Hannah Kobayashi, a photographer whose disappearance last month generated widespread media interest, has been found safe, the Hawaii woman’s family confirmed on Wednesday, December 11.
Los Angeles police said that Kobayashi willingly crossed the border into Mexico and noted that there was no evidence of foul play.
Kobayashi was flying from Maui to New York City when she missed a connecting flight in Los Angeles, California; the police now believe the missed flight was intentional. The 30-year-old, who has been described as a budding photographer, had reportedly planned to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art on a trip to New York. After missing the connecting flight on November 08, she reportedly told her family that she was going to spend the following day sightseeing in Los Angeles. Her family reported her missing on Nov 11.
Lt Douglas Oldfield of the Los Angeles Police Missing Persons Unit said that Kobayashi's social media account contained “some desires or posts that would be consistent in somebody who would have the desire to disconnect from their phone.”
Kobayashi's family did not say where or how the 30-year-old was found. Los Angeles police reported that she was "voluntarily missing” on December 03, after finding video of Kobayashi crossing the border into Mexico the day after her family had reported her missing. On December 11, her family confirmed that she had been found safe.
Kobayashi's family members traveled to Los Angeles to search for her. Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found deceased on November 24 in LA. In a statement, the family said that he had died by suicide.
With the disappearance’s widespread media attention, a GoFundMe was established to help the family pay for travel expenses as they searched. The family is now offering refunds after authorities determined that Kobayashi was “voluntarily missing.” The GoFundMe page raised nearly $50,000 (approximately £39,400 / AU$78,400) in donations.
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