Three weeks after Hawaiian photographer Hannah Kobayashi disappeared on her way to a “bucket list” vacation in the Big Apple, authorities say she fled to Mexico to “disconnect” from the modern world. But her desperate family insists the search is far from over.
The 30-year-old brunette beauty from Maui was reported missing by her family on Nov. 11 after she missed her connecting flight at Los Angeles International Airport a few days earlier and it went dark.
Her disappearance quickly made national headlines, with worried relatives saying they had received a “strange and cryptic” text message moments before she disappeared, saying someone had stolen her identity.
Then, on Monday, the case took another bizarre turn when Los Angeles police declared Kobayashi a “voluntary disappeared person” and announced that she had purposely traveled to Mexico to “separate herself from modern society.” I showed you.
“We've basically done everything we can at this point,” Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference Monday night. He said this while citing surveillance footage.
“She left the country and is now in another country.”
The police chief added that there is no evidence that the budding snapper is being trafficked or the victim of crime.
Lt. Douglas Oldfield, who works in the department's missing persons unit, said Kobayashi's social media activity also suggests she wants to “disconnect” from the modern world.
“When we looked at her past social media, we found that there were consistent desires and posts for people who had a desire to disconnect from their phones,” Oldfield said at a press conference.
But the LAPD's conclusion leaves a distraught family not only with the loss of Hannah, but also with the loss of her father, Ryan Kobayashi, who died in an apparent suicide near Los Angeles International Airport less than two weeks after his daughter's disappearance. It was of no consolation to him.
On Tuesday morning, her family insisted the search was “not yet over” despite declaring her to be considered voluntarily missing.
“We deeply appreciate the urgency and dedication of law enforcement in investigating Hannah's disappearance,” the family said in a statement.
“Our family hopes that Hannah is safe and we urge everyone to continue the search.” “The search is not over yet. We will do everything in our power to bring her home safely.”
This wild development is just the latest shocking twist in Kobayashi's disappearance, which began when she flew from Hawaii to LAX on November 8th.
The 30-year-old was planning to hop on a connecting flight to New York, where relatives and a new job awaited her. But the Maui native never got on a plane.
Her aunt, Larry Pidgeon, said she had told her family that she would be sleeping at Los Angeles International Airport that night, and they thought she was waiting for her next flight.
But the next day, Kobayashi texted that he was strolling through the City of Angels, taking in sights such as The Grove shopping mall and downtown Los Angeles.
That's when things went downhill.
On November 11, she began texting friends and family “alarming” messages.
According to her aunt, she claimed to have been “intercepted” on the subway and appeared to believe someone was trying to steal her identity.
“Deep hackers erased my identity, stole all my funds, and have been making me anxious since Friday,” she wrote in an email to a friend.
“I was tricked into donating all my money… to someone I thought I loved,” one person said.
Kobayashi also texted her aunt in New York that she had “just finished a very intense spiritual awakening” and paid strangers for strange Venmo payments, one of which was a tarot card. Apparently it was payment for a card fortune-telling.
“Once her family started contacting her, she went black,” Pidgeon told The Associated Press, adding that her niece's cell phone “just stopped working” after her disappearance.
After appearing around the city, officers said they asked her to return the luggage she had left in New York to the West Coast.
Police said she grabbed her cellphone from the airport on Nov. 11 and did not have it with her when she left the country.
Her family reported her missing that day, and her father flew to Los Angeles to help family, friends and volunteers search the city for the missing woman.
Meanwhile, wild conspiracy theories abound on the internet, with claims that she was brainwashed by a cult, blackmailed by African hackers, ran away from her abusive father, or was kidnapped by an angry gang to whom her father owed money. Some claimed that they had been.
The burden seemed to be more than the heartbroken father could bear.
Police say a 58-year-old man jumped from an LAX parking lot while searching for a young girl on the morning of Nov. 22.
Police ruled his death a suicide and the cause was blunt force trauma.
“What a bull–!” Pidgeon told the Post. “Imagine if Ryan was watching all this, that would weigh on him?”
“He's broken,” she continued. “He died of a broken heart. We were actively looking for him and Ryan was a big giant teddy bear. He's sensitive. He looks at places like Skid Row and can't sleep. Imagine his daughter being sex trafficked. He just broke down.”
in Monday night press conferenceThe Los Angeles Police Department said police reviewed surveillance footage near Tijuana on Nov. 12 around 12:15 p.m. that “clearly showed Koboyashi crossing the U.S. border into Mexico on foot.” He said he did.
“She was alone with her belongings and appeared to be unharmed,” McDonnell said. “At this time, Mr. Kobayashi's case is classified as a voluntary disappearance.”
The police chief insisted there was no evidence of “any criminal activity,” adding that before leaving Maui, Koboyashi had said he wanted “to distance himself from the modern Internet world.”
“Our priority is to ensure Mr. Kobayashi's safety and well-being, and we urge him to contact his family, law enforcement, and U.S. Embassy officials to let them know he is safe.” said.
“She has a right to privacy,” McDonnell continued. “And we respect her choice. But we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her. A simple message would be helpful if you care about her and It might give some people peace of mind.”
There's also a GoFundMe issue organized by her family. As of Tuesday, the group had raised about $47,000 to help Koboyashi return home.
In an email Tuesday, a GoFundMe spokesperson said that despite the significant change in the status of the lawsuit, the fundraiser “has been verified and remains within GoFundMe's Terms of Service at this time.” ” he said.
“If a donor wishes to file a claim for refund, we will honor it,” the representative said.
But the family said they were left with more questions than answers.
“I want to thank the Los Angeles Police Department for their hard work and the resources they have dedicated to this search,” Pidgeon told the Post. “I know they have worked tirelessly and their efforts have led us to this new piece of the puzzle.
“But let me be clear: this quest is not over yet,” she continued.
“Knowing that Hannah crossed the border doesn't give me the answers I need or ease the pain in my heart.”
with post wire
