The San Francisco County coroner's office has confirmed that the body of a 22-year-old Netflix engineer who went missing in August was found in the San Francisco Bay. Yohanes S. Kidane, who had recently graduated from Cornell University, had relocated to the Bay Area after being hired by Netflix as a software engineer.
The badly decomposed remains of Kidane were recovered from the waters northeast of the Golden Gate Bridge on a Tuesday morning after a passing boat spotted his body and alerted the Coast Guard, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said. Kidane was last seen getting into an Uber in mid-August, according to the San Jose police.
Found at Last but Dead
An autopsy confirmed that the body found in the San Francisco Bay was indeed that of Kidane. The autopsy determined that Kidane died from blunt force injuries, with drowning listed as a contributing factor. His death has been officially ruled as a suicide by the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
Kidane, who had recently graduated from Cornell University, was reported missing in mid-August when he failed to show up for his new job at Netflix, where he had been employed for just one week.
He had moved to the Bay Area only two weeks before his disappearance on August 14, and his phone and wallet were found near the Golden Gate Bridge after he went missing.
The Marin County Sheriff's Office provided additional details in a press release regarding the discovery of Kidane's body on August 29. The initial call reporting the sighting of the body came in around 11:41 am. Coroners were dispatched to the scene and United States Coast Guard members retrieved the body from the water.
Upon being brought back to land, paramedics pronounced Kidane dead. They did not attempt to resuscitate him due to his presenting physiological condition, which indicated that resuscitation efforts would not be successful.
"The remains exhibited signs of advanced decomposition, prolonged exposure to the aquatic environment and appreciable depredation," the press release mentioned.
The condition of Yohanes Kidane's body when it was recovered from the Bay was severely decomposed, rendering his remains unidentifiable at the time.
Further investigation by police and coroners was necessary to confirm his identity. This confirmation was ultimately made on August 31, and his next of kin were quickly informed of his discovery and passing.
An autopsy was carried out on September 1, which revealed that the cause of Kidane's death was attributed to "blunt impact injuries with drowning" listed as a contributing factor.
Mystery Continues
The specific cause of the blunt impact injuries found on Yohanes Kidane's body is currently unknown, as the provided information does not specify the circumstances surrounding these injuries.
Similarly, the reasons behind the coroner's determination of Kidane's death as a suicide are not provided in the information available.
Kidane's disappearance gained widespread attention as he appeared to vanish without a trace shortly after starting his new job at Netflix. The situation raised concerns among his family members and friends.
Kidane's sister became alarmed when she noticed that her brother's phone location indicated he was at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and this location remained unchanged.
She reached out to her older brother, who had not spoken to Yohanes. Worried about his well-being, family members began contacting Kidane's friends, but no one had any information regarding his whereabouts.
The following morning, a commuter found Kidane's phone and wallet near the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center and promptly turned them over to the authorities.
Kidane's brother told KTVU Fox2 San Francisco "someone who was in San Rafael, who was on a commute, saw a phone and wallet sitting on this small grassy hill right between the Welcome Center and coffee shop," adding, "Thirty bucks in cash was in his wallet, IDs cards, phone untouched."
On Wednesday, the family reported that police had found Kidane's backpack, which contained two laptops and some personal documents. Interestingly, these items appeared to be "seemingly untouched," as noted by his brother.
This discovery raised questions about the circumstances of Kidane's disappearance and the condition in which his belongings were found.
Before the tragic discovery of his body, Kidane's family described him as a "very intelligent, high achieving individual with lofty expectations for himself."
They also mentioned that he had excelled academically, noting that he was at the "top of his class at Cornell."
