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.