Cornell grad vanishes in Los Angeles

The family of Jahnay Bryan is desperate for answers after the recent Cornell University graduate mysteriously disappeared.

Jahnay Bryan disappears

Bryan, 23, was last seen in Los Angeles on Oct. 16.

Bryan’s sister, Jahque Bryan-Goodman, reported her missing Nov. 13 but an Ebony Alert by the Los Angeles Police Department wasn’t issued until Nov. 19.

Ebony Alerts were created to help police find missing Black youths between ages 12 to 25, a group that represents a disproportionate number of the missing people in the country.

Bryan-Goodman told the Los Angeles Times that she has received little communication from detectives, despite having shared several potential leads generated by a missing-persons poster that the family has been circulating. They include a tip that Bryan may be a victim of sex trafficking in L.A.

According to an LAPD spokesperson, there have been no updates available on Bryan’s case.

Retracing her steps

“The last time I actually personally spoke with my sister was via email. And that was actually last year,” Bryan-Goodman told Dateline. “It was just, like, a positive email of her wishing me well.”

Shortly after the email, Bryan graduated from Cornell in May 2023 and moved back home with her mother in East Stroudsburg, Pa., said Bryan-Goodman.

Her sister says Bryan then cut off all communication with her friends and the rest of her family.

Worried for her sister’s well-being, Bryan-Goodman had police perform a wellness check at her mother’s home in April, which confirmed that the mother and Bryan were both still living there. Bryan-Goodman said her mother is not talking to her and is not involved in the search for Bryan.

In August, Bryan sent an email to her ex-boyfriend telling him she was moving to a new city. She last contacted him on Oct. 16, by which point Bryan-Goodman believes she was living in Los Angeles.

According to Bryan-Goodman, friends have visited the Westlake neighborhood where Bryan was last reportedly living and spoke to neighbors who confirmed seeing her and described her.

Information on Jahnay Bryan’s disappearance

Bryan has black hair and brown eyes, is 5-foot-7 and weighs about 125 pounds.

Anyone with information on Jahnay Bryan’s whereabouts is asked to contact the LAPD Missing Persons Unit, Detective Avalos at (213) 996-1800.

During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go to www.lacrimestoppers.org.