Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The family of a 30-year-old woman who went missing during her journey from Hawaii to New York is grappling with intense emotions of ‘exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal’ after discovering her location.
Hannah Kobayashi seemingly vanished in early November after she took a flight from Maui to Los Angeles with plans to continue to New York City to visit her aunt.
When Hannah did not board the connecting flight, her family sought public assistance; they organized a rally in Los Angeles to share the timeline of her disappearance and distributed flyers throughout the city.
Tragically, during the ongoing search for Hannah, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, died by suicide.
Authorities investigating the situation later found that Hannah had purposefully missed her New York flight. Her family was surprised when, a few weeks later, she was reported to be ‘safe and well’ in Mexico.
Hannah’s sister, Sydni, issued a statement on Facebook expressing that she and her mother have yet to see Hannah in person since she went missing; Hannah is currently with her aunt, Larie Pidgeon.
“It has been one month since our family was thrust into the spotlight, and the pain inflicted upon us was laid bare for the entire world to see,” Sydni began the post.
Sydni further explained that her immediate family was ‘unaware of Hannah’s whereabouts’ from the outset and requested that Larie, whom she calls a ‘self-proclaimed social media influencer’, reduce her public postings and interviews as the search continued. She added that she no longer regards Larie as part of the family.
Describing the period since Hannah’s disappearance as ‘absolute hell’, Sydni wrote: “Each day brought the unbearable uncertainty of whether my sister was alive or dead. Losing my father to suicide during this ordeal was more than my soul and heart could bear. I am human. Despite the differences any family has — and we all do — my son, family, and I loved him immensely.”
Sydni assured their followers that her family has ‘not once lied’ and has maintained documentation of a GoFundMe page to verify that contributions were used for the search for Hannah and funeral costs for her father. The family has since ceased collecting donations.
“At this time, my mother and I have not physically seen Hannah. We do not have actual proof of where she is, other than that she is somewhere in Mexico,” Sydni continued. “We have only spoken to her over the phone, and she was allegedly found safe with Larie, but at this time, she does not wish to return to us.
“As you can imagine, we are all extremely relieved and glad that my sister is alive and seemingly okay, but we also have mixed and overwhelming feelings of exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal. We are kindly asking the public to respect our privacy and offer us grace for a moment as we are still grieving. There is still so much unknown, and so much that still needs to be navigated.”
After authorities concluded that Hannah had deliberately missed her flight, her status was officially changed to that of a voluntary missing person.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.