Missing Hawaii woman whose disappearance prompted a massive search is found safe
LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hannah KobayashiA missing Hawaii woman whose disappearance sparked a massive search and missing persons investigation in Los Angeles has been found safe, police said Wednesday.
Kobayashi disappeared in Los Angeles last month. Other details about her disappearance, as well as where and how she was found, were not immediately available Wednesday, but police previously said she had. voluntarily crossed the border into Mexico.
“We are pleased to hear 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 finalize it. our research.”
Kobayashi’s mother and sister announced in a statement through their lawyer on 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. “The past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take time to heal and process all we have been through. We would like to thank everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and care meant a lot to us.”
Kobayashi, an aspiring photographer from Maui, was heading to New York City for a new job and to visit family on November 8 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.
Her family reported her missing to police on Nov. 11 after relatives received “strange and cryptic, downright alarming” text messages, according to her aunt Larie Pidgeon.
“Once the family started pushing, it got 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 flown from Hawaii to assist in the search. He was found dead in a parking lot near LA International Airport on Nov. 24, according to the county medical examiner.
Police said 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 surveillance video from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Kobayashi disappeared voluntarily when she tried to “step away from modern connectivity,” LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said previously.