Hannah Kobayashi’s family react to Mexico sighting bombshell as mystery around ‘disappearance’ deepens

The family of once-missing Maui woman Hannah Kobayashi has spoken out after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, urging the public to “avoid speculative conclusions.”

Kobayashi, 30, was reported missing after flying from her home state to Los Angeles on November 8 for a connecting flight to New York City, which she never boarded.

Security footage later showed her leaving the airport carrying only a backpack. She was then spotted several times in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in the days that followed — before she stopped responding to messages on November 11.

It has since been revealed that the aspiring photographer went to Union Station that day and used her passport to buy a ticket to the border.

Kobayashi was then seen in footage from the Tijuana border showing her alive on Nov. 12 and 13 — about 11 days before her father committed suicide, the LAPD announced Monday.

“We are deeply grateful for the urgency and dedication shown by police in investigating Hannah’s disappearance,” the Kobayashi family said in a statement. shared online by NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin.

“Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe and urges everyone to continue the search,” they continued, saying the search for her is far from over, and we are determined to do everything possible to get her home safely.

“We want answers and a solution that will ensure Hannah’s safety and urge law enforcement and the public to remain focused on finding her and avoid speculative conclusions.

“Spreading awareness and sharing verified information about her case is critical, and we appreciate your continued support in these efforts,” the family said.

They have repeatedly expressed concerns that Hannah may be in danger,

with her sister, Sydni, saying that even if she had decided to go off-grid, she would have reached out after her father committed suicide during the searches.

“With my father’s passing, because it was everywhere and in her right state of mind, she never thought about reaching out to anyone,” she says. told Hawaii News Now.

Sydni also shared similar sentiments with NewsNation.

“Knowing her intuitively and being so close to her all my life, I just know that this is absolutely not suitable for her,” said the concerned sister.

She went on to say that she is convinced Hannah would not have run away and was “an amazing and beautiful person.”

The family has also claimed that they received a series of strange text messages from Kobayashi that seemed to suggest that she was in trouble and that someone had stolen her money.

In the messages, she claimed she had recently undergone a “spiritual awakening” after meeting family in New York.

In another, she claimed: ‘Deep Hackers erased my identity, stole all my money and have had me on their minds since Friday.’

A third text message to a friend said she had “pretty much been tricked into giving away all my money to someone I thought I loved.”

Kobayashi had also sent some unusual Venmo payments after her disappearance.

One payment was sent to an individual named Veronica Almendarez for an undisclosed amount on November 9 at 6:25 PM, with the description of the payment only containing a drawn bow and arrow emoji.

The second was transferred less than an hour later to someone named Jonathan Taylor, also for an undisclosed amount, with the description only: “Reading.”

Family members said they did not recognize either name and noted that Kobayashi’s phone has been turned off since Nov. 11, with the last pinned location being Los Angeles International Airport.

But the LAPD has since determined that Kobayashi “intentionally” missed her connection to the Big Apple on November 8 and is now classifying her disappearance as “voluntary.”

Police noted that there is no evidence of human trafficking or foul play, and claimed that she appeared to have wanted a less complicated life.

“Investigators noted that before leaving Maui, Kobayashi expressed a desire to distance himself from modern connectivity,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

Authorities added that they will not continue their investigation into Kobayashi, but that they will be notified if she returns to America and they encourage her to contact police or the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to “recover her to confirm well-being’.

Before the news, Kobayashi’s family closed the Facebook page dedicated to her search efforts, claiming they were receiving death threats.

The Help Us Find Hannah page was removed from the social media site on Sunday, and Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni, and her mother, Brandi Yee, said they reported the threats to the FBI.

There are now also questions about the GoFundMe the family has set up as Kobayashi is determined not to become a victim of foul play.

Many donors to the fundraiser, which raised more than $47,000, are demanding refunds.

The fundraiser was set up on November 15 with a goal of $50,000. As of Tuesday, it was 94 percent of the way there.

According to the GoFundMe, the money would be used for food and hydration for search teams, transportation, communications equipment and technology, a media campaign, “temporary housing for essential personnel,” and on-site support for the family.

On November 26, the family updated the fundraiser to add funeral expenses for Kobayashi’s father to the scope.

A GoFundMe spokesperson confirmed that the fundraiser remains within its terms of service at this time.