According to police, the remains of a 39-year-old Beau Mann, who was last seen a few days after Thanksgiving in 2021, were found in the courtyard of an abandoned property in Santa Monica.
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The coroner confirmed the remains were those of Mann but a cause of death has not yet been reported.
His fiancé, Jason Abate, spoke with Eyewitness News on Wednesday and said a homeless man was the one who made the discovery. He said Mann's body was found under a mat.
"He said, 'I lifted up the mat, and I saw him. I saw the skeleton there with the clothes on,'" recalled Abate. "He went for help and a neighbor came over and called the police."
Mann was last seen was on Nov. 30, 2021 and had just spent time with his long-distance fiancé in Michigan and his family in Texas before returning to Santa Monica.
Three days later, no one had heard from Mann.
According to investigators, when Mann vanished, he sent a text to 911, saying he was in an Uber and needed help. Abate said text messages sent to Mann at the time wouldn't go through.
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"He was very overwhelmed with work and so forth, and I do believe in my heart of hearts, he probably did have a slip-up at the end, but I wasn't there," said Abate.
After his own struggles with alcohol and addiction, Mann created an app called Sober Grid where people battling drugs or other addictions could find support and solutions.
"He was a sweetheart, he was really a sweetheart. He was one of a kind," said Mann's friend Sandy Eggers.
Santa Monica detectives say Mann's death remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to contact authorities.