18-year-old woman dies while in NYPD custody in the Bronx. Here's what we know.
A Bronx mother is desperate for answers after her 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, 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.
