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Last weekend marked the third anniversary of the disappearance of Sydney “Syd” West, an unsolved case that has reverberated on both U.S. coasts for years but recently started to resonate throughout the country thanks to increased exposure from TV this summer.
Sydney, who was raised in Pleasanton for most of her childhood before her family moved to North Carolina midway through high school, was 19 years old and poised to study at the University of California at Berkeley after a deferral period when she was last seen on Sept. 30, 2020 near the Golden Gate Bridge in the area of Crissy Field in San Francisco.
Her whereabouts remain unknown. Surveillance video footage from around the bridge shows her for a time, but foggy and smoky conditions that morning make the visuals difficult to discern, according to the family. Her backpack was recovered in the area, but her cellphone has not been located.
Her parents, Kimberly and Jay West, have diligently pursued answers, working with Bay Area private investigator Scott Dudek, pressing the San Francisco Police Department, and sharing their message on social media and the “Find Sydney West” website.
They got an added boost on Aug. 27, when Sydney’s story was spotlighted on the popular show “Disappeared” on the Investigation Discovery network. “A Vanishing at the Golden Gate State Bridge” was the debut episode of the program’s 11th season.
“It was very difficult. It was very nerve-racking as well,” Kimberly told me in a phone interview Tuesday reflecting on the experience filming the episode.
“As a parent, you need to do everything you can, so I was thankful for the opportunity. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We had to go through and go back in time … all of that was just extremely exhausting,” she said. “But I felt proud, I guess that’s the word, that I got through it.”
The “Disappeared” feature has certainly served its purpose, reinvigorating interest in Sydney’s case over the past seven weeks.
“The show has led to lots and lots of phone calls to our private investigator, so he’s researching all of those,” Kimberly said. “I’m so grateful, and it’s amazing really after all of this time. And it helps balance out some of the comments and criticisms” — because the messages the parents get “are not all warm and fuzzy.”
One outcome from the TV appearance was the family connecting with WATE (“We Are The Essentials”), a group of former law enforcement and military service members based in Florida who aim to help locate missing persons. They gained national prominence two years ago for their efforts in the search for suspect Brian Laundrie in the Gabby Petito murder case.
WATE was out in the Bay Area last week investigating with a fresh eye, “walking through the steps again and interviewing a lot of the same people, but now three years later,” Kimberly said. They are now reviewing their work and conducting more interviews before completing a final report.
Kimberly shared that the family and authorities have received a host of tips over the years, including several times where someone was “just so sure” they saw Sydney in their town, but to no avail.
They remain resolute, despite the lack of tangible progress. “We’re a family who has another daughter, jobs … we need to continue on the best we can,” Kimberly told me.
That included processing the difficult reality of the calendar last week.
Jay West posted a heartfelt and heartbreaking video to Sydney via Facebook last Friday, three years to the day since the last time he conversed with her. You can see in his eyes, hear in his voice, the draining mix of emotions every parent hopes to avoid.
“Hey Syd”, Jay says to open the two-minute message. “What I want to tell you is these days are so hard without you, and how we miss you so much and want you to come home.”
He later adds, “I think we all recognize at this point the dangers in that you’re not with us anymore, but yet again I find myself wondering where you are. You got all these people looking for you right now because you know there’s, there’s just nothing definitive. And it’s my wish and prayer that you’re out there, that you’re healthy.”
“Love you so much. Come home. Find your way,” Jay says to close.
A $25,000 reward has been issued for information leading to Sydney’s location and return. A GoFundMe campaign was launched one month ago to support the family’s search for answers, raising more than $12,000 to date.
Anyone with information about Sydney West’s whereabouts or who may have seen what happened in San Francisco on the morning of Sept. 30, 2020 can contact Dudek at 925-852-4204.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly.