A Bronx mother has filed a legal petition accusing New York City agencies of failing to comply with state transparency laws following her daughter’s death while in police custody over a holiday weekend. The case stems from a request for records under the Freedom of Information Law regarding the circumstances surrounding the 18-year-old’s fatal encounter with officers at the 41st NYPD precinct. Authorities are now facing scrutiny over their handling of public records in what the family describes as an unresolved tragedy. The petition highlights ongoing disputes over accountability and access to critical information in high-profile police-related deaths.
Thomasina Cheatham, 46, whose daughter Saniyah Cheatham, 18, died in the custody of the Bronx's 41st NYPD precinct while being held overnight on the Fourth of July in 2025, filed a petition against the city because its agencies allegedly failed to respond to her Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) about her death.
