Twist in hunt for missing Hannah Kobayashi as cops try to track man and woman she paid via Venmo app hours after missing her LAX flight amid fears she has been trafficked out of California

Police are hunting for a man and woman to whom missing Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi sent money via Venmo after missing her flight to New York from LAX in a major twist in her disappearance.

Hannah, a 31-year-old aspiring photographer, disappeared from the streets of downtown Los Angeles on November 8 after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui, Hawaii on November 8 en route to New York City. father Ryan committed suicide on Sunday, fears that she has now been taken from California.

It remains unclear why she left LA’s LAX airport and ventured into the city 15 miles away, but she sent a text to a friend saying she had had a “spiritual awakening” and was later seen on November 11 at the company of a mysterious man. .

Her family revealed that she made two payments with Venmo on November 9, the day after she was due to arrive in New York.

One was to a person named Veronica Almendarez for an undisclosed amount at 6:25 p.m., with the description of the payment showing only a drawn emoji with a bow and arrow.

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

According to her sister Sydni Kobayashi, Hannah sent these payments to people whose names were not recognized by the family.

Their relationship with Hannah is currently unknown, but the missing woman’s family has come forward the sun that the LAPD is investigating the case.

Her father Ryan (pictured) tragically took his own life on Sunday after flying to LA to look for her

Hannah sent two people money on Venmo after missing her flight to New York

Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told the Sun: ‘We have been notified, as have the LAPD. It’s in their hands.

“We’re still focused on Downtown LA. Even if there are 15 of them [days] we still have hope.”

Pidgeon admitted that she and the family are concerned that she has been taken from California.

“We are now also encouraging people from across the country to keep an eye out in case she is taken outside of California.

‘We are looking at all options, hotels, metros, bus stations, train stations.’

The circumstances surrounding Hannah’s disappearance are murky, made even darker by the suicide of her father Ryan, who committed suicide and was found dead in a parking lot near LAX on Sunday after flying in to look for his daughter.

She sent a series of terrifying text messages to her loved ones, claiming she had recently undergone a “spiritual awakening” after meeting family in New York.

Kobayashi had flown from Hawaii to LAX on the same flight as her ex-boyfriend, who had booked tickets for both of them before they broke up.

One of Hannah’s friends received strange text messages from Kobayashi’s phone, saying she might be in trouble

Her family received strange text messages from her phone number, leading them to believe they were not sent by Hanna

He traveled on to New York and is ‘cooperating with the police’ after a mysterious final text message was sent from Hannah’s phone, telling her she was having a ‘spiritual awakening’.

The young traveler was captured on a security camera as he stepped off the plane just before 10pm on November 8.

The aspiring photographer wore a black hoodie and colorful sweatpants as she walked through LAX wearing headphones.

She was supposed to catch a connecting flight at 11 p.m., but that didn’t work out.

Kobayashi was spotted at The Grove shopping center the next day, November 9, between noon and 3 p.m.

She spent a significant amount of time at Taschen Books, stopping to charge her phone.

At 2:43 a.m., she took a photo and sent it to her aunt before returning to the airport where she was believed to have spent the night.

In a separate YouTube video outside an event in Los Angeles on November 10, Hannah can be seen wearing the same attire. She was spotted at a Nike event with LeBron James in LA around 3:30 p.m., where she wore the same dark hoodie and headphones as at the airport.

Her last post was shared on November 11. It is believed she was attending an event in Los Angeles at the time

Hannah Kobayashi (pictured) went missing after missing her connecting flight from LAX to New York on November 8

Kobayashi also shared a post on her Instagram from the event with an eye emoji as the caption.

She was then spotted talking to a ticket agent at LAX around 5 p.m. That same day, a missing persons report was filed by her family amid what they described as unusual correspondence from Kobayashi.

One of her text messages read: “Deep Hackers erased my identity, stole all my money and have been messing me up since Friday.”

Kobayashi’s mother, Brandi Yee, also texted her asking if she had made it to New York.

She simply replied, “Not yet.” Another early morning text mentioned that she was in the midst of a “spiritual awakening.”

On a missing persons poster sent out immediately afterwards, police wrote: ‘Before they went missing, [Kobayashi] sent a message on November 10 saying she was scared and that someone might try to steal her money and identity. She hasn’t been heard from since.’

The next day, November 11, Kobayashi was seen boarding a LAX Metro C line at Aviation/Century Station.

She boarded at 9:02 p.m., before transferring to another train at Rosa Parks Station.

The sister of missing Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi has shared details of every last known sighting as her family continues their painful search

Kobayashi was finally seen leaving the Pico subway station with the unknown person at 10:03 p.m

While mom Brandi Yee and sister Sydni Kobayashi believe Hannah left the airport and attended an event based on a series of text messages suggesting she “awakened spiritually and returned to the airport,” a friend believes otherwise.

The anonymous, concerned companion said she was receiving strange text messages from Kobayashi’s phone, indicating she might be in trouble.

‘I was so deceived that I gave away all my money. For someone I thought I loved,” the messages read.

The family also noted that the young artist’s phone has been turned off since November 11 and that her last pinned location was the Los Angeles airport.

“She heard it from Hannah. She was at LAX and said she was scared,” Yee said.

Sydni further added, “She texted her saying she was scared and she couldn’t come home or something. They were just really weird text messages.”

This is the last known image of her leaving LAX after missing her connecting flight to New York to visit family

Both Hannah’s mother and sister also believe the messages “didn’t sound like her” and question whether it was Hannah who sent them.

Yee commented, “Yes, we share location,” to which Sydni added, “And we know her phone is turned off because it goes straight to voicemail.

“We tried calling and calling and calling, texting. None of the texts are delivered. We can’t find her phone.’

The family filed a missing person report with the Los Angeles Police Department, but have since expressed their frustrations with the investigation.