Police say a Hawaii woman disappeared voluntarily and traveled to Mexico
LOS ANGELES — A Hawaii woman who disappeared three weeks ago after landing in Los Angeles voluntarily disappeared when she wanted to “get away from modern connectivity” and was last seen driving into Mexico with her luggage, police said at a news conference where she urged her to contact her. desperate family.
Hannah Kobayashi, 30, appeared unharmed when she walked alone into a tunnel near the San Ysidro intersection, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) southwest of Los Angeles, around noon on Nov. 12, the day after her family reported her missing, police said. LA Monday . Authorities made the discovery after reviewing surveillance video from U.S. Customs and Border Protection late Sunday.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said there is no evidence that Kobayashi was trafficked or otherwise the victim of a crime. Her disappearance is now classified as a ‘voluntary missing person’.
“We basically did everything we could do at the moment. She has left the country and is now in another country,” he said, adding that if she returns to the US, police will be notified.
McDonnell said she has a right to her privacy but urged her to contact her family or police.
“A simple message could reassure those who care about her,” McDonnell said. He explained that the missing person’s case will remain active until her safety is confirmed by police.
Kobayashi went missing after the aspiring Maui photographer missed a connecting flight to New York on Nov. 8 to travel for a new job and visit family. She told her family that she would sleep at Los Angeles International Airport that night.
According to her aunt Larie Pidgeon, relatives assumed she was on standby for a new flight. The next day, Kobayashi texted them to say she was sightseeing in Los Angeles and planned to visit The Grove mall and downtown LA, Pidgeon said.
On Nov. 11, the family received “strange and cryptic, downright alarming” text messages from her phone saying she had been “intercepted” while boarding a subway car and was afraid someone would steal her identity, her aunt said.
Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, who joined the search party with volunteers, was found dead by apparent suicide on Sunday, Nov. 24, in a parking lot near LA International Airport, police and her family said.
McDonnell said at a police commission meeting last Tuesday that detectives determined Hannah Kobayashi had deliberately missed her connecting flight. Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni Kobayashi, disputed his statement in a social media post.
Police said Monday that after Hannah Kobayashi was seen at several locations in LA, she requested that her luggage, which had been checked into New York, be returned to LAX. She then returned to the airport to pick it up on November 11 and did not have her phone with her when she left, according to police.
Investigators found that she had “expressed a desire to move away from modern connectivity.”
Police also identified and questioned a man with whom Kobayashi was seen on the subway. He was “cooperative” and said he met her at LAX, police said.
Sydni Kobayashi did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. Members of the public who were part of the Facebook group ‘Help Us Find Hannah’, which attracted the interest of more than 25,000 participants, shared a post from the group on Monday saying the family would be closing the group after “threats against them to live’. and the lives of their little children.”
The post also stated that Sydni Kobayashi and her mother would not respond to messages.
During the press conference, McDonnell reflected on everything the family had endured in recent weeks.
“My question would be for anyone considering this: think about the people you leave behind, your loved ones who will be worried about you,” he said.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach the US National Suicide and Crisis Hotline by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat on it 988lifeline.org.
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Golden reported from Seattle.