Astroworld victim's LinkedIn profile gets deleted without family's consent, father claims: 'I'm so upset'
Julio Patino says his late son Franco's social networking profile has apparently been removed since his death
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A father whose son died while attending Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas over the weekend is now questioning LinkedIn and its practices.
Julio Patino told Fox Business that he grew concerned on Wednesday upon the realization that the former LinkedIn profile for his son Franco Patino, 21, has been deleted. Franco was one of eight who died at the rapper's festival on Friday. Many others were injured and some still remain hospitalized.
Franco, originally from Naperville, Illinois, was majoring in mechanical engineering technology with a minor in human movement biomechanics at the University of Dayton. His father Julio told us he's reached out to the social networking giant for an explanation on what happened to his son's profile but has not yet received a response.
"LinkedIn removed my son's profile without any notice," he said. "I'm the only one who can authorize that."
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LinkedIn told Fox Business in a statement: "We encourage members that would like to memorialize an account to get in touch with our team. Memorializing an account helps highlight the member themselves, who they were and what they had contributed to the world." The company also shared a link to information about the process.
Julio said his son's accomplishments that were once visible on LinkedIn are no longer there. In the past, Julio would share articles his son wrote and called himself a "proud" father on the platform.
"We want to memorialize his profile," Julio added. "He had so many accomplishments. I'm not sure if lawyers are trying to erase my son's profile or what. I just don't know. I'm so upset with this."
Julio also posted his own status on LinkedIn, asking, "LinkedIn why you removed my Son’s Profile Franco Patiño!!!"
According to LinkedIn's Help page, a person who has "authority to act on behalf of a deceased LinkedIn member" can request for it to be memorialized or closed. Closure of the account can take up to 21 days to complete.
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Travis Scott performs at day one of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP / AP Newsroom)
Meanwhile, the page also confirms that others who aren't authorized to act on behalf of a deceased member can report a person as deceased but will need to provide a death certificate or various legal documents.
"Reporting a deceased member will result in the account being hidden. Once an account is hidden, the profile is no longer searchable or visible on LinkedIn," the guidelines state.
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A street sign showing the cancellation of the AstroWorld Festival at NRG Park on November 6, 2021 in Houston, Texas. According to authorities, eight people died and 17 people were transported to local hospitals after what they describe as a crowd sur (Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty)
"I'm trying to bring back my son's profile," Julio concluded.
Approximately 50,000 people attended Friday’s concert. More than 300 people were treated at a field hospital at the concert.
City officials said they were still investigating what caused the pandemonium at the sold-out event.
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Scott, who was born Jacques Bermon Webster II, founded the festival in 2018 on the heels of his chart-topping album "Astroworld," which was led by the infectious song "Sicko Mode."
He has pledged to cover funeral costs for all victims who died as a result of Friday’s events. He is also offering to cover the cost of mental counseling through BetterHelp.