Beau Mann texted 911 from an Uber to Santa Monica. Then he vanished.

A tech CEO with a successful app and a bright future. A mysterious Uber ride. A text to 911. Then, radio silence.

The puzzling details of Beau Mann’s 2021 disappearance spread like wildfire online, capturing the attention of true crime podcasters, international news outlets, and amateur sleuths.

A 39-year-old with deep ties to Massachusetts, Mann was last seen getting into an Uber not far from the Los Angeles offices of Sober Grid, the sober living app he created. Last month, nearly a year-and-a-half later, authorities found Mann’s remains at an abandoned property in Santa Monica, solving one mystery but leaving a host of other questions still unanswered.

Here’s what we know.

Who was Beau Mann?

Born in Texas, Mann spent much of his youth in Oxford, Massachusetts, and battled addiction issues as a young person, according to The Boston Globe. 

The idea for Sober Grid came to him during a trip to the Sundance Film Festival.

“There were parties going on at Sundance with a lot of drinking and I wanted someone to go to films and skiing with,” Mann told the Boston Business Journal in July 2015, the same month his social networking app launched.

He said in a 2017 Forbes interview that he saw an unmet need for people in addiction recovery to find and connect with peers. Sober Grid, he explained, enables its users to tap into a global sober community for immediate connection and peer support. 

His aunt, Rhonda Mann, told the Globe earlier this month that Beau’s “whole mission as an adult was trying to help people who were in the clutches of addiction.” 

“He was just such a bright light,” she added. “He was one of those guys who have a big smile, that you couldn’t help but really like. You could tell he was all heart.” 

Mann and his fiancé, Jason Abate, had recently discussed starting the process of adopting a child, The Daily Beast reported. 

“He was begging me to start a family and I really wanted to start a family too so I was really excited,” Abate told the news outlet. 

What do we know about his disappearance?

Mann spent Thanksgiving in Texas with his siblings before arriving back in LA on Nov. 29, 2021, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported shortly after his disappearance. 

He told his mother he’d be home for Christmas. 

“This wasn’t somebody who went off for a month, and you never heard from them. He was very much connected,” his aunt told the Globe. “He would never leave his family, he would not leave his company. The company was so much a part of his life.”

Mann was last seen at a convenience store on the 11000 block of Ventura Boulevard around 2 p.m. on Nov. 30, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. 

He got into an Uber outside the store and was dropped off in Santa Monica, Sober Grid said in a statement. Mann texted 911 while inside the car, though Santa Monica Police Lt. Erika Aklufi told the Los Angeles Times that he didn’t respond to authorities’ attempts to follow up on the text.  

“It was a gibberish text maybe and then he didn’t respond,” Aklufi told the newspaper. “It’s just another thing that we’re going to be looking into.”

After Mann disappeared, several of his family members went to California to knock on doors and search for clues, according to the Globe.

Then on April 25, 2023, the Santa Monica Police Department received word of a grim discovery: Human remains were found in the courtyard of an abandoned property on Santa Monica Boulevard — about a mile from where Mann’s Uber had dropped him off, his family said.

The coroner identified the remains on May 6, bringing the long search for Beau Mann to an end. 

Where does the investigation stand? 

Officials have yet to say much about the circumstances surrounding Mann’s death. 

Aklufi, the Santa Monica Police Department spokesperson, told the Globe that police are launching an investigation as the Los Angeles County Coroner works to determine how Mann died. She also told the LA Times that investigators plan to speak to the Uber driver, who has not been deemed a suspect in the case. 

Abate believes the signs point to foul play. He told The Daily Beast he doesn’t know anyone in the Santa Monica area where Mann was dropped off and suspects his fiancé was “lured” to the spot. 

While investigators search for answers, Mann’s family and friends are remembering his “beautiful soul.” 

“We miss his infectious smile and positive attitude every day,” Mann’s family said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We know his spirit will live on through his company and passion, Sober Grid, as it continues to help those struggling with the grip of addiction.” 

Sober Grid echoed that sentiment in its own statement. 

“Simply put – Beau was our light,” the company said. “His bright smile and endless energy and compassion will be missed.”