The discovery of human remains in San Francisco Bay last month has been confirmed to be those of a 22-year-old software engineer employed at Netflix, who tragically died by suicide. This heartbreaking revelation was made public by law enforcement officials on Wednesday.
The distressing incident unfolded when a boater stumbled upon the remains of Yohanes Stefanos Kidane to the northeast of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, a little past 11:40 a.m. on August 29. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office promptly released this information in a news bulletin.
The Coast Guard swiftly retrieved the remains, and upon their arrival, medical personnel declared Kidane deceased. Initially, authorities struggled to ascertain the individual’s identity due to the remains’ advanced decomposition, extended exposure to the aquatic environment, and significant deterioration.
Two days later, on August 31, authorities formally identified Yohanes Stefanos Kidane and informed his grieving family of his tragic demise. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office’s Coroner Division conducted a forensic postmortem examination on September 1, conclusively determining that Kidane had taken his own life.
Kidane, originally hailing from Webster, New York, a town approximately 90 miles northeast of Buffalo, had been residing in San Jose before his passing. He had recently graduated from Cornell University and had relocated to the Bay Area to embark on his career as a software engineer at Netflix.
As of the latest update, representatives from both Netflix and Cornell University were unavailable for immediate comment on the matter.
It is worth noting that a GoFundMe campaign had been established to aid in the search for Kidane when he went missing. According to the campaign, Kidane was last seen leaving his apartment on August 14, where he entered a rideshare vehicle at 7:15 p.m. His personal belongings were discovered near the visitor center of the Golden Gate Bridge the following day.
The GoFundMe page also recounted a concerning incident involving an Uber driver two days before Kidane’s disappearance. Reportedly, the driver insisted on taking him through Oakland, causing Kidane to cancel the ride and express unease about using rideshares alone.
As of the time of this report, a spokesperson from the sheriff’s office was not immediately available for comment.
In the face of such heartbreaking tragedies, it’s important to remember that help and support are available. If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Alternatively, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255, or you can text HOME to 741741. Additional resources can also be found at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
