A teenager, Mint Butterfield, who went missing last Monday, has been found safe in San Francisco, authorities announced. Mint, the 16-year-old child of Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield and Flickr founder Caterina Fake, was discovered around 11:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office revealed that Mint was associated with an adult friend, identified as 26-year-old Christopher “Kio” Dizefalo of San Francisco. Police located a white van linked to Dizefalo in San Francisco, where Mint and Dizefalo were found together.
Fortunately, Mint was found uninjured, and authorities confirmed that Mint had voluntarily run away from home. Following an interview with MCSO detectives, Dizefalo was arrested for multiple criminal violations and booked into the Marin County Jail, with bail set at $50,000. Mint has since been returned to the custody of their family.
Mint was reported missing by Fake last Thursday, indicating that Mint was last seen at their home in Bolinas around 10 p.m. on Monday. Fake discovered the next morning that Mint was not at home and found a note suggesting Mint had left with a suitcase late at night or early in the morning.
While it remains unclear how Mint left the area without access to a vehicle or phone, Fake mentioned that Mint and they share a home in San Francisco, speculating that Mint might have headed to the Tenderloin District.