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Contested death (2000 to present)

Saniyah Cheatham

Ruled suicide, disputedJul 5, 2025 · Age 18 · Bronx, New York City, NY

Who Saniyah was

Saniyah Cheatham was 18 and lived on Prospect Avenue in the Belmont section of the Bronx. Her mother is Thomasina Cheatham. Her funeral program described her as a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece and a friend.

She was enrolled at Bronx Community College and working toward her GED, and she was getting ready to start her next semester there. According to her funeral program, she planned to join the Army and then become a social worker.

She was very active in church. Her funeral was held at St. Luke AME Church in Harlem, and the pastor who officiated, Charles L. Green, was the same pastor who baptized her. A friend remembered her as a very nice person who was well loved and liked to dance and listen to music.

In the words of those who knew them

  • “She was a very nice person; she was well loved. She was jolly, she liked to dance. She liked listening to music.”Her friend Tanya (Norwood News) · source
  • “Saniyah was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, a friend”Her funeral program, as quoted by NewsOne · source

What happened

Saniyah Cheatham, 18, a Bronx Community College student, spent July 4, 2025 at a family cookout in Crotona Park and was arrested that evening. Shortly after midnight on July 5, police said, she was found unresponsive in a holding cell at the 41st Precinct in the Bronx. Officers performed CPR, and she was pronounced dead at Lincoln Hospital. The NYPD Force Investigation Division opened a review.

On July 14, the city medical examiner ruled her death a suicide. Her mother, Thomasina Cheatham, rejected the finding, saying, "I don't believe my daughter committed suicide." With attorney Ben Crump and activist Tamika Mallory, the family demanded release of the precinct surveillance video, and Crump repeated the demand at Saniyah's funeral in Harlem on July 22.

In October 2025, the family filed a $25 million notice of claim against the City and NYPD. On April 27, 2026, a Manhattan judge ordered the City to preserve the footage and turn over video, personnel names and investigation records to the family under a protective order. In September 2026, the family sued the City under the state public records law for EMS and other records of her final hours. As of the latest coverage, no footage has been made public and no outcome of any official investigation has been reported.

The case

Where found
Holding cell at the NYPD's 41st Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx (Longwood)
Official finding
Suicide (NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner, as reported by Capital B News and Gothamist, July 14, 2025)
Time to finding
9 days (found July 5, 2025; ruling reported July 14, 2025)
Investigation
The NYPD Force Investigation Division reviewed the death. The New York Amsterdam News (Nov. 20, 2025) reported that the city Department of Investigation had opened an investigation. No outcome from either has been reported.
Family position
Her mother, Thomasina Cheatham, rejects the suicide ruling: "I don't believe my daughter committed suicide" (FOX 5 NY, NBC New York) and "I just want to know what happened to Saniyah. That was my only daughter, she didn't deserve this" (Capital B News). In a letter to the media, the family wrote: "There's too much stories being told by the NYPD at this precinct, and we believe [there] is a cover-up within" (FOX 5 NY). Family attorney Ben Crump: "Why did they not care for Saniyah? We want answers, and we want accountability" (Capital B News).
Public evidence
No surveillance or body-camera footage has been publicly released in the coverage reviewed. The family, Ben Crump and activist Tamika Mallory demanded the precinct and holding-cell video. In October 2025 the family filed a $25 million notice of claim against the City and NYPD (Bronx Times). On April 27, 2026, a New York County Supreme Court justice partly granted the mother's pre-action disclosure petition, ordering the City to preserve all video and body-worn camera footage and to give the family footage of the arrest, transport, precinct and holding-cell area, plus personnel names and investigation records, under a protective order. Whether the City has complied isn't reported. In September 2026 the family filed a public records suit for EMS and other records (amNewYork).
Federal review
None reported
Last verified
2026-10-28
Verification note: Time found: police said she was found unresponsive at about 12:40 a.m. on July 5, 2025 (FOX 5 NY, Gothamist); NewsOne put the incident at about 12:15 a.m. and said 12:40 a.m. was when police called EMS. The Amsterdam News headline says the family 'sues'; the Bronx Times describes the Oct. 2025 filing as a notice of claim. Only the Amsterdam News reports the DOI investigation. Race is stated by BlackNews.com and NewsOne; the mainstream outlets reviewed don't state it.

Sources

Record history

  1. Oct 28, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Record updated
    • Life updated
    • Remembered updated
    • Life sources updated
  2. Oct 27, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Case added
    • Name: Saniyah Cheatham
    • Age: 18
    • Date found: 2025-07-05
    • City or county: Bronx, New York City
    • State: NY
    • Status: Ruled suicide, disputed
    • What happened updated
    • What happened sources updated
    • Where found: Holding cell at the NYPD's 41st Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx (Longwood)
    • Official finding: Suicide (NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner, as reported by Capital B News and Gothamist, July 14, 2025)
    • Time to finding: 9 days (found July 5, 2025; ruling reported July 14, 2025)
    • Investigation: The NYPD Force Investigation Division reviewed the death. The New York Amsterdam News (Nov. 20, 2025) reported that the city Department of Investigation had opened an investigation. No outcome from either has been reported.
    • Family position: Her mother, Thomasina Cheatham, rejects the suicide ruling: "I don't believe my daughter committed suicide" (FOX 5 NY, NBC New York) and "I just want to know what happened to Saniyah. That was my only daughter, she didn't deserve this" (Capital B News). In a letter to the media, the family wrote: "There's too much stories being told by the NYPD at this precinct, and we believe [there] is a cover-up within" (FOX 5 NY). Family attorney Ben Crump: "Why did they not care for Saniyah? We want answers, and we want accountability" (Capital B News).
    • Public evidence: No surveillance or body-camera footage has been publicly released in the coverage reviewed. The family, Ben Crump and activist Tamika Mallory demanded the precinct and holding-cell video. In October 2025 the family filed a $25 million notice of claim against the City and NYPD (Bronx Times). On April 27, 2026, a New York County Supreme Court justice partly granted the mother's pre-action disclosure petition, ordering the City to preserve all video and body-worn camera footage and to give the family footage of the arrest, transport, precinct and holding-cell area, plus personnel names and investigation records, under a protective order. Whether the City has complied isn't reported. In September 2026 the family filed a public records suit for EMS and other records (amNewYork).
    • Federal review: None reported
    • Verification note: Time found: police said she was found unresponsive at about 12:40 a.m. on July 5, 2025 (FOX 5 NY, Gothamist); NewsOne put the incident at about 12:15 a.m. and said 12:40 a.m. was when police called EMS. The Amsterdam News headline says the family 'sues'; the Bronx Times describes the Oct. 2025 filing as a notice of claim. Only the Amsterdam News reports the DOI investigation. Race is stated by BlackNews.com and NewsOne; the mainstream outlets reviewed don't state it.
    • Sources updated
Saniyah Cheatham, Bronx, New York City, NY · Found Hanging: Case Tracker