Family of Buffalo State College student, 19, who went missing after catching a bus to Niagara Falls criticize police for acting too slowly
- Saniyya Dennis, 19, a Buffalo State College sophomore, was last seen leaving her college campus on April 24 at around 11pm
- Her phone signal was later tracked to a cell tower near Goat Island in Niagara Falls at around 1.30am the following morning
- Her father has since criticized the police for not moving fast enough with the investigation.
The father of a college student who’s been missing for over a week has criticised authorities for acting too slowly during the search operation.
Saniyya Dennis, 19, a Buffalo State College sophomore, was last seen leaving her college campus on April 24 at around 11pm.
Her phone signal was later tracked to a cell tower near Goat Island in Niagara Falls at around 1.30am the following morning.
Since then, officers say no one has heard from Saniyya and there’s been no activity in her phone or bank accounts.
Her family have since criticized the police for not moving fast enough with the investigation.
Calvin Byrd, Dennis’ father, criticised the police for failing to get hold of security footage of his daughter sooner.
Saniyya’s phone signal was later tracked to a cell tower near Goat Island in Niagara Falls at around 1.30am the following morning. But nobody has heard from her since then and there’s been no activity in her phone or bank accounts
Security footage of Saniyya on the night she went missing
Dennis, originally from the Bronx, is described as 5 ft 3 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes
During a conference at the Buffalo State College campus, the police revealed that they had security footage appearing to show Dennis at a bus depot on the night she went missing. However, they added that they were only able to get hold of her cell phone records on April 27.
Calvin Byrd later criticised the police for reacting too slowly to the matter.
He said: ‘Why does it take so long to get subpoenas to cellphone records? Why does it take so long to get video footage of buses? If this was somebody else’s kid, I think it wouldn’t have happened like this.
Her family say call records suggest that she had been communicating with someone on Saturday until her phone was pinged the next morning. However, they do not know who that person might be.
He father added: ‘My daughter is a black honor roll student at the college and has no tendency of doing…we’re all baffled as to what’s going on.
‘She was a good friend, a good person,’ Saniyya’s sister said. ‘She has a good heart.’
Calvin Byrd (pictured), the father of Sanniya Dennis. ‘We combed the whole park, even places where she was nowhere near, putting up flyers. The dogs came out yesterday, and today they had the helicopter for the search,’ the rapper said
Saniyya Dennis, 19, a Buffalo State College sophomore, was last seen leaving her college campus on April 24 at around 11pm
Buffalo State College Police Chief Peter Carey said that a K-9 search took place Friday afternoon but they could not fly a helicopter to help with the search due to adverse weather conditions.
‘Understandably, emotions are high right now, but I want to be clear that our department will not rest until Saniyya is found. Buffalo State remains in close consultation with and is supporting the Dennis family,’ he said.
Volunteers, friends and family have launched a search operation to help find Dennis.
Julia Stevens, who led a search party and distributed posters around the area, told WKBW: ‘We want to make sure that her face is everywhere. That everywhere you go in Niagara Falls you know to look out for this girl.’
Dennis, originally from the Bronx, is described as 5 ft 3 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.