In her first statement since the bizarre story unfolded, Hawaiian photographer Hannah Kobayashi claimed she was “unaware” of the extensive media coverage and public interest surrounding her mysterious disappearance. .
Kobayashi broke her silence on Monday, a day after returning to the United States from Mexico. She had reportedly been traveling alone for over a month.
The 30-year-old said in a statement shared by her aunt: “I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing everything.” . NBC Los Angeles reported..
“My focus right now is on my own healing, peace, and creativity,” Kobayashi was quoted as saying.
Kobayashi flew from Maui to Los Angeles last month and was reported missing by her family on November 11, three days after she missed her connecting flight from Los Angeles International Airport to New York, sparking an extensive search.
She had planned to travel to the Big Apple to visit relatives and sightsee with an ex-boyfriend, but investigators later learned she had instead entered Mexico by bus on Nov. 12.
The Los Angeles Police Department ultimately recognized Kobayashi as a “voluntarily disappeared person.''
But before crossing the southern border, Kobayash's friends and family received cryptic and worrying messages from her cell phone.
Some of the messages said she had been “deceived into giving away almost all of my funds” and that she had been deceived by “someone I thought loved me.”
The case took a tragic turn when Kobayashi's father, Ryan Kobayashi, committed suicide by jumping from a parking lot at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving in Los Angeles to help search for his daughter.
“I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time,” Hanna said in a statement Monday.
“I ask that you respect myself, my family, and my loved ones as we go through this difficult time. Thank you for your understanding,” she concluded.
