Missing Marin County Teen Found in San Francisco's Tenderloin; Man, 26, Held on Abduction Suspicion

A 16-year-old who left home in Marin County nearly a week ago has been found in San Francisco, and a 26-year-old man who was with the teen is now in jail on suspicion of felonies including child abduction.

San Francisco police say they located Mint Butterfield at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the Tenderloin. According to police, the teen was in a white van with Christopher "Kio" Dizefalo. The Marin County Sheriff's Office has described Dizefalo as "an adult friend" and says he is suspected of coaxing the teen into leaving home six days earlier.

Records show Dizefalo is being held in Marin County on suspicion of multiple felonies, among them child abduction, as well as a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His bail is set at $50,000.

Mint is the child of Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake and Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield. Stepfather Jyri Engeström is also a tech founder. In an email to the press, the three thanked the Marin County Sheriff's Office and the San Francisco Police Department for bringing Mint home.

"A heartfelt thanks to all the family, friends, volunteers and strangers who called in tips and made this recovery possible," the family wrote. They added that they especially wanted to thank "the seasoned law enforcement officers who understand the very real threat of predators who use the allure of drugs to groom teenagers."

Officials said Mint left a note and ran away from the family's home in Bolinas, a small coastal town roughly an hour north of San Francisco, on the night of April 21. The teen was reported missing the next morning. Detectives concentrated their search on the Tenderloin, which the sheriff's office called San Francisco's roughest neighborhood, because Mint's mother believed the teen was headed there.

The sheriff's office had classified Mint as voluntarily missing. Spokesperson Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn told The San Francisco Standard as recently as Friday that detectives had no reason to suspect abduction or foul play. In a press release Sunday afternoon, the agency said that although Mint was considered "at risk," detectives had confirmed over the weekend that the teen "had run away from their home voluntarily."

Asked how the case ended in felony charges after his statement two days earlier that no crime was suspected, Schermerhorn declined to comment. "I can't go into it any further," he said in a Sunday evening phone call. He said the charges were based on statements and on work detectives were able to uncover, and added that he did not believe there had been foul play related to kidnapping or anything else, as some people had claimed.

San Francisco police offered no further details Sunday beyond confirming that Mint was "safely located and reunited with family," and referred other questions to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office thanked the San Francisco and Oakland police departments and the FBI for their efforts, along with other governmental and non-governmental agencies that offered resources and members of the public whose tips ultimately led to Mint's safe return.