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

[aquarium]

On the finding Syd Instagram, it is mentioned that the Polly Klaas Foundation is helping to get the word out about Sydney. They have her listed in their missing children database. It seems as if the Polly Klaas Foundation mainly focuses on returning abducted children. I'm wondering if this implies anything. Not sure.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Here is just a thought...

Could Syd have walked onto the bridge...
but eventually turned around and returned the same place she entered?

 

[LadyL]

with the latest news that she was last seen on the bridge, I have that sinking feeling

 

[whitelilac]

I've been following...very sad case.

Question for anyone who might know.
Were any, or all, people who have jumped off the GGB eventually found?
Realizing that no one knows from which point Syd MAY have jumped, IF she did, could we deduce it was likely closer to the Chrissy Field side, since there were no witnesses? Was that where she was last seen?
And if other people were found, where, how long after? and were there any witnesses who could say from which point of the bridge they decided to leave life, and would currents etc be similar year round?

Still holding out hope though....

 

[kaen]

I've been following...very sad case.

Question for anyone who might know.
Were any, or all, people who have jumped off the GGB eventually found?
Realizing that no one knows from which point Syd MAY have jumped, IF she did, could we deduce it was likely closer to the Chrissy Field side, since there were no witnesses? Was that where she was last seen?
And if other people were found, where, how long after? and were there any witnesses who could say from which point of the bridge they decided to leave life, and would currents etc be similar year round?

Still holding out hope though....

A few who jump have survived. Most do not survive. Some are found in the water but many are not. Allison Bayliss was never found but they have video of her actually jumping.
Wikipedia on recovered bodies: approx 1400, They stopped doing a public official count after the 1000th person as a local radio personality had offered a case of Snapple to the family of the 1000th---so the idea to not make the numbers a notoriety thing was hatched.

Wikipedia on survivors:

The fatality rate of jumping is roughly 98%. As of July 2013, only 34 people are known to have survived the jump.[4] Those who do survive strike the water feet-first and at a slight angle, although individuals may still sustain broken bones or internal injuries. One young woman, Sarah Rutledge Birnbaum, survived, but returned to jump again and died the second time.[21] One young man survived a jump in 1979, swam to shore, and drove himself to a hospital. The impact cracked several of his vertebrae.[22]

 

[SouthAussie]

Here is just a thought...

Could Syd have walked onto the bridge...
but eventually turned around and returned the same place she entered?

I think it is a very good thought.

We are focusing on the people who have jumped. How about the ones who haven't? The ones who went out there and changed their minds? Are there statistics on those people? (Probably not, but I bet there are quite a few.)
Could Syd be one of them?

I know that from the book I just read that vascilating is a thing that is done. Josh (from the book) got hold of some drugs to use for his final demise. He would look at them, put them away. Take them out and hold them in his hand another day, put them away again.

 

[crhedBngr]

Here is just a thought...

Could Syd have walked onto the bridge...
but eventually turned around and returned the same place she entered?

Hold that thought! I love it!!

Syd, you are loved and cared about.

Hoping and praying you are found soon.

JMVHO.

 

[Emi]

Sydney West this is the entrance for Syd West on Klaaskids foundation website.

 

[overworkedcollegestudent]

The lack of any information coming from her friends/roommates/acquaintances is very confusing. It makes me think they have been asked not to talk.

I completely agree. I have noticed that one of her friends (he identifies himself as a friend but didn’t know her enough to answer certain questions, so they may have recently met) is active in the Facebook discussion group but that’s it. The way he talked about everything makes me believe he thinks she jumped.

 

[overworkedcollegestudent]

Do most people believe she jumped off the GGB? What would the recovery or search process look like? The behavior of the family+friends leads me to believe that they think she jumped. I am starting to think she jumped off the GGB...this is so sad. I really hoped and still do for a different outcome.

 

[Vail]

His last message ... on that one day that you want to kill yourself, remember that the next day you might not want to (as happened with him, multiple times) ... please, please don't do it.

Thank you for sharing this.

I think it is a very good thought.

We are focusing on the people who have jumped. How about the ones who haven't? The ones who went out there and changed their minds? Are there statistics on those people? (Probably not, but I bet there are quite a few.)
Could Syd be one of them?

I know that from the book I just read that vascilating is a thing that is done. Josh (from the book) got hold of some drugs to use for his final demise. He would look at them, put them away. Take them out and hold them in his hand another day, put them away again.

The documentary The Bridge interviews and talks about some people who didn't or were prevented. That is what mystifies me here - there are such extreme measures now, even half a barrier, to prevent people from disappearing off the bridge that I can't imagine there is 0 evidence. Now, if LE is saying to her parents, look we have CCTV of her walking out onto the bridge without her backpack, its foggy, and she doesn't come back" then that is more or less a gentle way of saying "she probably jumped" and what we are really dealing with is the grief and denial of her poor family. All the what ifs and should haves.

One thing that always made me uncomfortable for Syd is how not a single Berkeley student (or even a high school friend) came forward on reddit to even say they knew her, and it is a hugely popular platform they use. I commend the one friend that came here to show support - has he ever come back? I am curious if any of the friends that went to Davis had been in touch with her.

The bottom line is if Syd is dead, she doesn't care what we do or say. It is important for her story to be told and for her face to be remembered so other kids can be inspired to keep going, more important than anyone's shame or guilt.

 

[reachingforstars]

One thing that always made me uncomfortable for Syd is how not a single Berkeley student (or even a high school friend) came forward on reddit to even say they knew her, and it is a hugely popular platform they use. I commend the one friend that came here to show support - has he ever come back? I am curious if any of the friends that went to Davis had been in touch with her.

The bottom line is if Syd is dead, she doesn't care what we do or say. It is important for her story to be told and for her face to be remembered so other kids can be inspired to keep going, more important than anyone's shame or guilt.

As a current Berkeley student and someone also from Pleasanton (the same year of graduation as her also, albeit from the other high school in our city), I have been following this case for the past few weeks and have been saddened by this recent update. Though it may not appear so maybe on Reddit, many of us at Cal has been following this and praying for her safe return (the most recent post about her on r/berkeley has 150+ upvotes and was the top post today). Going to high school in Pleasanton, I felt firsthand the strong pressure to get into a top college and to perform well that she talked about on her Reddit page (for context, around 30-40 matriculate to Cal/UCLA and another 10 or so to top privates from each of the two high schools in our city). Unfortunately, she also entered at Cal (an university that's already somewhat lacking in support and resources due to the large number of students and immense stress) at such an inopportune time when there's even less of an opportunity to form support networks and make friends compared to a more usual semester. Though we may not have known her personally, know that many of us at Cal are keeping her in our thoughts and pray she is able to return home.

 

[SouthAussie]

There is an article here, written by a GG Bridge staff member (used to be on the permanent painting team).
He has seen a lot in his years on the job. When a person slips over the rails, they stand on an outer edge (out of sight, except to a painter who is perched way up high), and because the outer edge is lower they can't get back up onto the bridge ... which some have tried to do.

Some people change their minds.

A View to a Jump: Working As a Painter at the Golden Gate Bridge - Marin Magazine

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

There is an article here, written by a GG Bridge staff member (used to be on the permanent painting team).
He has seen a lot in his years on the job. When a person slips over the rails, they stand on an outer edge (out of sight, except to a painter who is perched way up high), and because the outer edge is lower they can't get back up onto the bridge ... which some have tried to do.

Some people change their minds.

A View to a Jump: Working As a Painter at the Golden Gate Bridge - Marin Magazine

Thank you for this information, SouthAussie!
And.. Hi, Friend!

 

[crhedBngr]

As a current Berkeley student and someone also from Pleasanton (the same year of graduation as her also, albeit from the other high school in our city), I have been following this case for the past few weeks and have been saddened by this recent update. Though it may not appear so maybe on Reddit, many of us at Cal has been following this and praying for her safe return (the most recent post about her on r/berkeley has 150+ upvotes and was the top post today). Going to high school in Pleasanton, I felt firsthand the strong pressure to get into a top college and to perform well that she talked about on her Reddit page (for context, around 30-40 matriculate to Cal/UCLA and another 10 or so to top privates from each of the two high schools in our city). Unfortunately, she also entered at Cal (an university that's already somewhat lacking in support and resources due to the large number of students and immense stress) at such an inopportune time when there's even less of an opportunity to form support networks and make friends compared to a more usual semester. Though we may not have known her personally, know that many of us at Cal are keeping her in our thoughts and pray she is able to return home.

@reachingforstars : Welcome to Websleuths!



Thank you for your insight and helpful comments. I'm glad so many Cal students are keeping Syd in their thoughts and prayers.

JMVHO.

 

[Mind your biscuits]

There is an article here, written by a GG Bridge staff member (used to be on the permanent painting team).
He has seen a lot in his years on the job. When a person slips over the rails, they stand on an outer edge (out of sight, except to a painter who is perched way up high), and because the outer edge is lower they can't get back up onto the bridge ... which some have tried to do.

Some people change their minds.

A View to a Jump: Working As a Painter at the Golden Gate Bridge - Marin Magazine

What a sad read.

 

[ElizabethAnne]

I think it is a very good thought.

We are focusing on the people who have jumped. How about the ones who haven't? The ones who went out there and changed their minds? Are there statistics on those people? (Probably not, but I bet there are quite a few.)
Could Syd be one of them?

I know that from the book I just read that vascilating is a thing that is done. Josh (from the book) got hold of some drugs to use for his final demise. He would look at them, put them away. Take them out and hold them in his hand another day, put them away again.

There are some studies on people who have attempted to jump off the GGB http://seattlefriends.org/files/seiden_study.pdf and what happened. Here is one of them by a professor at UC Berkeley, but it was published quite a while ago.

In the UNC youtube video where Syd West was interviewed, at around the 6:40 mark she discusses struggles with anxiety and OCD. I don't think that the OCD has been brought up before in the thread so far, but if you listen at that section

that starts with the sentences about thoughts swirling and then the part about anxiety and OCD, she clearly states she has struggled with OCD. I don't think that she tried to keep this private, because after all, she spoke about it publicly on a youtube video.

The severity of anxiety and OCD can be completely debilitating so that people cannot function leading to a complete breakdown.

 

[SouthAussie]

Thank you for this information, SouthAussie!
And.. Hi, Friend!

Hi Clue!
Such a sad story here. Hoping and hoping that Syd is laying on a beach in Mexico, and doing yoga at a retreat. Oblivious to all the fuss that is happening around her case.

 

[whitelilac]

Gosh, that article just about did me in. Going for a walk, clear my head.

 

[SouthAussie]

What a sad read.

A very sad read.
One thing it does highlight is how determined a person must be to jump from the bridge. And how women do it less than men. (Studies show that overdose is the most common way for females.)