Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaiian woman who disappeared after missed a connecting flight in Los Angeles, has been found safe and sound, her family has revealed.
The 30-year-old from Maui first went missing on November 8 while traveling from the Pacific island state to New York City via LA for what she described as a “bucket list” trip.
Her family launched a desperate search to find her, flocking to LA, handing out flyers and keeping her story in the public eye. Police later declared her a “voluntary missing person,” saying that she had been captured on surveillance footage walking across the US’s southern border into Mexico.
But the mystery has now reached a positive conclusion.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” the family said in a statement to KABC on December 11.
“This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through.
“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us.”
Here’s everything we know about the case.
Where was she going?
Kobayashi, a photographer and aspiring DJ, departed her hometown of Maui, Hawaii, on November 8 to visit her aunt in New York City. She described the trip in her hand-written itinerary as “bucket list dreams become reality.”
She had initially planned the trip with her ex-boyfriend but they had since broken up. As the trip was already planned, the pair planned to travel on the same flight and go their separate ways once they landed at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Kobayashi’s aunt, Geordan Montalvo, planned to go to a show with her niece in New York on the evening of November 12.
But the pair touched down at LAX for a 42-minute layover and, while her ex-boyfriend made it to the final destination, Kobayashi missed the connection.
Her ex-boyfriend helped police with their inquiries to try to find Kobayashi.
Where was she last seen before disappearing?
A photo of Kobayashi appeared to show her getting off the flight at the Los Angeles airport on November 8.
The next day she was spotted at a Taschen bookstore at The Grove shopping center in the Fairfax area of LA. Her family said they do not know why.
A video posted on YouTube On Sunday November 10 showed Kobayashi at the LeBron XXII Trial Experience, an event held at the Nike store, also at The Grove. A photo of the event also appeared to have been posted on her Instagram account.
A day later on November 11, surveillance video around a downtown Los Angeles Metro train station near the Crypto.com arena showed her with an unknown person. Her family said she did “not appear to be in good condition” in the footage.
On December 2, police said in a statement that Kobayashi was seen collecting her luggage from a carousel at LAX on November 11.
The next day, she purchased a bus ticket from Union Station to San Ysidro, California – close to the Mexican border. She then crossed over the border into Mexico by foot soon after, the LAPD said. She was alone and was carrying her belongings.
The LAPD’s missing persons unit then traveled to the US-Mexico border to review the footage with the US Customs and Border Protection.
Based on the footage, law enforcement believe Kobayashi went missing of her own accord and so the LAPD said it would not be continuing its investigation in Mexico.
“To date, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play,” the LAPD said in the statement.
“She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity.”
Suspicious payments
Prior to the sighting at the border, police had been investigating a pair of payments she made over Venmo to a man and woman on November 9.
One of the payments was sent at 6.25pm to a woman named Veronica Almendarez and was labeled with a bow-and-arrow emoji, according to The US Sun.
Less than an hour later, at 7.19pm, Kobayashi made a second payment to a man named Jonathan Taylor with the subject line “reading.”
That payment was reportedly for a tarot card reading, sources familiar with the investigation told the outlet.
‘Weird’ texts
During the search for the missing 30-year-old, the Kobayashi family spoke out about unusual messages they had been sent from her phone.
The family said they received a “strange and cryptic” text from her phone suggesting she was being “intercepted” while she was boarding a Metro train, and expressing fear that someone was trying to steal her identity.
“Once the family started pressing, she went dark,” Pidgeon previously told the Associated Press. She said the phone “just went dead” after November 11.
That day, her mother texted her asking whether she made it to New York, to which the daughter responded she hadn’t.
Kobayashi later texted a friend, writing: “Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f*** since Friday.”
Another message said: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds,” followed by one saying, “For someone I thought I love.”
A third message a friend received from Kobayashi’s number said she had been “tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds” to “someone I thought I loved.”
Her sister Sydni Kobayashi spoke of her family’s fears that “someone is controlling her,” saying that “strange” text messages “were absolutely not like her.”
The text messages used words like “hun,” “love” and “babe,” words that Kobayashi would not use, her sister old HawaiiNewsNow.
Tragic death of her father
In fresh heartache for the family, Kobayashi’s dad Ryan Kobayashi was found dead near LAX in the early hours of November 24, police said.
The 58-year-old’s death was ruled a suicide.
Ryan Kobayashi had traveled to LA to join the search for his daughter.
Just a few days before he died, he was handing out missing persons flyers in the city and said he would do everything in his power to find her.
“We’re just trying to get us as much information as we can,” he previously told HawaiiNewsNow. “Want to get the word out... has anyone seen my daughter?”
He added: “She’s a wonderful person who brings joy to so many people.”
Sydni Kobayashi told NewsNation that her father “fought until his last breath” to find Hannah.
While Kobayashi’s aunt told People that the family believes the father was overwhelmed during the search and suffered a mental health emergency.
“He died of a broken heart,” Pigeon said. “I think it just became so overwhelming for [Ryan] driving the streets, going to Skid Row and seeing where his daughter could possibly have ended up.”
A secret marriage scam?
Los Angeles Magazine reported in early December that Kobayashi may have been involved in a green card marriage “scam” before she disappeared, which was reportedly unearthed by her mother when she discovered immigration documents at her daughter’s home.
The magazine said that Kobayashi may have been scammed out of money that involved her marrying an Argentinian man, citing sources.
The family didn’t go public with their findings because they “did not have the facts or the necessary documents” to verify the information, they said in a statement.
“The family has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage,” the statement shared by their lawyer Sara Azari said.
“This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigative team.”
Found safe and sound
On December 11, Kobayashi was finally located and her family was informed of the good news by the LAPD.
“We have not seen her and at this point we have no reason to compel her to see us,” Lieutenant Doug Oldfield of the department’s missing persons unit told People.
“It’s a big news story so she may decide to come with a lawyer, but she is not obligated to speak to us.”
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
