Saniyah Cheatham was last seen alive by her family and friends on the Fourth of July, just hours before her arrest in connection with a fight involving a friend. Her mother, Thomasina Cheatham, recalled her daughter being "happy" at their family barbecue that day—a sentiment echoed by a close friend who had texted with the 18-year-old, according to The New York Times.

However, in the early hours of July 5, police reported finding Saniyah unconscious inside a holding cell at the 41st Precinct in the Bronx, New York. Authorities claimed she used her sweater to hang herself, but Thomasina disputes this, insisting her daughter wasn’t even wearing a sweater at the time of her arrest. Saniyah was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, leaving her family with more questions than answers.

At a press conference outside the precinct on Monday, Thomasina Cheatham, joined by civil rights attorney Ben Crump and community activists, demanded transparency. "I just want to know what happened to Saniyah. That was my only daughter; she didn’t deserve this," she said according to Capital B news. 

The New York City Chief Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Saniyah’s death a suicide by hanging in a July 14 email to Capital B. Yet her family and advocates are pushing for the release of surveillance footage and an independent investigation. An online petition supporting their call for accountability has garnered over 10,000 signatures as of July 16.

Friends and family refuse to believe Saniyah, a bright and outgoing Bronx Community College student, would take her own life. Ember Baez, 20, told The New York Times she was in disbelief, repeatedly calling her friend’s phone only to hear it go straight to voicemail.

Crump compared Saniyah’s case to the 2015 death of Sandra Bland, a Black woman who died in police custody under similarly contested circumstances. “We thought that we had learned from Sandra Bland that we will be able to prevent these things from happening in the future, and that’s why we’re demanding — from NYPD — answers,” Crump said.

Tamika Mallory, co-founder of the social justice organization Until Freedom, joined the Cheatham family at the press conference, drawing parallels to past tragedies involving Black women like Breonna Taylor and Sonya Massey.

“We said that it was about ending Black women being unprotected, and that we had to ensure that Sandra Bland’s family got the justice that they deserved, so that we would not be standing here with Saniyah’s family today,” she said. 

The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is reviewing the case, but Crump vowed to pursue all legal avenues for justice. 

For Thomasina Cheatham, the fight is deeply personal. "She was very bright, very independent, smart, outgoing," she said of her daughter, adding that she “wants justice."