The remains of a young man who had just graduated from college and moved to the Bay Area to take a job with Netflix were found near the Golden Gate Bridge last week, and they've now been positively identified.
It seems the worst possible outcome has come true for the family of 22-year-old Yohanes Stefanos Kidane. Kidane went missing on August 14, telling two colleagues that he was headed to San Francisco. He was last seen leaving his San Jose apartment and getting into an Uber, and some of his belongings, including his wallet and cellphone, were later found near the Golden Gate Bridge welcome center.
His body was spotted floating in the Bay northeast of the bridge by a passing boat on Tuesday, August 29, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. The remains were not immediately identifiable, the sheriff's office said, but they were positively identified on August 31, and Kidane's family was informed.
The cause of death was determined to be blunt impact injuries with drowning as a significant contributing condition.
Police had not suspected foul play in the case, and now it seems clear that this was a suicide.
A GoFundMe page for Kidane's family's travel expenses indicated that Kidane had had some negative experience with an Uber driver days before his disappearance. That driver apparently insisted on driving him back to San Jose from San Francisco via Oakland, and this upset him — but it's not clear now how that was connected to his trip to the Golden Gate Bridge.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
You can also call or chat via 988lifeline.org.