Latest news with #ThomasinaCheatham
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Bronx family seeks answers after teen dies in police custody over the July Fourth weekend
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City family is seeking answers after local authorities say a teenager died of an apparent suicide while in police custody over the Fourth of July weekend. Saniyah Cheatham, an 18-year-old Bronx resident, died by hanging herself in a holding cell at a Bronx police precinct, the city Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Monday. But a lawyer for Cheatham's family called on the agency to release its detailed findings and for police to release surveillance video of the police station and other information about her arrest and death. 'We don't know why she was arrested. We just know she's dead,' said Ben Crump, a Florida attorney who has represented the families of Michael Brown, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and other Black people killed by police nationally. Thomasina Cheatham said her daughter appeared happy at a family barbecue just hours earlier. 'I just want to know what happened,' she said during a news conference in front of the Bronx police station where Cheatham died. 'That was my only daughter.' The medical examiner's office, in an emailed response, said its findings were discussed with the teen's family and that the full autopsy report with all supporting documentation will be provided to them at a later date. Police, meanwhile, confirmed Cheatham had been arrested in connection with an assault but declined to answer follow-up questions Monday about the circumstances of the death. The agency said only that the incident is being reviewed by its force investigation division. Police previously said Cheatham was found unconscious around 12:30 a.m. on July 5 at the 41st Precinct stationhouse, which serves the Hunts Point and Longwood areas of the Bronx. The agency said at the time that officers performed CPR until emergency medical officials arrived and transported her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
CBS News
07-07-2025
- CBS News
18-year-old woman dies while in NYPD custody in the Bronx. Here's what we know.
Mother desperate for answers after teen daughter dies while in NYPD custody Mother desperate for answers after teen daughter dies while in NYPD custody Mother desperate for answers after teen daughter dies while in NYPD custody A Bronx mother is desperate for answers after her teenage daughter mysteriously died while in NYPD custody over the July 4 holiday weekend. An internal investigation is underway. Tragedy unfolds hours after a happy family gathering Saniyah Cheatham, an 18-year-old Bronx Community College student who loved music and dancing, was joking around Friday at a family cookout in Crotona Park, her mother said. "We [were] hanging out, having a good time. 'Mommy, I love you,' giving me a kiss," Thomasina Cheatham said. But just hours later, Thomasina Cheatham says she got a call that her daughter was found unresponsive in a jail cell at the NYPD's 41st Precinct in the Bronx, after she and a friend were arrested earlier for fighting. "And now to wake up that she's no longer here with us, it's really sickening. I haven't slept. I haven't ate since Saturday. I'm sorry," Thomasina Cheatham said, wiping away tears. There are many more questions than answers The NYPD told CBS News New York in a statement that at around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday, police requested EMS for an 18-year-old unconscious female prisoner, adding multiple officers performed CPR while awaiting EMS response. EMS transported the female prisoner to Lincoln Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by hospital staff. The department said its Force Investigation Division is investigating. But there are still so many unanswered questions about what happened in that jail cell, including one Thomasina Cheatham wants answered more than any other: How did her daughter stop breathing? "She's very healthy. What was the medical emergency?" she said. "How could that happen in a precinct? Was anybody watching her? Was she calling out for help?" Saniyah Cheatham's mother said she hopes access to police surveillance and body camera video will offer clues about what happened. "The cameras should show exactly what happened," Thomasina Cheatham said. As will the medical examiner's report, which hasn't yet been released. "Yes, I'm praying that it does. I'm really praying. This is very heartbreaking to me and my family. That was my only princess. I have four boys and one girl. And we just ... we just [are] really heartbroken right now," Thomasina Cheatham said.
