An heiress to a $1.6 billion tech fortune has vanished and is suspected to be in one of San Francisco's most crime-ridden neighborhoods. Mint Butterfield, the daughter of wealthy businessman Stewart Butterfield, was last seen on Sunday night around 10 p.m. in Bolinas, California. Her mother reported her missing the next morning.
The teenager attends a private boarding school in nearby Napa Valley and is now suspected to be in San Francisco's notorious Tenderloin neighborhood. On Tuesday, the Marin County Sheriff's Office shared a "missing" flyer featuring Mint's photo on the social media platform Nextdoor. Police have been searching for Mint but so far have been unsuccessful in tracing her.
Desperate Search after Vanishing
Supervisor Matt Dorsey shared the flyer on X, revealing that Mint is believed to be in the Tenderloin, a neighborhood long associated with drug abuse, crime, and homelessness.
Per the San Francisco Standard, Mint has a previous history of substance abuse and is known as a regular visitor to the Tenderloin. However, the police have not confirmed whether she went there willingly on this occasion or if there are any indications that she may be held against her will.
Mint was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, flannel pajama pants, and black boots. She is described as having brown/reddish curly hair and pierced eyebrows.
The Tenderloin, located in downtown San Francisco, is notorious for crime and is described by some of the highest levels of homelessness and illicit activities in the city. It has become the focal point of the Fentanyl Crisis in San Francisco.
Mint's father, Butterfield, co-founded the messaging app Slack which is currently valued at $1.6 billion. Slack was acquired by Salesforce for $28 billion in 2021, and Butterfield left the company in 2022.
Mint's mother, Caterina Fake, co-created the imaging service Flickr with Butterfield, her then-partner. They sold the image-hosting website to Yahoo in 2005.
Influential and Celebrity Parents
Fake and Butterfield tied the knot in 2001 and remained together until 2007 when their daughter Mint was born. Since then, Butterfield has married Jen Rubio, co-founder of Away, an American luggage and travel accessories brand, and they have two young children together.
Fake is currently in a relationship with Jyri Engestrom, co-founder of Jaiku, and the couple has three children together.
At the time of her disappearance, Mint was living with her mother and attending a private boarding school in the Napa area, according to the sheriff's office.
In 2021, Butterfield acquired a $31.7 million mansion in Aspen, Colorado. Located in the exclusive Five Trees neighborhood, the residence spans over a five-acre estate, offering stunning views of the Castle Creek Valley. The property features amenities such as a spacious home gym, a state-of-the-art home theater, a secondary entertaining area with a bar and billiards table, a 500-bottle wine cellar, a tasting room, various separate gathering spaces, six elegantly appointed en-suite bedrooms, and a three-car garage.
Butterfield also owns a $19 million home in San Francisco's upscale Presidio Heights neighborhood. The property boasts seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and luxurious amenities.
