In what appears to be an attempt to “disconnect,” a 30-year-old Maui, Hawaii, woman at the heart of a Los Angeles missing persons search voluntarily walked into Mexico, according to authorities on Monday.
At a press conference on Monday night, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell announced that the case against Hannah Kobayashi has been reclassified as one involving a “voluntary missing person” but will remain active until police are certain she is safe.
According to McDonnell, there is no proof that Kobayashi was the victim of foul play or human trafficking.
During the press conference, Lieutenant Douglas Oldfield, who works in the department’s Missing Persons Unit, stated that detectives looked through Kobayashi’s social media and concluded that she “wanted to disconnect.”
“By looking at her past social media, we then saw indications that there were some desires or posts that would be consistent in somebody who would have the desire to disconnect from their phone,” he explained.
Detectives can’t claim to be “100% right” about their conclusions, he said, but they are aware that she abandoned her phone at Los Angeles International Airport.
Following NBC Los Angeles’ revelation that family members were taken aback when McDonnell informed the Los Angeles Police Commission last week that Kobayashi purposefully missed a flight to New York City after arriving in Los Angeles on November 8, a press conference was convened.
Kobayahi picked up her luggage on November 11 after it was redirected from New York City back to Los Angeles, according to McDonnell, who made the announcement on Monday.
She lost contact with her family in Los Angeles after that missed trip, which caused them to become concerned and ultimately report her missing to the FBI and the Los Angeles International Airport Police Department, they have alleged.
According to family members interviewed last month, Kobayashi’s text messages claiming that someone was attempting to steal from her and security footage of her in L.A. with an unidentified man increased her level of anxiety.
According to police on Monday, the individual who was seen on security footage with Kobayashi in Los Angeles was located and complied with investigations, who came to the conclusion that there was no misconduct.
According to NBC Los Angeles, family members were also shocked that McDonnell had misreported Kobayashi’s age as 23 in his routine report to the police commission. According to the broadcaster, they alleged he also mistook the day she was reported missing.
On Monday, Aunt Larie Pidgeon chose not to comment.
In a chronology shared on the private “Help Us Find Hannah” Facebook page, sister Sydni Kobayashi stated that Kobayashi arrived at LAX from Honolulu at 9:53 p.m. on November 8 with plans to board a flight to New York City at 11 p.m.
Hannah Kobayashi wanted to be an artist and photographer, so her family stated she intended to visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and take in the art scene in Manhattan.
However, in an interview last month, aunt Larie Pidgeon stated that Kobayashi missed her connecting flight to New York because she didn’t have enough time to travel from her arrival gate to the departure gate.
According to relatives, Kobayashi spent her time sightseeing in Los Angeles while they thought she was waiting for a suitable trip to New York.
The following day and the day after that, she visited The Grove shopping center in the Beverly Grove neighborhood, which is approximately 12 miles north of Los Angeles International Airport, but she always returned to LAX, according to the Facebook timeline.
NBC News confirmed that a picture Kobayashi shared on her Instagram account was actually shot at or close to The Grove.
Along with that unnamed male, she was spotted talking to a ticket agent at the airport on November 11 before boarding a Metro train to South Los Angeles and then to downtown Los Angeles, according to police.
Family members claimed that she sent them texts that day that worried them due to their content and a voice that didn’t seem to be her own.
Kobayashi’s aunt Pidgeon posted on Facebook, “Hannah’s last message to us was alarming – she mentioned feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity.”
According to the Facebook timeline, she was spotted alone at a Greyhound bus stop in downtown Los Angeles the following morning, November 12.
According to Pidgeon, it was the final day that any family member knew where she was.
According to McDonnell, Kobayashi was reported missing on November 13; however, on November 15, the LAPD assumed responsibility for the case. The FBI was helping in the probe, according to a representative for the agency.
On Monday, police reported that they had examined U.S. Customs and Border Protection footage of Kobayashi entering Mexico at a land port in the San Ysidro district of San Diego on November 12 at 12:13 p.m.
The chief stated Kobayashi has every right to travel freely in this manner and has done nothing illegal, but he advised her to contact her family because they are concerned.
“She has a right to her privacy, and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her,” he stated. “A simple message could reassure those who care about her.”
Her father committed suicide at Los Angeles International Airport on November 24, according to police, after family members flocked to Los Angeles to look for Kobayashi.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, passed away due to severe blunt force trauma injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
“I m very sorry to the family for all that they ve been through,” added McDonnell.
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling 988 if you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis. For further resources, visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources, text HOME to 741741, or contact the network (formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) at 800-273-8255.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!