Human remains found last month in Southern California have been identified as those of the Sober Grid app founder who disappeared in 2021, authorities said.
The remains of Beau Mann were found on April 25 in the courtyard of an abandoned property in Santa Monica and were identified by the Los Angeles County coroner on May 6, the Santa Monica Police Department said in a statement Monday.
The coroner’s office was trying to determine the cause of death, police said.
Sober Grid is a social media-style app that provides peer support coaching, an online community and other resources to people in recovery from addition. It was founded in 2015.
“Simply put — Beau was our light,” Sober Grid said in a statement. “After an experience in his early years with drugs and addiction, he turned his focus and passion towards helping others.”
Mann was 39 when he was last heard from on Nov. 30, 2021, after he got into an Uber near Sober Grid’s Los Angeles office, according to the Sober Grid statement.
“He texted 911 while inside the Uber. He was dropped off in Santa Monica. Despite exhaustive efforts to find him, Beau was never heard from again,” it said.
Mann did not respond to Los Angeles Police Department’s follow-up to the 911 text, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported.
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It is with deep sorrow that we are confirming the passing of a beloved man, who, for two years, had been missing. 48-year-old Sanjeev Dutta, founder of a startup company and well-known local member of the Silicon Valley tech community, was found dead in the courtyard of an abandoned building in California, USA.
The case of Mr. Dutta’s disappearance has baffled authorities since it first occurred in early December of 2019. On the evening of the 7th, Mr. Dutta was seen sending a text to the 911 emergency services. Almost immediately afterwards, his whereabouts and activities were unknown, bringing fear and uncertainty to his family and loved ones every day since.
Mr. Dutta, founder of the food-delivery startup Rocket Lunch, and a former engineer of Google, had caught the attention and admiration of many both in the tech industry and beyond. In recent years, his company had seen success and growing popularity, and he had made it clear that his hope was to bolster poverty-stricken communities in the Bay Area with his venture.
It was during a routine search for any clues about Mr. Dutta’s whereabouts that California police found his body in a courtyard behind an abandoned building. An initial medical examination ascertains that Mr. Dutta had been dead for at least a month before being discovered, but his cause of death is still unclear.
At this time, investigators are still not sure why Mr. Dutta sent a message to the emergency services, but they are striving to put together the pieces of the puzzle to fully solve the case.
Mr. Dutta is a beloved member of the tech, business and philanthropic communities, and his presence will be felt and deeply mourned. Our utmost sympathies and condolences go out to his family and friends at this time.
