Tech Billionaire's Daughter, 16, Found 'Uninjured' in Back of Van in San Francisco One Week After Mysterious Disappearance: Report
A tech billionaire’s daughter was found safe in the back of a van this weekend.
April 29 2024, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
A tech billionaire’s daughter was found safe in the back of a van this weekend roughly one week after the 16-year-old was declared missing, RadarOnline.com can confirm.
Mint Butterfield was reportedly found inside the back of a white van in San Francisco on Saturday night one week after they mysteriously vanished from their mother’s home in Bolinas, California on April 21.
Mint, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronounces, is the only child of Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield and Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake.
While Mint went missing on April 21, their mother reported them missing one day later on April 22.
Flash forward to the night of April 27, and the 16-year-old was found and recovered by officers with the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
According to detectives working with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Mint was found alongside 26-year-old Christopher "Kio" Dizefalo. Dizefalo reportedly owned the white van that the 16-year-old was found in the back of on Saturday night.
Dizefalo, a parking valet who was described as an “adult friend” by investigators, was promptly arrested after Mint was found and recovered.
Dizefalo was reportedly arrested and booked at Marin County Jail on suspicion of child abduction and other violations. He was being held on $50,000 bail.
Mint was reportedly found injured when they were recovered on Saturday night. The 16-year-old also reportedly told investigators that they had run away from their home in Bolinas on the night of April 21 voluntarily.
The teenager’s tech billionaire parents have since thanked the Marin County Sheriff's Office for finding and safely recovering their only child.
“A heartfelt thanks to all the family, friends, volunteers and strangers who called in tips and made this recovery possible,” the pair wrote in an email shortly after Mint was found in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco over the weekend.
“We especially want to thank the seasoned law enforcement officers who understand the very real threat of predators who use the allure of drugs to groom teenagers,” Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake added.
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Although the pair’s only child allegedly left behind a note that indicated their plan to run away, there was said to be an increased concern because Mint was deemed “at risk” due to previous threats of suicide.
Dizefalo was also accused of “coaxing” the 16-year-old to run away from home.
Mint reportedly told investigators that they had run away from their home in Bolinas on the night of April 21 voluntarily.
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According to Daily Mail, Mint’s father is currently worth an estimated $1.6 billion. He founded the instant messaging app before selling the platform for $28 billion in 2021.
Mint’s mother, Caterina Fake, founded the popular image service Flickr alongside then-husband Stewart Butterfield in 2004. The pair sold Flickr to Yahoo in 2005 for an estimated $35 million.
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