New Information on South High’s Dan Ha Tragedy

Monday, November 17, 2014
Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay

On Tuesday morning, the Coast Guard recovered a body found near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The clothes, wallet and phone matched those belonging to Dan Ha, a graduate of South High School in Worcester. 

According to San Francisco Police Department report, a ferry captain saw Ha's body in the Bay and reported it to SFPD. Although medical examiners have yet to identify the body, Ha's family has come to terms that it is indeed Ha. The possible cause of death has not been released, but his familly does not believe it was a suicide.

South High School in Worcester

Ha was a well-rounded student and was very passionate about music and tennis. As a senior at South High, Ha was voted Most Likely to Succeed, Most School Spirit, and Most Studious. Grace Duffy, a graduate of South High, and classmate of Ha's, said "Dan was an amazing student and one of the smartest people I know, and the kindest. He never had anything bad to say about anyone and he would often go out of his way to help others."

On Friday night, Ha's family, friends and co-workers held a memorial service for Ha at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco.

26-year-old Ha vanished in San Francisco on Halloween. Ha, a Stanford graduate, was an iOS developer at a startup called Metromile in San Francisco.

Ha left work early on Thursday October 30th. On Halloween morning, he sent his boss an email telling his boss that he would be working from home that day. 

He was last seen around 8pm by his roommate, Dominique Chainee. Ha and Chainee live in the large South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco. 

Duffy said, "After high school, he continued to work to make the world a better place and remained a dear friend, even though we were on opposite sides of the country. All of our friends love and miss him very much."

If you have any information, please contact the SFPD at 415-553-1373, and reference this case no: 140937521.