Nayla Kidd Found Safe: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Nayla Kidd Missing Columbia University student

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UPDATE: On the night of May 16, Kidd was found safe and well. The original story is below.


A “sweet-spirited” Ivy League student who “loves school” has been missing since May 5. Family members say that 19-year-old Nayla Kidd was last seen at a party on campus at Columbia University at around 5 p.m. on the day she vanished. She has not contacted any family or friends since then. Authorities have said that Kidd, who is originally from Kentucky, does not live on campus and added that “there is a coordinated effort to locate this student.”

Kidd stands at 5-feet, 9 inches, weighs 120 pounds and has brown eyes. Anybody with any information is asked to call Columbia Public Safety at 212-854-5555 or the NYPD 26th Precinct Detective Squad at 212-678-1351.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. Since Vanishing, Kidd Has Deactivated Her Facebook Page, Cellphone & Changed Her Bank Account

College Walk in Columbia University Wikipedia Page

College Walk in Columbia University. (Wikipedia)

The New York Daily News reports that since vanishing Kidd has deactivated her Facebook page. The newspaper adds that she has also changed her bank account and cellphone number.

Kidd is a sophomore in the college’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and that her disappearance coincided with the start of finals.

A friend of Kidd’s, Alesha Wood, told the Washington Post that she’s alarmed because “This is not like Nayla – she loves to go to school.” Wood added that “Nayla had published scientific research.”

In a brief statement, the school said, “Our community is deeply concerned whenever a student is missing. The University is in contact with Nayla Kidd’s family and is cooperating with the New York Police Department.”

A Facebook page has been set up by Kidd’s friends to aid in the search.


2. She Was the MVP of Her High School Equestrian Team

Nayla Kidd Thacher School California

Nayla Kidd pictured standing on a horse during her time at the Thacher school in California. (Facebook)

Kidd was a track and horseback riding star at her prestigious California boarding school. That’s according to the Thacher school in Ojai, California’s alumni magazine. In 2013, she was voted as the equestrian team’s MVP.

In a Facebook post from May 2012, Kidd’s mother was looking for someone to talk to her daughter about student life at MIT, Columbia or studying abroad.


3. Her Mother Is a Professor at the University of Louisville Where She’s in Cancer Research

La Creis Kidd Facebook page daughter Nayla Kidd

Kidd’s mother La Creis Kidd pictured on her Facebook page.

Kidd’s mother is University of Louisville associate professor La Creis Kidd. According to her Facebook page, La Creis Kidd is a native of the Bronx but now works in cancer research at the University of Louisville. NBC New York reports that Kidd’s mother has flown to New York City to aid in the search for her daughter. She told the station upon her arrival, “For her to be missing right now, I can’t wrap my head around that at all.” La Creis Kidd added that she last spoke to her daughter about rent money in April. Kidd is her only daughter.

According to her LinkedIn page, La Creis Kidd got her master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins and has a doctorate in toxicology from MIT.

The above video is a clip made by Kidd for her mother for Mother’s Day 2015. The Washington Post reports that Kidd’s mother thought the video was “so sweet.” Alesha Wood said that it was strange when Kidd didn’t contact her mother on Mother’s Day 2016. Wood added, “Her daughter is very gracious when it comes to gifts and communicating her love to her. They have a really close bond, almost like a sister-type relationship.”


4. She’s Also a DJ & Belly Dancer

Speaking to the Washington Post, Alesha Wood said that Kidd is also passionate about music and dancing. Wood says that her friend teaches a belly dancing class at Columbia.


5. A Bronx-Based Private Investigator Has Also Joined in the Search for Kidd

Nayla Kidd Facebook page

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NBC New York reports that Kidd’s mother has hired Bronx-based private investigator Neal Gossett to look into her daughter’s disappearance. On her Facebook page, Kidd’s mom is friends with numerous people from the Bronx with the last name Gossett.

In an online profile, Gossett says he’s trained with he FBI, DEA, Secret Service, the NYPD and the New York State Police. The bio also reads that his specialties are, “Gathering, processing pre-litigation background intelligence, witness discovery, surveillance, preparation of detailed investigative reports. Assistance in criminal/civil liability cases, insurance claims, fraud, child custody and protection cases/missing persons cases.