Hannah Kobayashi, who has been missing for over a month, has been found safe, according to a statement from her family.
30-year-old Kobayashi was last seen in Los Angeles, California on November 8, 2024. She disappeared after missing a connecting flight in Los Angeles International Airport to New York City.
On December 2, 2024, authorities classified Kobayashi a voluntary missing person after surveillance footage from US Customs and Border Protection showed that she crossed the United States border on foot into Mexico.
In the statement released by her family, her mother and sister did not say when or where Kobayashi was found. They thanked supporters and said they were grateful she had been located. They are asking for privacy at this time.
The Disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
Hannah Kobayashi was born on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2024, she was a resident of Haiku on the island of Maui, Hawaii. She is an aspiring DJ and photographer.
In November 2024, Hannah had planned a trip to New York City with her boyfriend. The pair later separated, but they decided to keep their tickets and change seats to travel separately.
Hannah had plans to visit her aunt in upstate New York, as well as visit the Museum of Modern Art. She also offered to take photos of a DJ’s mid-November show in Brooklyn in exchange for a pass to the event.
Disappearance
On November 8, 2024, Hannah Kobayashi landed at Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from Maui, Hawaii, where she was supposed to take a connecting flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
Hannah never boarded the connecting flight to New York that day. Over the next few days, she was spotted at several locations throughout the Los Angeles area. She kept in contact with her family and was active on Instagram.
On November 9, 2024, Hannah was spotted at a Taschen bookstore at The Grove, a shopping mall in Los Angeles, California. She sent a Venmo payment to two unidentified individuals that day.
On November 10, 2024, Hannah was seen in a Youtube video at the LeBron XXII Trial Experience, an event held at a Nike store at the same shopping mall.
On November 11, 2024, Hannah posted a photo of the event on her Instagram account. She last sent a text message to her mother saying she did not make it to New York. She also sent multiple text messages to a friend, saying that “Deep Hackers” were trying to steal her identity and funds.
Hannah was last seen with an individual on surveillance camera at a Metro station near the Crypto.com Arena and Los Angeles Convention Center area in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Hannah hasn’t been heard from since. On November 13, 2024, her family filed a missing person’s report with authorities after they couldn’t get in contact with her.
Investigation
On November 24, 2024, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, who had traveled from Hawaii to Los Angeles to help look for his daughter, was found dead on West Century Boulevard near the Los Angeles International Airport.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office determined the manner of death to be suicide. Ryan Kobayashi “died of a broken heart” after a tireless thirteen-days search throughout Los Angeles, according to his family.
On December 2, 2024, authorities classified Hannah Kobayashi a voluntary missing person after surveillance footage from US Customs and Border Protection showed that she crossed the United States border on foot into Mexico.
Authorities say Hannah intentionally missed her connecting flight to New York. She had her luggage rerouted back from New York to Los Angeles.
On November 11, 2024, Hannah retrieved her luggage at a baggage carousel in LAX before traveling to Los Angeles Union Station where she bought a bus ticket to San Ysidro, a district of San Diego north of the Mexico–US border.
On November 12, 2024, Hannah was captured on surveillance camera crossing the US border on foot into Mexico at 12:13 pm. She was alone with her luggage and appeared to be unharmed.
According to her family, Hannah never mentioned any plans to travel to Mexico. Authorities believe she disappeared voluntarily as she sought to “step away from modern connectivity.”
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