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Thread: Luke Arduini (28) allegedly jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge

  1. #1
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Luke Arduini (28) allegedly jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge

    http://mydeathspace.com/article/2015...en_Gate_Bridge

    His twitter https://twitter.com/luk

    His website http://luke.xxx/

    Yahoo company executives have sent out a search team for one of their most talented software programmers, hiring a private investigator to find out why the 28-year-old hasn?t been seen since New Year's Day.
    Friends say in The Daily Mail that Luke Arduini, of Oakland, Calif., is a brilliant programmer who specializes in Javascript.
    He hasn?t been seen since New Year's Day, so Yahoo hired a P.I. to find out why, his friends tell The Daily Mail.
    So far, the investigator says he hasn?t found Mr. Arduini ? but has found some pertinent messages.
    The programmer?s last Instagram photo was of the Bay Bridge, said investigator James Vierra, in The Daily Mail. Mr. Arduini also has a past history of emotional instability, complete with public outbursts and intense emotional displays, his friends reported.
    ?He talked about issues where he?d be better off not being around,? Mr. Vierra said, in The Daily Mail.
    Meanwhile, another photo posted on the programmer?s Twitter account showing fireworks is captioned with the phrase: ?IT?S THE FINALE,? the newspaper reported.
    He then tweeted: ?To the various parties I?ve pissed off with my opinions and proselytizing in 2013; my apologies. It?s not getting any better in 2014.?
    Mr. Vierra said the programmer?s social message feeds have all gone silent since New Year's Day.


    Read more: http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/20...#ixzz2q3eM7RsK

  2. #2
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    doesn't sound good....
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  3. #3
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    catjuggler, California, 20 hours ago: Morbid tattoo. "rm -rf /" Remove recursively.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  4. #4
    Senior Member *crickets*'s Avatar
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    It's odd, his friends started freaking out about him on new years night (1/1, around 9 pm) all over twitter, "if anyone sees Luke contact me immediately!" It just seems pretty early for that kind of thing. Someone who worked with him a few years ago said he disappeared for 5 days once without telling anyone and reappeared with a story about being at a rap concert and someone put something in his drink.

    He had just adopted a kitten from the Humane Society and posted pics of her all over IG.



    with Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo (she looks about 22!) So he must be kind of a big deal it seems...
    Last edited by *crickets*; 01-11-2014 at 12:55 PM.

  5. #5
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    I can't find any updates on all about this. So odd.

  6. #6
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    I hate to say it, but I don't think we will until he's declared dead

    He took a pic of the Bay Bridge right before midnight on NYE and wasn't heard from again. They even hired investigators and still nothing. His friends stopped posting about him mid January. This points to his friends maybe knowing deep down what happened. I'm pretty sure he jumped and they never found the body
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  7. #7
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    So it seems like he jumped -

    https://the-pastry-box-project.net/c...14-september-5


    His beaming smile knew a private agony that burned.
    This is in memory of my friend Luk. I've personally battled with how, when, and why to write this. Not only because every keypress is painful to make, but because I was unsure how to handle it publicly. I think the reason why that is will become clear as you read on.

    First, I have to start with the facts because they are important. In late December 2013 Luk told a friend of his in Russia over chat that he planned to take his own life on January 1st 2014 by jumping off the Golden Gate bridge. She pleaded with him not to but he told her his mind was made up. Shortly after that he wrote a gist to his friends and family apologizing for his actions and explaining his lifelong battle with depression. Although he wrote that gist on December 26th, he did not send it to his friends and family until very shortly before the end. I have omitted the text here because it crosses the line from memorial into voyeurism. Then after writing his goodbye note, he went on with his life as usual.

    He asked me to see a movie with him in Oakland.

    He continued his work on npm at Yahoo.

    He even went to a New Year's Eve party with friends.

    On the afternoon of New Year's Day he sent this tweet. It was a reference to the facetime party snoozer, which had been his meme du jour at the time. Finally at about 5pm (and this is where it gets second hand) a 9-year-old girl saw a man matching Luk's description wearing a purple hoodie jump off the Golden Gate bridge. She was sitting in the back of her parents car stuck in traffic.

    I am eternally grateful that there was traffic at that particular time, that a little girl I'll never meet had the presence of mind to tell her parents and that her parents actually did something about it by contacting the CHP (California Highway Patrol). I am grateful because it is the one fact that allowed a private investigator to painstakingly piece together a working timeline of events for what happened. In fact, all of those who were closest to Luk are all indebted to the graciousness of Yahoo, specifically Marisa Mayer who went out of her way to make sure Yahoo hired this private investigator to get to the bottom of this.

    I'm sorry for burdening you with the sad facts, but it is an important part of the exposition to Luk's memory since he left in a way that there no physical evidence. In fact, without Yahoo's help he would likely still be "missing" as he was for several months.

    Not taking Luk up on his casual offer of a movie just is a regret that will never go away. Even though I know it is part of the “what if” syndrome:

    What if I had been a better friend?

    What if I had given him a reason to stay?

    What if I had only known there was something wrong?

    This line of reasoning, however, is painfully futile because more often than not there is very little inkling that something is wrong. Luk was a bright and hilarious person with more reason to live than most. Yet mental illness is not logical.

    In April there was a memorial service at Yahoo where I had the opportunity to meet Luk's mom. When you're friends with someone you often forget that there is another group of people who know your friend in an intimate way you never will: their family. When they are gone helping their family grieve is the best thing you can do for their memory.

    In 2012 Luk was instrumental in organizing EmpireJS, a JavaScript conference here in New York city. Without Luk, EmpireJS would have not have happened. It would not have happened without many others, but his influence on that first event was very meaningful.

    It was for this reason that I felt I had to ask her permission to make a donation in Luk's name to the Samaritans: a local 24/7 volunteer run suicide hotline here in New York City. Not just once but twice. First at the memorial service and then again over email the day before making a short speech at Day two of the conference. I never been so close to tears in a public speech before, and I hope I never will have to again.

    Some months after that we had a falling out as friends. He moved to San Francisco and we didn't speak for over six months. When I moved to San Francisco for a few months in late 2013 we had the chance to reconnect as friends in-person over Thai food (no surprise there) which is something I am very thankful. Luk impacted on others' lives in ways I didn't even know about until he was gone. It's ironically tragic that you realize only posthumously how much you had in common with one of your friends and how much closer you could have been. I thought that if we did something good, something to help prevent suicide that I would feel better. But it didn't work. Even after all the things I'd done to remember my friend I still felt the same regret. I know I will still feel it after writing this. It is something that will never go away and I've accepted that.

    And that's ok. It’s ok to feel pain. It’s what you do with it that matters. Before writing this I was once again thoughtfully encouraged by Luk’s mother Kathy, because well, writing this is hard. And doing it publicly is even harder. But hopefully for those of you reading it you’ll hold the people close to you a bit closer and remember that humanity is actually more than skin deep.

  8. #8
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    How sad. May you be rest in peace, Luk. I hope you found what you were looking for.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    I hate to say it, but I don't think we will until he's declared dead
    I figured I would update this thread. Luke was a friend of mine. We grew up together. He was a fantastic person. After the death of his father (2006), his depression worsened. He was being treated but hated to be on medication.

    Luke moved to CA from his small, suburban hometown in Delmar, NY (outside of Albany). He had previously lived in NYC and had traveled to Thailand and other countries to compete in Muay Thai. Loved punk rock (Rancid was his favorite band). Wore Chuck Taylors almost exclusively. Loved animals. Had a sense of humor that was unmatched. Words cannot do him justice so I will not bother.

    He attended a NYE party at a friend's apartment. Luke then caught an Uber to his apartment where he left some food and water for his new kitten. The suicide note referenced in the post above was only made available to a handful of people (no more than six). He did not send the note to his family (he left behind a mother and two sisters).

    That's where things start to get sketchy. Luke went home and then left (presumably on foot). A young girl who was in her parents car reported seeing a man matching Luke's description standing on the side of the bridge. He was wearing a purple Yahoo hoodie, jeans and a pair of red Chuck Taylors.

    We are assuming he jumped. His body has not been recovered. A memorial service was held for him at Yahoo a few weeks later? His family attended. A local memorial was not held.

    As for the tattoo referenced above? That was in memory of Luke's best friend Brian who passed away in 2009. Brian suffered a pulmonary embolism from a blood clot. He was 24- years old. They had been friends since they were babies. Luke and Brian would prank each other (really.. it was Luke doing all of the pranking. Brian wasn't all that great at it :-p). Luke convinced Brian to enter that code into his computer, saying that its effects were an urban legend. Brian did so? and found out what happened as a result. It was a joke between the two of them. Nothing to do with Luke's depression (as speculated in comments both here and on various news articles).

    Luke battled depression for a very, very long time. Everyone in his life tried to help him? but you cannot help someone who refuses to help himself.

  10. #10
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    I moved this to the Deceased MDS member section as one of Luke's friends messaged us on FB and said that Luke was a huge MDS fan, way back to LJ days.

  11. #11
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Article from Jan 2016


    https://medium.com/@mikeal/one-year-later-d8ad00e7167e

    Two Years Later
    My friend Luke, who I lost to depression.

    This has been hard to write. The original title was “One Year Later.”
    On January 1st 2014 my friend Luke Arduini jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge to end his own life.
    In the week before his suicide he made a point to see all of his close friends. Completely unaware of what he was going through he and I drank scotch and talked about his upcoming project.
    He had already written his suicide note.
    Once he posted his note we scrambled to find him, hoping he hadn’t done it yet. I jumped over the fence of his apartment building, pulling a key from under his mat where he said we could find it to take care in his cat. I expected to find him half or wholly dead but instead I only found a sparsely furnished apartment.
    In the weeks that followed his friends and family tried to piece together what had happened. The police were useless. Marisa Mayer stepped in and hired a private investigator (Luke was a Yahoo! employee at the time). Eventually the investigator put together a series of events that showed clearly exactly when and how Luke’s life had ended.
    Like many Golden Gate suicides his body was never recovered. This means that his family will have to wait several years before they see a real death certificate. This also means that his death will never be included in the official Suicide Count for the bridge, which is exactly what they want.
    I have a lot of anger about Luke’s suicide. I’m mad at him, I’m mad at the city, the bridge, I’m mad at someone he cared for and treated him poorly. And of course I’m mad at myself.
    “I’m very good at hiding it.” That’s what Luke said about his depression. I sometimes feel the same way about him, that I’m good at hiding how I feel about him, and about how he left us.
    In the last few years we’ve seen a lot more outreach towards people with depression in our industry.
    While I’m happy to see and participate in this outreach, none of it would have saved Luke. Luke didn’t think that people would accept his depression if they knew about it, he hid himself from everyone, at a great cost. The only thing that I can think of that might have saved him was if we all spoke openly about all of our own challenges with mental illness.
    About our own neurosis. Our own anxiety. Our own depression. We often pretend to speak openly about ourselves but leave so much on the table that might make us vulnerable.
    So I’ll start. This is what I wish I had said to Luke when we drank whisky at Heinhold’s Last Chance around Christmas, instead of startups and frameworks.
    I suffer from relatively severe anxiety. The worst is a crippling fear of death, which if I focus on enough can only be stopped by physical pain like biting myself.
    Until mid-2013 I didn’t know I suffered from anxiety at all. After listening to an interview with the author on the WTF Podcast I started reading Monkey Mind and about 40 pages in realized that he was describing exactly what I had lived with my entire life.
    Prior to this realization I would just grow increasingly irritable if I didn’t get “time to myself” which mostly involved walking alone for an hour or so. Once I knew it was anxiety I found it much easier to deal with. Although it’s still a constant part of my life I’ve found that regular meditation keeps it to a manageable level.
    I will routinely leave conferences and other events mid-day in order to mediate alone so that I can be more functional. Even though I’m known as a pretty social person I suffer from constant social anxiety which I have self medicated for a few decades using alcohol (which is quite effective short term).
    It’s not severe depression, but it’s what I live with and have shared with few people but my wife. My family wouldn’t even know about it if I hadn’t suffered a severe panic attack shortly after my sister’s wedding (I may be the only person to have suffered a panic attack in Kauai).

  12. #12
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    I wonder what his user name was. This one has always stuck with me. I think the tattoo is why so it's nice to get an update on what it meant to him. May he rest in peace.

    I missed the update from his friend. So sorry for your loss Justalittlebox. Thank you for sharing your friend with us here.
    Last edited by Boston Babe 73; 12-04-2017 at 06:36 PM.
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    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
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    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  13. #13
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    It appears that his mom has recently passed away. https://www.forevermissed.com/luke-s...arduini/#about

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    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by thepits View Post
    It appears that his mom has recently passed away. https://www.forevermissed.com/luke-s...arduini/#about
    Is this a different luke? Wrong death year and wrong death date? Our Luke jumped 1 January 2014 in San Fran. This guy died September 9, 2012 in Valparaiso, Indiana. Wrong ages also - 28 v 32

  15. #15
    Hey there! It has been a while. Luke?s mom is alive, well, remarried, a grandma and living in Michigan.

    Luke?s info has been entered into NAMUS in case something turns up. He is also ?on record? with the DNA Doe Project and The Doe Network just in case. His family does not wish to submit DNA (or, didn?t at last check, but I?m hoping his sisters or cousins read this some day and make the choice to submit).

    I miss him a lot. I think of him often. I keep hoping he is living a secret life on a desert island somewhere, listening to Rancid albums, eating KFC.

  16. #16
    Wrong Luke. The missing Luke was born in 1985 in Delmar, NY. There has never been an obituary.

  17. #17
    Also: For those who want a twist, Luke?s late dad was an investigator in the ?Romeo Killer? case. He died of a random aneurysm while on a walk around his neighborhood.

    Chris is in jail for life. Luke?s sister is portrayed as having dated him in the movie... she did not.

    https://www.timesunion.com/entertain...lm-4323629.php

  18. #18
    Administrator Olivia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by justalittlebox View Post
    Hey there! It has been a while. Luke?s mom is alive, well, remarried, a grandma and living in Michigan.

    Luke?s info has been entered into NAMUS in case something turns up. He is also ?on record? with the DNA Doe Project and The Doe Network just in case. His family does not wish to submit DNA (or, didn?t at last check, but I?m hoping his sisters or cousins read this some day and make the choice to submit).

    I miss him a lot. I think of him often. I keep hoping he is living a secret life on a desert island somewhere, listening to Rancid albums, eating KFC.
    Thank you for the updates! Why do they not want to submit dna do you know?

  19. #19
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    This thread crossed my mind today. I hope that Justalittlebox is doing okay and that Luke's family has found some peace after these passing years. Anyway, this is one suicide that I think about from time to time because I know he was very much loved and wish eventual closure for those that loved him.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
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    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  20. #20
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    This thread crossed my mind today. I hope that Justalittlebox is doing okay and that Luke's family has found some peace after these passing years. Anyway, this is one suicide that I think about from time to time because I know he was very much loved and wish eventual closure for those that loved him.
    It's so odd that his body has never been found. Especially when police were called after he jumped, which I assume means they looked for his body shortly after.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

  21. #21
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    It's so odd that his body has never been found. Especially when police were called after he jumped, which I assume means they looked for his body shortly after.
    You would be amazed how many people are never found after jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. I'm sure it's in the multiple hundreds if not up to a thousand in it's history. They get swept out to the ocean. It's actually very common.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  22. #22
    Moderator Bewitchingstorm's Avatar
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    I think it is terribly sad for his family/friends to not have closure after all these years.

  23. #23
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bewitchingstorm View Post
    I think it is terribly sad for his family/friends to not have closure after all these years.
    I do too. I think they have the closure of knowing what happened, but not of having him home to lay to rest which is very sad. It's pretty obvious what happened. I'm wondering who took his kitten. He seemed to love that little guy so much. Perhaps he was hoping that the kitten would give him a reason to live. Mental illness is no joke. He tried to drink it away. He tried getting a kitten as a companion to help, but nothing worked and I think that's just so tragic.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  24. #24
    Moderator Bewitchingstorm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    I do too. I think they have the closure of knowing what happened, but not of having him home to lay to rest which is very sad. It's pretty obvious what happened. I'm wondering who took his kitten. He seemed to love that little guy so much. Perhaps he was hoping that the kitten would give him a reason to live. Mental illness is no joke. He tried to drink it away. He tried getting a kitten as a companion to help, but nothing worked and I think that's just so tragic.
    It is. Depression is dark and you sometimes cannot see your way out of it. This young man had so much talent and a great future ahead of him, which is why it is especially sad to consider he didn't see that in himself.

  25. #25
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    This one came to mind again for me today. The 10th anniversary of his passing will be this coming New Years. I really hope that "JustALittleBox", his other friends and his family are doing okay. I still wonder who took his kitten. It would hopefully still be thriving and surviving to this day. He really seemed to love that little guy.

    Rest in Peace, Luke.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



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