A woman who had been missing during her vacation has finally made contact with her family after disappearing for a month.
Hannah Kobayashi was traveling from her home in Maui, Hawaii to catch a connecting flight to New York via Los Angeles last month. However, she never boarded the flight to New York.
Here is what we know so far, including what she has communicated to her family this week.
Kobayashi’s family reported her missing after receiving texts suggesting someone was trying to steal her identity, which raised their concerns.
A large search effort was launched for the aspiring photographer, with Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, traveling from Maui to Los Angeles to assist. There were numerous reported sightings of her.
Police previously provided details on Kobayashi’s disappearance, which caused some controversy with the family.
During their investigation, police dismissed any rumors that Kobayashi was involved in criminal activity.
Tragically, Kobayashi’s father Ryan was found dead at 4:00 am in a parking area near the airport in what is believed to be a suicide.
Just a few days before his death, the 58-year-old was distributing missing person flyers.
A family statement at the time read: “The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today. After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”
“What the family needs most in this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion, and prayers. Please be considerate with your comments and posts. The trauma they are enduring is profound, and they now face the additional burden of grieving the loss of their family’s pillar and navigating next steps.”
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell announced during a Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners meeting that officials believed Kobayashi missed her flight intentionally and went missing voluntarily.
The family challenged the assertions made by authorities.
A few days later, the case was officially reclassified, with Hannah now considered a voluntary missing person after being seen crossing into Mexico.
An update was eventually given as Kobayashi was found ‘safe and well’ in Mexico.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful Hannah has been found safe,” a family statement shared with the Mail Online said.
Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni, mentioned she had been speaking with her sister over the phone, where Hannah shared her future plans.
In a social media statement, Sydni wrote: “When my father suddenly passed away, I added his funeral expenses and arrangements to the campaign as next of kin.”
“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. 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.”
The statement continued: “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.”
“In due time, the truth will surface, and we will all get the answers we truly deserve. I stand by the choices I’ve made for my family, and we know where our hearts lie in this. I would never wish this type of experience upon anyone, especially not back-to-back.”
Sydni concluded the message by expressing gratitude to those who supported the family through the GoFundMe and general well wishes.