Hannah Kobayashi, missing Hawaii woman whose disappearance prompted a massive search, is found safe

[December 12, 2024]  By STEFANIE DAZIO

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hannah Kobayashi, the missing Hawaii woman whose disappearance prompted a massive search and a missing persons investigation in Los Angeles, has been found safe, police said Wednesday.

Kobayashi vanished last month in Los Angeles. She missed her connecting flight and planned to explore the city the next day, but subsequent text messages to her family — and an inability to then reach her — alarmed them so much that they later reported her missing.

Other details about her disappearance, as well as where and how she was found, were not immediately available Wednesday, but police previously said she was “voluntarily missing” and had gone on her own will across the border into Mexico.

“We are happy to learn that Hannah has been found safe," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. “Now that we have this new information, this has become a private matter and we will wrap up our investigation.”

Kobayashi's mother and sister, in a statement through their lawyer, were the first to announce Wednesday that she had been found safe.

“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” Brandi Yee and Sydni Kobayashi wrote. “This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us.”

Kobayashi, a budding photographer from Maui, was heading to New York City on Nov. 8 for a new job and to visit relatives when she missed a connecting flight during a stop at Los Angeles International Airport. She told her family she was sleeping at the airport that night and texted them the next day to say she was sightseeing in Los Angeles.

Ryan Kobayashi, center, holds a picture of his missing daughter Hannah Kobayashi outside Crypto.com Arena, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Her family reported her missing to law enforcement on Nov. 11 after relatives received “strange and cryptic, just alarming” text messages, according to her aunt Larie Pidgeon.

“Once the family started pressing, she went dark,” Pidgeon told The Associated Press late last month. After the texts on Nov. 11, her phone “just went dead,” Pidgeon said.

Family members, friends and local volunteers searched for Hannah in Los Angeles. Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was among those who flew in from Hawaii to help in the search. He was found dead Nov. 24 in a parking lot near LA International Airport, according to the county medical examiner. Kobayashi’s family confirmed Ryan Kobayashi's death in a statement the same day, saying they “endured a devastating tragedy” and that he died by suicide.

Police said Hannah Kobayashi walked into Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing about 125 miles (201 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles on Nov. 12, the day after her family reported her missing. Authorities made the announcement after reviewing security video from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Kobayashi disappeared voluntarily as she sought to “step away from modern connectivity,” Jim McDonnell, the LA police chief, previously said.

All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved