The body of Yohanes Kidane, a 22-year-old software engineer who had recently relocated to San Francisco to begin working at Netflix, was discovered floating in the San Francisco Bay. This tragic discovery shed light on the circumstances of his disappearance and subsequent passing.
Yohanes Kidane, a recent graduate of Cornell University, had ventured across the country for a promising job opportunity at the streaming giant Netflix. However, his life took a devastating turn when he went missing on August 14. On that fateful day, he was last seen leaving his San Jose apartment, presumably in an Uber ride.
The unsettling and unfortunate fate of Yohanes Kidane came to light when a passing boat in the waters northeast of the Golden Gate Bridge spotted his badly decomposed remains. The vigilant boater immediately alerted the Coast Guard, leading to the recovery of Kidane’s body by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office on a Tuesday morning.
The state of Kidane’s body indicated advanced decomposition, suggesting prolonged exposure to the aquatic environment and appreciable depredation, according to the sheriff’s office. Initially, investigators faced challenges in identifying the body as it lacked any form of identification.
It was not until Thursday that the coroner was able to confirm the identity of the remains as Yohanes Kidane and subsequently informed his grieving family. The coroner’s findings revealed that Kidane’s cause of death was a combination of blunt impact injuries and drowning, and the manner of death was ruled as suicide.
Prior to his disappearance, Kidane’s belongings, including his wallet, cellphone, and backpack, were discovered near the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. Photographic data indicated that he had spent the majority of the night at the bridge on the evening he vanished.
Tragically, Kidane had been with Netflix for only two weeks when he went missing, leaving his family, friends, and colleagues in shock and despair. Reports emerged that he had confided in a friend about a disturbing experience he had in a rideshare car just two days before his disappearance. Allegedly, the driver had taken him on an indirect route to his apartment, insisting on going through Oakland. This unsettling incident left Kidane apprehensive about using rideshares alone.
In the wake of Kidane’s disappearance, his loved ones initiated a GoFundMe campaign that received an outpouring of support, accumulating more than $100,000 in donations. Alongside the fundraising efforts, a dedicated search task force was established in the hopes of locating him.
His mother, Mehret Hana Beyene, expressed her deep anguish, saying, “We want to take him home. I need my son. I need my son. He’s a good man who has a bright future, very loving to his family.”
The heartbreaking discovery of Yohanes Kidane’s body serves as a poignant reminder of the profound impact mental health challenges can have on individuals, their families, and their communities.
