The search continues for Mint Butterfield, the missing 16-year-old child of Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield. Mint, who uses they/them pronouns, was last seen on Sunday, April 21, at about 10 p.m. in Bolinas, California.
Adam Schermerhorn, public information officer with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, told PEOPLE on Thursday, April 25, that the investigation is ongoing. Authorities are “actively investigating leads and working with the juvenile’s mother to try and acquire digital devices and other items that could have information.”
The sheriff’s office is hopeful that personal belongings may offer clues about Mint’s location or why they went missing. However, they do not currently suspect foul play or any criminal activity in connection with the disappearance.
According to a press release issued by the sheriff’s office Thursday night, Mint is considered a “voluntary missing person.” Mint’s mother, Caterina Fake, reported them missing after discovering a note on Monday morning indicating Mint had left. The circumstances surrounding Mint’s disappearance are unclear, as they did not have access to a vehicle or phone.
Authorities believe Mint may have traveled to the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, based on statements from their mother. Officials told the San Francisco Standard that Mint “has a history of substance abuse and is known to frequent the Tenderloin.” The neighborhood is about 30 miles from Bolinas, where Mint was last seen.
Fake and Mint also have a residence in San Francisco, but the exact location was not disclosed in the sheriff’s press release. As of Thursday night, efforts to find Mint have not yielded results, despite collaboration between the Marin County Sheriffs and the San Francisco Police Department.
Caterina Fake and her ex-husband Stewart Butterfield co-founded Flickr in 2004 and later sold it to Yahoo in 2005. After their divorce in 2008, Butterfield co-founded Slack, which was acquired by Salesforce for $27.7 billion in 2021. Although Butterfield left Slack in 2022, Forbes estimates his personal wealth at $1.6 billion.
Mint is approximately 5’0″ tall, weighs around 100 pounds, and has brown/reddish curly hair with eyebrow piercings. They were last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, flannel pajama pants, and black boots.
Anyone with information about Mint’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact local authorities.
