The body found floating in the water near McCovey Cove six weeks ago has been identified as that of 23-year-old Brazilian man Paulo Netto. Netto went missing on October 28th after making a panicked phone call to his sister in Brazil, in which he claimed someone was following him and asked her to call police. Netto was visiting San Francisco from Los Angeles to research art schools in the area.
According to cell phone data, his last known location was 505 Shotwell Street near 19th, but confusion remains about his whereabouts that weekend. He checked out of the Adelaide Hostel near Union Square on Saturday night and told his family he was taking the bus home on Sunday, but it's unclear what transpired between then and his terrified phone call home on Monday. Netto's sister and mother visited San Francisco to look for him, but he remained a missing person until today's positive ID.
In early November, police published a security photo of an unidentified man who used Netto's credit card at the McDonald's at 16th and Mission sometime after Netto's disappearance. Police issued a call for anyone with information about the person of interest, but were unable to track him down. Take a look: if you know anything about who this man might be, call the SFPD at (415) 553-1071 and use the reference case number 130921443.
The San Francisco medical examiner confirmed that the body was indeed that of Netto, telling SF Weekly this morning that they would not yet disclose how he died.
Previously: 23-Year-Old Brazilian Man Disappears In S.F. After Frantic Call Home, Update On Missing Brazilian Guy Paulo Netto, Unidentified Body Found In McCovey Cove
