Authorities claim Yuri Andrade, the guy who streaked the 2020 Super Bowl while wearing a neon pink leotard, went missing in April 2024 somewhere in Shasta County.
But if you speak to his immediate family or an attorney who claimed to represent Andrade, or read the most recent post on his Instagram, Andrade is not merely missing. He is dead.
Andrade, of Boca Raton, Florida, was reported missing to law enforcement by family members on April 11, 2024, according to Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tim Mapes.
Mr. Andrade had traveled to the West Coast earlier that month, Mapes stated. His family reported that they had not heard from him since April 8, 2024.
It’s believed that at some point during his travels, Mr. Andrade was in the Big Bend area of eastern Shasta County, according to Mapes.
While authorities refer to Andrade as a missing person, multiple sources close to him say he is dead.
The most public pronouncement of Andrade’s alleged death comes from an Instagram post published on June 7, 2024. The announcement is published on his Instagram page and signed “Luis” who identifies himself as a long-time friend of Andrade’s since meeting him in 2016 when he moved to Point Arena along the Mendocino County Coast.
The post begins, “It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that I have to convey the devastating news of my friend Yuri Andrade’s untimely passing.”
The post continues, “He was taken in California in April. The police asked for his family and close friends to maintain silence due to their ongoing investigation.”
This line is noteworthy because the referenced dates align with those identified by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office which attests Andrade went missing on April 8, 2024.
The reference to Andrade being “taken” and police asking “family and close friends to maintain silence due to their ongoing investigation” suggests some degree of criminality in the circumstances surrounding his death/disappearance.
These details offered in the Instagram post stand in stark contrast to the recent statement from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office possibly made opaque and over-simplified so as not to compromise the investigation.
The Instagram post eventually pivots to an in-memoriam celebrating Andrade’s “warm and compassionate heart” and “infectious laugh.”
The second corroborating source indicating Andrade has passed away comes in the form of correspondence this reporter received from an attorney representing Andrade.
On June 12, 2024, a Florida-based attorney sent an email claiming our earlier reporting on Andrade’s alleged involvement with a home invasion on the Mendocino Coast was “perpetuat[ing] false narratives surrounding Mr. Andrade’s character and reputation.”
One of the opening lines of the email reads, “It is with deep sadness that we inform you that Yuri Andrade has recently passed away.” The attorney goes on to claim that perceived falsehood in our earlier reporting is “causing significant emotional pain” for the grieving family.
The third corroborating source indicating that Andrade is not just missing but dead was a conversation we had with his brother on Monday, August 5, 2024.
With prior knowledge of the Instagram post and the email from the attorney, the news about Shasta County’s missing persons investigation came as a shock. How could a dead man become a missing person?
We reached out to one of Andrade’s brothers in Boca Raton and had a terse exchange. After informing him that the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office had opened a missing person case, the brother promptly interjected that “Yuri is dead” and criticized the quality of Northern California’s law enforcement agencies.
A public announcement, a correspondence by an attorney, and a conversation with an immediate family member all unequivocally state that Yuri Andrade has passed away while statements made by authorities are ambiguous.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office specifically mentioned that Andrade was in the Big Bend area of Eastern Shasta County in early April 2024.
Big Bend is a remote area in one of California’s lowest-populated counties. Shasta County focuses many of its cannabis enforcement efforts here.
Yuri Andrade [Photo from the California Department of Justice Website]
Andrade was steeped in the cannabis economy. Before it was taken down, his personal website, TheStreaker.net, explained Andrade taught himself the tricks of the cannabis industry after moving to California in 2013. He reportedly became so adept at the industry that he took on a consultant role “providing guidance for investors who had more to invest” where he was able to coach his marijuana investors “to become profitable in just one year.”
So, according to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department, regardless of the multiple credible sources indicating Yuri Andrade is dead, the missing person case remains open and active,
If there is anyone with any information about the case, contact the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office at (530)245-6025.
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Yuri sounds like a hard worker, and gregarious. Unfortunately the draw of “easy” cannabis money can lead to these kind of bad endings. The picture of him holding a bunch of cash and a gun is prescient and disturbing. Yuri should have just stuck to commercial fishing. He wouldn’t be cash rich, but it sure seems like he had a lot of friends. Hopefully Shasta county is able to solve this mystery and get justice for mr andrade and closure for his family and friends.
Or… Send em back!
Lol
If he hadn’t “streaked” at the Superbowl 4 years ago, this likely would have never made the news.