I found my fianc Beau Mann's body with 'help of 4,000 angels' - how online sleuths solved disappea

May 2024 · 6 minute read

A HEARTBROKEN fiancé has revealed how 4,000 people online helped him identify his missing partner's remains.

The mystery of tech CEO Beau Mann's disappearance was cracked after his fiancé Jason Abate worked tirelessly for 18 months to find the love of his life.

Mann, 39, vanished on November 30, 2021, after he got into an Uber outside of his Los Angeles office

He texted 911 during the 30-minute ride then was dropped off in a run-down Santa Monica, California, neighborhood before he was never heard from or seen again.

On April 25, Santa Monica police announced that skeletal remains were discovered inside an abandoned apartment building just 1,000 feet from where Mann was dropped off.

The identity of the remains was still unclear, until Mann's fiancé, who had been championing a social media campaign to find his partner, received a concerning message.

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"[An unnamed source] sent me a message, and they made a comment to me," Abate said in an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun.

"So I called my private investigator, and we all agreed to play it safe and call Crime Stoppers. Within minutes, the police were on the scene of 1338 Berkeley Street.

"While they didn't find Beau there, they found him 1,000 feet away."

Abate owes the discovery to his followers on TikTok and Facebook, who he has emotionally deemed his "angels."

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"The social media pages were really multipurpose," the fiancé said.

"It was 100 percent at the end of the day, find Beau. That was the ultimate objective. But there were other things that came along with that."

Abate said that the group not only offered advice on different angles for him and his PI to pursue but also gave emotional support during the painful time.

"I just really want everyone on those platforms to know how grateful I am for their love and support because it was really a multifaceted approach," Abate said.

The heartbroken fiancé decided to turn to social media for help to "create awareness and keep the dialogue open so his case wouldn't go cold."

He said that the work of the online community put pressure on the Los Angeles Police Department to keep investigating even when there was no sign of Mann.

Abate's efforts got him a feature in NBC's Dateline while he amassed hundreds of millions of TikTok impressions under the tag #FindBeauMann.

"It was so comforting because I had my angels, literally almost 4,000 of them, that were an army of people that were taking time out of their day to come up with suggestions to message me," he said.

"The more awareness you create, it's like the six degrees of separation, the more likely somebody might know something and might talk, even if it's anonymous."

One member of the group even drove to the tragic scene where Mann's remains were discovered and sent Abate a video of the abandoned courtyard.

Abate lives in Michigan, so he was unable to fly to California and look for himself.

"Many of them messaged me ideas and messaged people they knew in the media that could help spread additional awareness," the thankful sleuth said.

JUSTICE FOR BEAU

Even after the heartbreaking discovery, Abate's work isn't over.

In the wake of the tragedy, he changed the name of his Facebook group to reflect a new goal - seeking justice for Beau.

Mann's remains were identified by officials through dental records, and Abate believes that he died not long after he disappeared.

However, the cause of death remains a mystery.

"I believe that Beau was killed. I don't believe it was self-inflicted," Abate said.

"Beau was a scaredy cat. While he would help anybody I know, he would not wind up in a situation, in a place that he was found at his own doing."

The Santa Monica Police Department, which has taken over the investigation, told The U.S. Sun that they are exploring every possibility in Mann's case, including homicide.

"We owe it to the victims and their families and friends to make sure that our work is done correctly and completely," SMPD Lieutenant Erika Aklufi said.

Meanwhile, Abate has slammed officials for failing to find his partner's body, which was just feet from where the Uber dropped him off.

"They didn't even handle it, and I think that's because they assumed he was just a drug addict and gay and they didn't care," he said of the LAPD, the agency that initially searched for Mann.

"I mean, he was within 1,000 feet of where he was dropped off at. He easily could have been found if somebody has done an actual investigation or a search."

Abate has acknowledged that Mann, who struggled with addiction, could have relapsed in his final moments, but said the drugs he used to use did not often cause overdoses unless they were laced.

"I think a lot of people would like to compartmentalize that and [say]: 'Oh he was just on drugs.' And I'm not so sure I believe that," he said.

DEVASTATING DISAPPEARANCE

Mann, founder of the app Sober Grid, got into an Uber outside a 7-Eleven near his office and texted 911, but police said they couldn't get in touch with him.

"It was a gibberish text maybe and then he didn't respond," Lt. Aklufi said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"It's just another thing that we're going to be looking into."

Abate said that the couple shared an Uber account, and he confirmed where Mann was dropped off.

Law enforcement is planning to speak with the Uber driver to get more information on Beau's final moments in public.

"We're looking at pretty much any option at this point to make sure it's thorough," Aklufi said after the discovery.

Sober Grid was launched in 2015 and helped over 350,000 users with their addiction struggles.

"We hope you will take a moment to think about Beau today," the company said in a statement after the discovery.

"His bright smile and endless energy and compassion will be missed. While he is no longer with us, we know Beau's spirit will live on in Sober Grid's mission to help those in need."

Abate believed that his fiancé saved "countless" lives with his product, and urged the public to remember him as a man who always put others first.

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"I mean, this is an app that is all over the world and has helped people, and I don't know if we'll ever know how many people have been helped," Abate said.

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