The body of a software engineer, who had recently relocated to San Francisco for a job at Netflix, was discovered in the San Francisco Bay last week. The deceased, identified as 22-year-old Yohanes Kidane, was found in the waters northeast of the Golden Gate Bridge. The discovery was made by a passing boat, which alerted the Coast Guard. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that Kidane’s death was a suicide.
Kidane, originally from Webster, New York, had been reported missing since August 14. He was last seen departing his San Jose apartment in an Uber. This occurred just a few weeks after he had moved to the West Coast to join the streaming service giant. Kidane was a recent graduate of Cornell University.
The state of Kidane’s body indicated that it had been in the water for an extended period. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office reported signs of “advanced decomposition, prolonged exposure to the aquatic environment, and appreciable depredation.” The body was initially unidentifiable due to the lack of any form of identification.
The remains were positively identified as Kidane’s on Thursday. His family was immediately informed of the tragic news. The coroner’s report stated that the cause of death was a combination of blunt impact injuries and drowning, and the manner of death was ruled as suicide.
Kidane had only been employed at Netflix for two weeks at the time of his disappearance. His personal belongings, including his wallet, cellphone, and backpack, were found near the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. Data from his photos indicated that he had spent most of the night of his disappearance at the bridge.
Prior to his disappearance, Kidane had reportedly expressed concerns about a disturbing experience he had in a rideshare vehicle. He told a friend that the driver had taken a circuitous route to his apartment via Oakland, which made him apprehensive about using rideshare services alone.
In the wake of Kidane’s disappearance, his family and friends launched a GoFundMe campaign and a search task force. The campaign raised over $100,000 in donations. Kidane’s mother, Mehret Hana Beyene, expressed her grief to KTVU last month, stating, “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.”