Donors to a GoFundMe project set up to find ‘missing’ Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi are demanding restitution after it emerged she had ‘voluntarily’ traveled to Mexico.
Kobayashi’s family created the fundraiser, which has raised more than $47,000, to support the search for the aspiring photographer, who disappeared from LAX airport after missing a connecting flight on November 8.
The 30-year-old traveled from her home in Maui to New York to visit her aunt, but never arrived in the city.
However, investigators have now revealed that Kobayashi “knowingly left the airport” before using her passport and cash to buy a ticket to the border.
Surveillance footage shows Kobayashi entering Tijuana on foot between Nov. 12 and 13, police said.
They have classified her as a “voluntary missing person” and said they will not continue their search in Mexico.
The update comes days after Kobayashi’s troubled father tragically committed suicide while searching for his daughter.
The fundraiser has since been updated to cover the costs of Ryan Kobayashi’s funeral, but the family has been criticized for continuing to ask for donations.
Donors to a GoFundMe project set up to find ‘missing’ Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi are demanding refunds after it emerged she had ‘voluntarily’ traveled to Mexico
“Y’all, I can’t believe Hannah Kobayashi crossed the border into Mexico a week and a half ago and family officials didn’t tell anyone,” someone wrote on X.
“They just kept the GoFundMe running and had volunteers spend thousands of hours looking for her.”
“Give the money back to the people who donated to this fundraiser,” another added. ‘The police have already declared her voluntarily missing. The organizers have withheld information from donors.”
‘Agreed, the resources now have to go elsewhere. I wonder if the GoFundMe is still active…” one person wrote.
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 will 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.
Kobayashi, 30, was caught on security camera footage getting off a plane at LAX just before 10 p.m. on November 8, but police say she is ‘voluntarily missing’
It comes weeks after Kobayashi left LAX and was spotted at various locations in downtown Los Angeles over the next few days.
On November 11, she went to Union Station and used her passport to buy a bus ticket to the border.
The next morning, she took a bus to San Ysidro, California, before crossing the border into Tijuana.
The LAPD said there is no evidence of human trafficking or foul play and noted that Kobayashi appeared to want a less complicated life.
“Investigators noted that before leaving Maui, Kobayashi expressed a desire to distance himself from modern connectivity,” police said in a statement.
They are now classifying her disappearance as ‘voluntary’ in an effort to respect ‘her right to privacy’.
“The LAPD remains mindful of privacy concerns while ensuring that all investigative actions are conducted within the bounds of legal and ethical standards,” the statement added.
Police say they will not continue their investigation into Kobayashi to Mexico, but that they will be notified if she returns to America and encourage her to contact police or the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to “concern her well-being to confirm’.
Kobayashi’s father Ryan Kobayashi tragically took his own life while searching for his daughter
Surveillance footage shows Kobayashi entering Tijuana on foot between Nov. 12 and 13, police said
Her family has not yet commented on the information indicating that Kobayashi fled south to the Mexican border.
They feared the worst after receiving cryptic messages from her that they claimed sounded like they had been written by someone else.
The Kobayashi family has repeatedly said that she didn’t seem to be acting like her normal self, with her sister Sydni even suggesting that Hannah’s text messages “felt like someone was controlling her.”
A friend revealed that Kobayashi texted her to say she was undergoing a “spiritual awakening” before cutting off communication.
But at a Nov. 26 Board of Police Commissioners meeting, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that “the investigation determined that Hannah’s missed connection was intentional.”
Kobayashi’s sister revealed that she was forced to close the Facebook page she set up to help locate Kobayashi after receiving death threats.
“Please keep posting every day as much as we want to believe that the police are doing their job to the best of their ability. Now more than ever we need the public to help bring Hannah home,” Syndi wrote.
Her family says she acted suspiciously before and after her disappearance, but has not responded to claims she fled to Mexico
Ryan searched for his missing daughter for almost two weeks before committing suicide
‘Pretend this is your own loved one. I am doing my best to stay as strong as possible for my son, my father who now rests in peace, and our entire family.
“We sincerely appreciate all the love, light and support during these devastating times.”
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