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Police Search For Missing College Student Who Recently Moved To California
Sydney West was last seen near the Golden Gate Bridge late last month, authorities said.
Authorities in California are searching for a missing college student who vanished in the San Francisco area a week ago.
Sydney West, 19, was last seen on September 30 in the downtown San Francisco area, near Chrissy Field and close to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Orange County Sheriff's Office announced Sunday. West, who is originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, moved to the west coast to attend the University of California, Berkeley, but had been living in the San Francisco area with friends since late August, authorities said.
West has not contacted her loved ones since September 30. A family member reported her missing on Friday, and she is considered to be at risk due to her depression, the San Francisco Police Department said in a release issued Monday.
In a statement issued to local authorities, West's parents encouraged the public to come forward with any tips that may lead to the safe return of their daughter.
“We are asking anyone who has any information about our daughter Sydney to please contact the investigators. We are anxious to have our daughter found safe and brought home,” their statement reads.
West, who prefers to be called "Syd," is a white woman with blue eyes and blond hair that she often wears in a ponytail, authorities said. She is five feet, 10 inches tall and weighs around 135 pounds. When she was last seen, she was wearing shorts, a sweatshirt, "Vans" slip-on shoes, and she may be carrying a black backpack.
West's uncle, Robert West, said that he last saw his niece in August, when he and other family members helped her move into her dorm at the university, The News & Observer reports.
“I love her dearly and we want her home safe,” he told the outlet. “That’s the main thing at this point — we just want her back and want to know if she’s OK. She’s very loved by a lot of people.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the San Francisco Police Department are both working on the case. The sheriff's office has asked that anyone in the North Carolina area who has had recent contact with West to contact Investigator Ashley Woodlief by calling 919-245-2909. The SFPD is accepting tips on its 24-hour line at 1-415-575-4444; tips can also be submitted via text message by texting TIP411.
