Former Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield’s teenage child has been “safely recovered” a week after being reported missing in San Francisco, the family said in a statement released Sunday. The teen was found with an adult man, who has since been arrested, according to local police.
Mint Butterfield, 16, was located around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday inside a white van owned by “an adult friend,” Christopher “Kio” Dizefalo, who was also in the vehicle, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.
“Mint was uninjured and Detectives confirmed [they] had run away from their home voluntarily,” the sheriff’s office said.
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Dizefalo, 26, was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail. Court records show he was jailed on suspicion of child abduction and other felonies. His bail was set at $50,000.
In an email to the press on Sunday, Butterfield’s father, their mother, and their stepdad expressed their gratitude to the authorities for bringing them home.
“Our hearts are full of gratitude tonight to the hard working men and women of the SFPD who safely recovered our child, Mint, from the streets of San Francisco this evening,” they said. “A special thanks to Marin County Sheriff’s office who led the effort along with all the other law enforcement agencies involved. A heartfelt thanks to all the family, friends, volunteers, and strangers who called in tips and made this recovery possible.”
Mint had last been seen in Bolinas, California on Sunday, April 21, with the Marin County Sheriff's Office saying it does “not have any reason to believe there is foul play” involved in their disappearance.
Authorities previously said they were working with Mint’s mother, Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake, to try and acquire digital devices and other items to help them trace the teen.
“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,” the family said in their statement. “The last seven days have been terrifying, and we are painfully aware that every 4 1/2 minutes in this city someone dies of an overdose in this city.”
