It is with tremendous sadness and a broken heart that I write you today. Earlier this morning (May 6) Erie County District Attorney John Flynn provided an update on the multiagency investigation into missing Buffalo State College student Saniyya Dennis, with the District Attorney’s office stating that evidence suggests that she took her own life during the early morning hours of April 25, 2021 (DA Flynn’s statement is available online). Our entire community had hoped and prayed for Saniyya’s safe return, so today’s announcement leaves us with difficult to process feelings of sorrow.
I know that many of you are deeply concerned, as am I, about the disappearance of a beloved member of the Buffalo State College family, 19-year-old sophomore Saniyya Dennis, who has been missing since April 24. I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting Saniyya—a lovely young woman, honors student, and mechanical engineering technology major with a bright future ahead. My heart goes out to Saniyya’s family, whom we continue to support during this painful time. Please know that University Police Chief Peter Carey and his officers have been working tirelessly with law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels to locate Saniyya.
We ask that the public continue to support Saniyya’s family and our efforts to locate her. Anyone with information that may be of assistance to the investigation is asked to contact Buffalo State’s University Police Department at (716) 878-6333 or police@buffalostate.edu. Information can also be shared through the University Police anonymous tip line at (716) 878-3166, or by calling the NYS Missing Person’s Clearinghouse at (800) 346-3543.
The University Police Department (UPD) at Buffalo State College is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a Buffalo State sophomore who has been missing since Saturday, April 24. Saniyya Dennis, 19, was last seen on campus leaving her residence hall around 11:00 p.m. Saturday.
On-campus: (716) 878-6333
(ext. 6333 from campus phones)
Off-campus: 911
Buffalo State College continues to intensely monitor the evolving situation related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and is taking multiple steps and precautions in the event of possible impacts on our campus community. For information, please visit the campus webpage for Coronavirus Updates.
Submit a comment, compliment, or complaint to police@buffalostate.edu.
