically controlled gate to the east sidewalk of the Golden Gate Bridge where pedestrians are allowed opens at 5:00 a.m. this time of year.

Pedestrians, including persons with disabilities using mobility devices such as wheelchairs, are only allowed on the east sidewalk (side facing San Francisco). Hours vary seasonally as follows:

Pacific Standard Time (early November to early March - dates vary): East sidewalk hours are 5:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Automatically-controlled gates close at 6:30 p.m. and reopen at 5:00 a.m.

Pacific Daylight Time (early March to early November - dates vary): East sidewalk hours are 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. on weekends). Automatically-controlled gates close at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. on weekends) and reopen at 5:00 a.m.

 

[Knox]

I don’t like the sound of this at all.

With the last seen clothing update and seen just before sunrise near the bridge ... I'm worried as well

Syd's parents were well composed, but obviously very concerned. I noted the mention of her little sister, heartbreaking.

 

[Lilibet]

Sunrise in S.F. Sept 30 was 7:03 a.m.

Sunrise and sunset times in San Francisco, September 2020

 

[amethystcrystal]

I wonder if she liked jogging or ever gets up early to jog? Though I really think they need to have those cameras on the bridge checked. I know there's also security that patrols the bridge sidewalk looking for people who might jump, though I'm not sure if anyone saw her if she went. I wonder which security cameras they checked?

 

[katydid23]

All we know for sure is that she moved into a dorm in late August, classes started August 26 for the fall semester. It has been reported that she moved in with friends in S.F., but we don’t know when. She disappeared Sept 30. Whether she actually attended classes I haven’t seen reported for sure.

Someone posted upstream in this thread that she did take a few summer classes online, but I don't remember what their source was.

 

[scriabina]

I wasn't able to find the NSFW post from July 2019. Any tips on how to find it? When I searched her Reddit, there is a gap in posts from May 2019 to Dec 31 2019. Was this more alarming post deleted after it was posted about on here, or was it found as a deleted post to begin with?

I really wish info would be released on how they know what she was wearing when she was last seen. Who saw her? If it was a surveillance video, why not release it? Or at the very least, why not say they have a confirmed sighting of her on video at X:YZam on Oct 4? Could it be that she was with someone else in a video and LE doesn't want that other person to know that they are aware of him/her? a POI?

Also I'd like to know who last spent time with her and what was her mood? How was she feeling since withdrawing from college? After taking a gap year so she could have a better chance of getting into an Ivy League school, posting frequently about her desire to get into Ivy league schools during that gap year, getting rejected from the Ivy league schools a 2nd time, and ultimately withdrawing from a (likely) backup school, she must have been going through a LOT... and yet she chose to stay with her friends instead of going home? That's a red flag IMO. It suggests she felt more comfortable with her friends than her parents in a time of crisis. From aforementioned Reddit posts, it seems she felt her dad was disappointed in her college admissions "failures" so maybe she was too ashamed to come home. Maybe she really did just flee. I HOPE she just wanted to get away temporarily rather than permanently.

Edited to add: I noticed in the article accompanying the video with her parents' plea, it states "West was last seen or heard from early in the morning of September 30 in the Crissy Field area near the Golden Gate Bridge." This conflicts with the date of Oct 4 on the thread title -- error?

 

[Lilibet]

Someone posted upstream in this thread that she did take a few summer classes online, but I don't remember what their source was.

The timeline reporting is all over the place IMO @katydid23. It was hard to tell if the summer classes source was a copy-paste reporting in error or real. I discussed it a little awhile back, and will attach my posts here. Until her parents confirm that she took summer classes, I’m going with the timeline of her uncle. He and her Dad helped her move into her dorm in late August. While it’s possible she had to change dorms if she was in a particular six week summer program I talked about earlier, that isn’t mentioned by her uncle. So maybe she did and maybe she didn’t.

Fall classes and possible summer program, one questionable source of summer classes. Later repeated by SFGate.
CA - CA - Sydney “Syd” West, 19, University of CA student, San Fransisco, 4 Oct 2020

This video doesn’t mention summer classes, but not MSM.
CA - CA - Sydney “Syd” West, 19, University of CA student, San Fransisco, 4 Oct 2020

 

[SouthAussie]

Nothing concerning on any of her social media. Hopefully additional information is released soon, I don't know any young people who are without their cell phone. What do we know about that and her debit card/bank records? No activity on either would be super concerning.

I wonder why the police are not releasing details about Syd's bank activity/non-activity, or her phone records and pings? I have been looking and looking for details and am coming up with nothing.

They seem to be keeping really quiet about this.

I guess it is possible that, just 4-5 days in, they are still collecting and reviewing these kind of records?
They don't seem to know if she has contacted any friends in NC, so I am presuming they don't yet have her phone records.

.

 

[distracted]

I see some references to the date she went missing as being October 4, including the heading of this thread, but all other media and her parents' video state that she has not been seen since Sept. 30, which means she's been missing nine days, not five.

Am I missing something?

 

[distracted]

Sunrise in S.F. Sept 30 was 7:03 a.m.

Sunrise and sunset times in San Francisco, September 2020

I wonder if she went to the beach at Crissy Field for an early morning run. It looks like the park run is temporarily closed but maybe she didn't know that.

Also, I wonder how she got to Crissy Field. It doesn't sound like she had a car so Uber maybe? Public transportation in CA has been spotty due to COVID since the spring.

Her disappearance reminds me of Alex Holden who went missing in the early morning hours of January 1, 2020. Their personalities sound so similar - both very nice, upstanding young people who were very much loved by family and friends, who were both drawn to a bridge and water surrounding San Francisco.

It's just heartbreaking. 9 days is a long time.

 

[SouthAussie]

I see some references to the date she went missing as being October 4, including the heading of this thread, but all other media and her parents' video state that she has not been seen since Sept. 30, which means she's been missing nine days, not five.

Am I missing something?

No. I am missing something. I did read the Sep 30th date, but then looked at the thread title instead. Sorry.

Even stranger that there has been no word about any phone or bank records then.
I guess we can only presume that there hasn't been any phone or bank activity, though I wish we knew for sure.

 

[Cryptic]

Unfortunately, I could also see someone taking advantage of her naivety and emotional vulnerability and luring her away.

Sadly, I also think this is a real possibility.

For what it's worth, my guess is the original poster of the NSFW Reddit post is the person who responded to her comment. His post history is full of posts similar to the one she replied to.

That observation maybe a good filter for any reviews of her sexuality based conversations.

In this case, the poster seems consistent in his interests. Though this would not clear him in and of itself, consistency could well indicate a genuine interest in the topic. This could lessen concern.

In contrast, sexuality based conversations with a poster whose totality of other postings suggest little interest in the topic, and especially if they exude say, an alpha male approach to life could indicate somebody "trawling" sexuality conversations to contact vulnerable women.

 

[sleepysleuth]

Not to suggest that it means anything, but it's weird there are no dental records available, IMO. I have a son older than Syd, one her age, and a daughter who's 10, they all three get dental x-rays every year. You usually see a lack of dental records in older cases, before people went on a regular basis.

I also found this odd - maybe they just haven't obtained them yet?

 

[RedMaple]

I wasn't able to find the NSFW post from July 2019. Any tips on how to find it? When I searched her Reddit, there is a gap in posts from May 2019 to Dec 31 2019. Was this more alarming post deleted after it was posted about on here, or was it found as a deleted post to begin with?

You can find it on the "old" version of Reddit. Here's a link to her profile again, this time on the "old" version: overview for insyderator

On that link (at least for me), the NSFW post is halfway down the page.