SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: The fiance of deceased Beau Mann, along with at least 40 other people, held a vigil for the California tech CEO on Sunday, May 21. The group marched from where Mann was dropped off by his Uber to the place where his remains were found. His last known text was to 911, and the message indicated that he was taking a trip in a gray Uber.
Mann went mysteriously missing in 2021. According to a May 8, 2023, announcement by the Santa Monica Police Department, his remains were discovered about 20 minutes away from where he was reportedly dropped off in his Uber on November 30, 2021. Mann's fiance Jason J Abate created a Facebook page, 'Justice For Beau Mann,' which he uses to spread awareness about the case.
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'He deserves a proper investigation'
"I decided to call the vigil a march for justice because Beau has helped so many people in his life, and he deserves a proper investigation," Abate told MEAWW. "I don't believe his soul will truly rest in peace until we know what happened on November 30, 2021," he added.
"The walk was also dedicated to all missing persons and drawing attention to how underfunded and under-resourced I believe missing persons units across the country are. There are so many missing people and you have to wonder where these people go. They are husbands, wives, partners, brothers, sisters, children, and parents," said Jason.
In a previous interview with MEAWW, Abate stressed the fact that missing person investigations need to be taken more seriously. He expressed his disappointment in the law enforcement's investigation into Mann's disappearance, pointing out how his remains were found only 20 minutes from where he was left off by his Uber and that police never searched the area.
'The tragedy is the way our system works'
"In my opinion, if Beau’s case had been properly and thoroughly investigated his body wouldn’t have been found just two blocks away, and taken almost 18 months to find. Perhaps law enforcement followed their internal policies and procedures, but then perhaps they need to be updated because Beau’s case is a clear example of how they didn’t work out too well," Abate said.
"Like me, most people would not expect someone close to them to vanish, but God forbid, if it happened to my fiance, it can absolutely happen to anyone," Abate said. "During the past 18 months, I’ve joined several other social media pages for those who are missing their loved ones, and one that comes to mind right now is a man named Timothy Kizito who disappeared right around the time Beau did, and his family still has no answers."
"The tragedy is the way our system works. A more serious investigation takes place only after the worst has happened and a missing person has been found dead. What if that energy and focus were put on trying to find them while they’re still alive?" he added.
'Beau demonstrated such strong spiritual principles'
Abate also opened up about the stigma he believes exists as a cultural norm around addiction, mental illness, and adversities across the country. "These are human beings and people love them. Their lives are just as important as anyone else’s. Beau's life was beautiful because he spent his adult life doing everything he could to ensure no one had to make the mistakes he made earlier in life and as a result of that, he never judged anyone and demonstrated such strong spiritual principles and I still marvel at how advanced his soul is, you see. The world needs more people like Beau; he worked tirelessly to give countless people a sense of self-worth, jobs, dignity, and respect," he said.
"If Beau can be the reason even just one missing person is found alive before it’s too late, his love continues and he never really leaves us. Beau would want this entire nightmare less about him and more about lessons learned to prevent it from being someone else’s reality one day," Abate added, thanking those who marched with him. "I’ve seen such amazing outpouring of love and support and it just goes to show at the end of the day that every single person matters."
