Mint Butterfield, the 16-year-old child of Slack’s billionaire co-founder Stewart Butterfield, has been found alive in San Francisco after being reported missing for nearly one week.
In an email to the press, Mint’s mother, Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr, and their stepdad, Jyri Engestrom, who is also a tech founder, revealed that Mint, who prefers they/them pronouns, was discovered by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office and the San Francisco Police Department.
Adam Schermerhorn from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the San Francisco Standard that Mint was discovered on the evening of April 27th.
The family expressed their sincere gratitude to the family members, friends, volunteers, and even strangers who provided valuable tips and contributed to the successful recovery, according to the San Francisco Standard. They specifically highlighted their appreciation for the experienced law enforcement officers who recognize the genuine danger posed by predators who manipulate teenagers through the temptation of drugs.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office previously issued a press release on Thursday, April 25, stating that Mint was classified as a “voluntary missing person.”
Fake initially reported that the teenager was missing after finding a note on the morning of April 22, which stated that Mint had left.
The teenager disappeared on Sunday, April 21, at around 10 p.m. in Bolinas, California. Schermerhorn mentioned that authorities have no grounds to suspect foul play or any criminal activity linked to Mint’s vanishing.
According to the police, it remains uncertain how Mint managed to leave the area without having access to a vehicle or phone. The press release states that there is no indication of Mint being forcibly abducted. Instead, the Sheriff’s Office categorizes Mint as a voluntary-missing juvenile who is considered “At-Risk” due to a reported past suicide threat.
According to the teen’s mom, police believe Mint may have traveled to the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, approximately 30 miles away from Bolinas, where Mint was last seen.
In 2004, Fake and her ex-husband, Stewart Butterfield, teamed up to co-found Flickr. The popular photo-sharing platform was later sold to Yahoo in 2005. After their divorce in 2008, Stewart went on to co-found Slack. Recently, Slack made headlines when it was acquired for a staggering $27.7 billion in July 2021, according to Forbes.
After departing from Slack in 2022, Stewart’s personal wealth is estimated to be $1.6 billion, according to the business magazine.
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