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

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ChatteringBirds said:
I have not watched the video, but let's not forget some people just don't show emotion in public, no matter what. There are different reasons, from personality, to denial, to psychological, to being on medication.

There's no judging how people act in a crisis situation, because the range of normal behavior is so large.

If none of her family has travelled to where she went missing, it could also be due to the current Covid-19 situation.

I bet they want to be there searching. What parent wouldn't?

All IMO.
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Completely agree. There could be a lot going on behind the scenes. I was just struck by the contrast between what I would do as a parent. Part of the reason I am here is that on the same day Sydney disappeared my daughter had a bad run in with a potential predator. She knows Syd so is haunted by Syd’s disappearance. I am too. But you are right to point out that shock or medications could alter people’s behaviors.
 
Vail said:
She's an adult, she can stay in SF if she wants. I don't think she has a trust fund or anything like that - she was already concerned about paying her tuition.

Afyer readng through Syd's reddit history I took a scroll through the Berkeley subreddit and found it interesting how few students were talking abut Syd (none have come forward to post that they knew her etc) and how many students are stressed, upset, depressed, overworked or having issue with the culture. Also interesting was a post about Allison Mack being a student there this semester (WTAF)
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If a young adult was working or looking for work in SF, one would think she'd have her phone on. It's very concerning that her phone is off.

Berkeley is huge, and yes, incoming students (especially this year) are challenged by its complexities. Any big university is going to be a steep learning curve for many reasons.

I am glad that Syd was a former Californian and may have had friends in SF, so there's hope. Perhaps she just got mad at whoever she was talking to/texting with and tossed it in a pique.
 
Vail said:
She's an adult, she can stay in SF if she wants. I don't think she has a trust fund or anything like that - she was already concerned about paying her tuition.

--

Afyer readng through Syd's reddit history I took a scroll through the Berkeley subreddit and found it interesting how few students were talking abut Syd (none have come forward to post that they knew her etc) and how many students are stressed, upset, depressed, overworked or having issue with the culture. Also interesting was a post about Allison Mack being a student there this semester (WTAF)
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Allison Mack, the sex cult girl?

JudgeJoe said:
So... I’ve watched this video FIVE times because I think it is the most unusual plea I’ve ever seen in a case like this. I wonder who filmed it, who wrote the cue cards, and who was holding those cards (my opinion there were some). In other cases, this type of plea is usually made in conjunction with a press release & in partnership with LE, often in a public place. This is most different. True they are in NC- but isn’t LE there working cooperatively with SFPD? Of note, no emotion is displayed, and no personal plea is directed to Syd herself to come home, to hang in there, to know that they are looking for her and that they will not stop. That they don’t care what has happened- just to please come home. Filming was done in a tidy, elegant home with fresh flowers on a grand piano, in front of windows framing a grove/ garden. “We want her to be brought home” instead of “we want you to come home”. I’m not sensing fear, grief, fatigue or panic trying to hold it together. Feels staged & controlled, imo. I’m just getting family conflict here. SW is an artist, musician, athlete, free spirit who perhaps had values and goals very different from those she’s expected to pursue. Jmo, moo, etc.
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Yep, the video seems very robotic, almost. They should've just have the little sister say something to Syd. I get that they might be worried about "exposing" her and everything. But if Syd is out there alive and well, an appeal from her little sister might just be enough to make her call home and, at least, let them know she's okay and just wants to be left alone. Maybe her parents are just like that, maybe they had to be reading the cue cards because they were not able to articulate anything. When I had the video paused, it kind of looked like her mother was medicated, but then when she talked it didn't really look like that, I don't know. They look pretty tired though, the dad looked like he was super lost.
If the kid has a phone, I would be checking it just in case she does text her and says "please don't tell anyone". I can see a 19-year-old girl that clearly loves her little sister texting her to let her know she's okay, but also ask her to keep it a secret. And I can totally see the 10-year-old keeping the secret. When I was in middle school, one of my adult cousins went missing, voluntarily, and the whole family thought I knew where she was, in fact, in didn't know just because I didn't pay attention. When she came back home, I asked her why she didn't tell me she was okay, and her response was "well, you knew where I was, I told you before I left", I didn't remember, at all but apparently she did tell me where she was going. I kept a looooooot of her secrets up until that point, after that my mom wouldn't let me spend time with her and I'm glad she didn't.
So, if Syd is okay, her little sister might be the only person she trusts.
 
Birdie1212 said:
I just know without a shadow of doubt that I would be glued to the streets of San Francisco no matter where I was from. I would be interviewing EVERYONE in the metro area 24/7. I would look like a crazy deranged person who hasn’t slept or bathed. I would hire a detective and be in his or her face. I know people do things differently and they must be in pain. I just know I personally would have been in SF the second I thought something was wrong, money be damned. But they may have good reasons. I don’t know their situation.
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Unless the family has run up every one of its credit cards, and can't get any more credit, money can't be the reason.

I do think it's really hard to look for someone in SF. Especially right now. Perhaps SFPD has assured them that all is being done - it's been so many days and if no one came forward early on Sept 30 to say they'd seen a potential abduction, it would be really hard (even with a picture) to get good intel on a young woman who just happened to be one of many people in SF that morning.

Crissy Field was supposed to be closed, I believe, so it's very likely no one saw her at 5 am, when she went silent on her cell phone. The police imply the phone has not been found. If it was with her, it pinged near Crissy Field on the morning of Sept 30.

It's possible this is a planned "disappearance from parents" scenario. It doesn't take much, at 19, to want real independence. I sure did. I sense some possible issues with stress or depression here, so if she could get her own phone and not have her parents be able to snoop her, perhaps she gave it a good burial by tossing it into the Bay.
 
10ofRods said:
Berkeley is huge, and yes, incoming students (especially this year) are challenged by its complexities. Any big university is going to be a steep learning curve for many reasons.
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I keep thinking about how huge U.C. Berkeley is and how daunting it could be for anyone at any time. Back in 1962/3 when I was accepted by the U.C. system, I reeeeeallly wanted to go to Berkeley, even though, living in the Bay Area, I probably wouldn’t have been allowed a spot in a dorm. My Mom insisted that I go to U.C. Davis an hour away near Sacramento because it was much smaller and she felt I’d be overwhelmed at Berkeley (and maybe she wanted to be an empty nester :D). We struck a deal that I’d try Davis for a year and could transfer to Berkeley if I didn’t like it. She was right and I stayed at Davis. :) So I wonder if Syd might have been better off to lower her (or her parents’) expectations and go to one of the smaller U.C. campuses. I don’t think employers really care where you got your degree, if that was a deciding factor.
 
Birdie1212 said:
I just know without a shadow of doubt that I would be glued to the streets of San Francisco no matter where I was from. I would be interviewing EVERYONE in the metro area 24/7. I would look like a crazy deranged person who hasn’t slept or bathed. I would hire a detective and be in his or her face. I know people do things differently and they must be in pain. I just know I personally would have been in SF the second I thought something was wrong, money be damned. But they may have good reasons. I don’t know their situation.
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Well said!
 
10ofRods said:
Unless the family has run up every one of its credit cards, and can't get any more credit, money can't be the reason.

I do think it's really hard to look for someone in SF. Especially right now. Perhaps SFPD has assured them that all is being done - it's been so many days and if no one came forward early on Sept 30 to say they'd seen a potential abduction, it would be really hard (even with a picture) to get good intel on a young woman who just happened to be one of many people in SF that morning.

Crissy Field was supposed to be closed, I believe, so it's very likely no one saw her at 5 am, when she went silent on her cell phone. The police imply the phone has not been found. If it was with her, it pinged near Crissy Field on the morning of Sept 30.

It's possible this is a planned "disappearance from parents" scenario. It doesn't take much, at 19, to want real independence. I sure did. I sense some possible issues with stress or depression here, so if she could get her own phone and not have her parents be able to snoop her, perhaps she gave it a good burial by tossing it into the Bay.
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My daughter shares your opinion that Syd May have staged this.
 
Birdie1212 said:
My daughter shares your opinion that Syd May have staged this.
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I sure hope she did. All I want is for this girl to be safe, wherever she is. If this is what she wants, then more power to her. I feel super bad for her little sister though, it looks like they are very close and the kiddo probably totally worships her.
 
Where do the artists and musicians hang out there (post covid) ?
Although Syd is athletic and might hang out where others play sports, she is also creative and if depressed, she may be more introspective right now and inclined to go somewhere to draw, play some tunes, or to be around others who are doing just that.
speculation, imo.
 
I live in the Triangle area of NC, so have been following this since I first heard it on our local news. I looked for her on this site, and could not find her. Thought about starting a thread, but after all these years, I have never learned how to, so thank you to whoever did. I finally found this today and have read all the posts and caught up. It seems that most people here lean towards one of three scenarios. 1) she caused harm to herself and is probably no longer alive, or 2) she became a victim of someone who is responsible for her disappearance, and has caused her great harm or worse, or 3) she disappeared of her own accord, and is alive and hopefully well, or getting the time under the radar that she needs for herself in order to get well. I have to admit, I usually trust my gut feelings on things, but I have almost equally strong feelings in this case that she either harmed herself, or she just voluntarily fell off the grid for a while, rather than deal with all of the pressures she must have been feeling. I could very well be wrong, but I do not get the sense that she has been harmed by someone else, and I certainly pray that she has not. I get the sense that her relationship with her parents has probably, at least recently, become somewhat strained, and I sincerely hope that she is just taking some time to herself, and will resurface soon, or at least contact her family to let them know she is okay. I will say, if I were her and heard the video from her parents, I would not feel particularly compelled to get in touch. They are surely in shock, as any parents would be, but I just did not feel any emotion at all in their plea, and while they talked about her, never once did they talk TO her. I do hope this has a happy ending. My heart goes out to her and her family. JMO
 
SteveP said:
I will say, if I were her and heard the video from her parents, I would not feel particularly compelled to get in touch. They are surely in shock, as any parents would be, but I just did not feel any emotion at all in their plea, and while they talked about her, never once did they talk TO her. I do hope this has a happy ending. My heart goes out to her and her family. JMO
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Glad you found us @SteveP. I agree that Syd would not feel compelled to get in touch, based on that video. And if she is out there needing a break, she is following her case closely. I say this based on experience with another case that I mentioned earlier. Their love freely expressed over and over again...in videos, on a dedicated FB page, comments on her Instagram...this is what will reassure her that she is loved and valued just the way she is. She clearly needs to hear that and know they mean it.
JMO
 
She lived in California and spent 2 yrs in high school there in the SF area, and she took a gap year to travel. Her Uncle is there as well. Her circle could be huge, depending on where she went that gap year. A big part of the mood she had when Uncle went to see her could be that her friends from HS in Cali were different than they were in 2017 when she moved? ( and/or who did she leave in NC?)
 
SteveP said:
I live in the Triangle area of NC, so have been following this since I first heard it on our local news. I looked for her on this site, and could not find her. Thought about starting a thread, but after all these years, I have never learned how to, so thank you to whoever did. I finally found this today and have read all the posts and caught up. It seems that most people here lean towards one of three scenarios. 1) she caused harm to herself and is probably no longer alive, or 2) she became a victim of someone who is responsible for her disappearance, and has caused her great harm or worse, or 3) she disappeared of her own accord, and is alive and hopefully well, or getting the time under the radar that she needs for herself in order to get well. I have to admit, I usually trust my gut feelings on things, but I have almost equally strong feelings in this case that she either harmed herself, or she just voluntarily fell off the grid for a while, rather than deal with all of the pressures she must have been feeling. I could very well be wrong, but I do not get the sense that she has been harmed by someone else, and I certainly pray that she has not. I get the sense that her relationship with her parents has probably, at least recently, become somewhat strained, and I sincerely hope that she is just taking some time to herself, and will resurface soon, or at least contact her family to let them know she is okay. I will say, if I were her and heard the video from her parents, I would not feel particularly compelled to get in touch. They are surely in shock, as any parents would be, but I just did not feel any emotion at all in their plea, and while they talked about her, never once did they talk TO her. I do hope this has a happy ending. My heart goes out to her and her family. JMO
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BBM above.
Thank you for this excellent post. I also live in the triangle area not far from Chapel Hill. I agree with your comment about SW's relationship with her parents (even though there is much we don't know) and your reaction to the video. I feel the same way. I just wanted the parents to speak directly to her and tell her how much they love her and miss her... and to please get in touch to let the family know she is all right.

I just hope and pray she IS all right.
 
SteveP said:
I live in the Triangle area of NC, so have been following this since I first heard it on our local news. I looked for her on this site, and could not find her. Thought about starting a thread, but after all these years, I have never learned how to, so thank you to whoever did. I finally found this today and have read all the posts and caught up. It seems that most people here lean towards one of three scenarios. 1) she caused harm to herself and is probably no longer alive, or 2) she became a victim of someone who is responsible for her disappearance, and has caused her great harm or worse, or 3) she disappeared of her own accord, and is alive and hopefully well, or getting the time under the radar that she needs for herself in order to get well. I have to admit, I usually trust my gut feelings on things, but I have almost equally strong feelings in this case that she either harmed herself, or she just voluntarily fell off the grid for a while, rather than deal with all of the pressures she must have been feeling. I could very well be wrong, but I do not get the sense that she has been harmed by someone else, and I certainly pray that she has not. I get the sense that her relationship with her parents has probably, at least recently, become somewhat strained, and I sincerely hope that she is just taking some time to herself, and will resurface soon, or at least contact her family to let them know she is okay. I will say, if I were her and heard the video from her parents, I would not feel particularly compelled to get in touch. They are surely in shock, as any parents would be, but I just did not feel any emotion at all in their plea, and while they talked about her, never once did they talk TO her. I do hope this has a happy ending. My heart goes out to her and her family. JMO
Click to expand...

I don't think this was meant for her? They look staged and awkward and like someone else said " cue cards". Not that anyone would be comfortable in this situation, but I agree- this was like ... I don't have the right words...very very different from Owen is what I will say right now as a fill in.
 
Could someone walk around downtown San Francisco and just blend in with the crowd, unrecognized?
Wondering if S. might alter her appearance such as cutting and dying her hair dark?
speculation, imo.
October 5, 2020 rbbm.
Where Is Sydney West? Search Is on for Missing 19-Year-Old University of Berkeley Student
sydneywest1005201280x720_9-recovered_0.jpg

Orange County Sheriff's Department
''The police are asking for the public’s help in finding Sydney “Syd” West, a 19-year-old University of Berkeley student who went missing and has not had any contact with friends or family since Sept. 30, according to authorities.

A native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, West had been living in the San Francisco area since late August. Her last known location was in downtown San Francisco, near Chrissy Field, close to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.''
 
This is where Crissy Field is.

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