Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi has been found safe after an international search.
Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi has been found safe after an international search.
Warning: This article discusses suicide
A Hawaiian woman who went missing in Los Angeles while on her way to visit her aunt in New York has been found safe after an international search led to a tragic loss for her family.
Hannah Kobayashi went missing after boarding aflight to Los Angeles on November 8 before alarming messages were sent from her phone days later.
After weeks of radio silence, her father travelled to Los Angeles to look for his missing daughter before taking his own life following her disappearance.
Then investigators revealed security footage from the Mexican border near Tijuana that showed the 30-year-old woman at the border on November 12, just days after she failed to board her flight from Los Angeles to New York.
In a press conference, police said she had crossed into Mexico alone on November 12 and did not suspect any foul play in her disappearance and movements.
Hannah Kobayashi was last confirmed to have been at LAX Airport on Monday, November 11.
Now Kobayashi’s family have revealed she is safe, sharing details in an emotional media statement, the Daily Mail reports.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” the statement said.
“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.”
After the Mexican border footage was made public, Los Angeles police said they believed she intentionally missed her flight to New York and made an “intentional decision to disconnect”, despite her family’s emphatic denials that she would ever do that.
Police understand she took a train from Los Angeles to San Diego before crossing into Tijuana, Mexico, which is about 220km from Los Angeles.
“She’s an adult and she can choose to be missing,” one senior law enforcement official said at the time.
Law enforcement said Hannah had been initially travelling with an unknown male who they have since identified and cleared of any wrongdoing.
While her family remained upset and concerned over her disappearance, law enforcement suspended its investigation after the CCTV was found.
One of the last messages from Hannah Kobayashi's phone claimed she had a spiritual awakening and was soon heading to New York.
Alarming texts sent from Hannah Kobayashi’s phone
Following her disappearance, her family were concerned after she sent friends a range of bizarre text messages that didn’t sound normal.
After they reached out to Hannah asking whether she got to New York safely, her friends began receiving bizarre text messages from her phone.
Messages to friends from her phone said she “got hacked”, and explained she couldn’t get to New York because she was “stripped of my identity” and couldn’t fly.
When asked by her friend how she got from Maui to Los Angeles, a response from Hannah’s phone replied “some weird s*** babe”.
Messages from the missing woman’s phone continued, with one claiming she “can’t go to the po [police]” and that she was tricked into giving away her funds “for someone I thought I loved”.
Messages from her phone then said she has “been on the streets”.
Her phone has been turned off since November 11, with her last pinned location showing she was at Los Angeles Airport.
Family indicated the messages sent from her phone were not consistent with how the 30-year-old typically acts or responds.
One of her last messages to family and friends said she experienced a “very intense spiritual awakening”, and intends on reaching New York but will “need some help getting there”.
She then apologised for her “craziness” and claimed she was “definitely intercepted”.
Officials in LA confirmed that Ryan Kobayashi, who was 58, has since been found dead in a car park near the airport.
Father found dead while searching for missing daughter
The Kobayashi family were dealt a second devastating blow just days after Hannah’s disappearance when her father is understood to have taken his own life while searching for his daughter.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found unresponsive in a carpark near Los Angeles Airport days after he arrived in the city.
His family told media they believe he took his own life amid a mental health emergency.
“He died of a broken heart,” says Larie Pidgeon, his former sister-in-law and Hannah’s aunt.
“We’ve been searching tirelessly,” Pidgeon told People.
