Slack co-founder’s missing teen Mint Butterfield feared ‘at risk’ after prior suicide threat: cops
The runaway 16-year-old child of billionaire Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield is deemed “at risk” because of a “previous threat of suicide,” cops have warned.
Mint Butterfield, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was reported missing early Monday after fleeing their mom’s home in Bolinas, Calif. — leaving behind a note, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said.
The teen’s mom, Flickr founder Caterina Fake, alerted authorities immediately after discovering the letter and warned that Mint could have been headed for San Francisco’s notoriously dangerous Tenderloin District neighborhood.
“At this time, we have no information to believe that Mint was taken against their will,” the sheriff’s office said in a Thursday statement.
“The Sheriff’s Office is considering Mint a voluntary-missing juvenile, who is ‘At- Risk’ due to a reported previous threat of suicide,” they added, without elaborating.
Mint, who was last seen at about 10 pm Sunday by her mom, fled home with a suitcase “during the night or early morning,” authorities said.
“It is unclear how Mint left the area, as they did not have access to a vehicle, or phone,” the sheriff’s office noted.
Mint, who had been living with their mom and was enrolled at a private school in the Napa area, allegedly has a history of substance abuse, San Francisco Standard reported.
They were known to frequent the Tenderloin area, which is known for its violent crimes, rampant homelessness and open-air drug market.
“Marin County Deputies entered Mint into the Missing and Unidentified Persons System (MUPS) and sent out All Points Bulletin flyers to surrounding law enforcement agencies with a description and photograph of Mint,” the sheriff’s office said.
“In collaboration with San Francisco Police Department, detectives from both agencies have attempted to find Mint, but have been unable to locate them.”
Mint’s father, Stewart Butterfield, co-founded the messaging app Slack in 2013 but left the company after Salesforce acquired the platform for $28 billion in 2021.
His net worth is roughly $1.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Meanwhile, the teen’s mom founded the imaging service Flickr with Butterfield in 2004 and sold the company to Yahoo! in 2005 for around $30 million.
Fake and Butterfield tied the knot in 2001 but divorced in 2007 — the same year their daughter was born.
Mint is their only child together.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
