For the first time since her family reported her missing last month, Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old Maui woman who was the focus of a thorough search, is speaking up.
In a letter sent via her aunt Larie Pidgeon on Monday, Kobayashi stated that she had just arrived back in the United States from Mexico on Sunday and was only now becoming aware of the extensive attention she has gotten.
“I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing it all,” she stated in her statement.
According to family relatives, the Hawaiian woman missed a trip to New York City after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on November 8.
A few days later, her family reported that she stopped talking to them, which worried them. The Los Angeles officials Department took up the case on November 15, according to officials, after they reported her missing on November 13.
Security footage of an unidentified man with Kobayashi in Los Angeles particularly alarmed family members, but police claimed they looked into the matter and discovered nothing improper.
According to Pidgeon, Kobayashi had intended to visit New York to visit galleries and museums as part of her ambition to become an artist.
Earlier this month, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell stated that it seems Kobayashi chose to stay in L.A. and stopped communicating on her own. He claimed that after missing her flight to New York City, her bags were redirected back to Los Angeles International Airport.
The chief added that detectives looked into U.S. Customs and Border Protection footage of Kobayashi entering Mexico at 12:13 p.m. on November 12 at the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing in San Diego.
He advised the woman to contact worried relatives, some of whom rushed to Los Angeles from Hawaii and other states to coordinate their search, even though he indicated she was free to travel.
According to officials, her father committed suicide on November 24 near Los Angeles International Airport after family members had gathered in the city.
Kobayashi was discovered safe, according to her family last week. Her mother and sister expressed gratitude that she had been found, but they did not specify when or where she was found.
Without going into specifics, Kobayahsi said in her statement on Monday that she arrived back in the United States around dawn on Sunday.
“My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity,” she stated.
“I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.”
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.
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