US Billionaire's Missing 16-Year-Old Child Found With Man Who Is Now Facing Kidnapping Charges

The teenage child of US billionaire and Slack’s co-founder was found in San Francisco on Saturday night in the company of an adult man, Christopher “Kio” Dizefalo, who is now facing kidnapping charges.

Mint Butterfield, the 16-year-old child of businessman Stewart Butterfield vanished from their Bolinas residence the previous week. Dizefalo, described as an “adult friend,” was apprehended and held on $50,000 bail for suspicion of child abduction, the New York Post reported, citing the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.

US authorities located Mint and Dizefalo inside a white van on Eddy Street in the city’s Tenderloin District, a neighbourhood known for its dangers. Despite being deemed “at-risk” due to prior suicide threats, Mint was found uninjured and claimed to have voluntarily absconded from Bolinas. They have since been reunited with their family.

While Mint asserts their voluntary departure, suspicions linger regarding Dizefalo’s role in coaxing them away. Mint’s parents, Stewart and Caterina Fake expressed gratitude to investigators and the community for their support in the recovery efforts.  The teen’s disappearance occurred on the night of April 21, with Mint’s mother reporting them missing the following morning. Allegedly, Mint left behind a note indicating their intention to flee before being discovered with Dizefalo.

Mint is the only child of the former couple, who divorced in 2007, the same year she was born. Stewart remarried Jennifer Rubio, co-founder and CEO of luggage manufacturer and retailer Away, in 2020. In 2021, the couple sold their San Francisco home following Butterfield’s departure from Slack, relocating to a luxurious $25 million mansion in Aspen, Colo.’s Five Trees neighbourhood, as reported by the Real Deal.

The 10,600-square-foot home on a 5-acre estate boasts amenities such as a 500-bottle wine cellar and six bedrooms. Rubio and Butterfield also own a $32.2 million mansion in Southampton, New York, featuring 11 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, and an all-weather tennis court near Cooper’s Beach. They possess properties in New York City, including a $27.27 million West Village townhouse and a $20 million Tribeca townhouse with a private skybridge.