WPBN: The 30-year-old Hawaiian woman at the heart of a Los Angeles missing person hunt voluntarily entered Mexico, ostensibly to “disconnect,” according to authorities on Monday.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced at a press conference Monday night that the investigation against Hannah Kobayashi of Maui has been reclassified as one involving a “voluntary missing person,” but it will remain open until they are certain she is safe.
McDonnell went on to say that there is no proof Kobayashi was the victim of foul play or human trafficking.
During the press conference, Lt. Douglas Oldfield, who works in the police department’s Missing Persons Unit, stated that detectives looked through Kobayashi’s social media profiles and concluded that she “wanted to disconnect.”
“By looking at her past social media, we then saw indications that there were some desires or posts that would be consistent in somebody who would have the desire to disconnect from their phone,” he stated.
Detectives can’t claim to be “100% right” about their conclusions, he said, but they are aware that she abandoned her phone at Los Angeles International Airport.
Family members were taken aback when McDonnell informed the Los Angeles Police Commission last week that Kobayashi purposefully missed a flight to New York City after arriving in Los Angeles on November 8, a press conference was convened.
Kobayashi picked up her suitcase on November 11 after it was redirected from New York City back to Los Angeles, according to McDonnell, who made the announcement on Monday.
She lost contact with family members in Los Angeles after that missed trip, which caused them to become concerned and ultimately report her missing to the FBI and the Los Angeles International Airport Police Department, they have alleged.
According to family members interviewed last month, Kobayashi’s text messages claiming someone was attempting to steal from her and security footage of her in Los Angeles with an unidentified man increased her level of anxiety.
The man captured on security footage with Kobayashi in Los Angeles was located, according to police on Monday, and complied with investigators, who came to the conclusion that there was no misconduct.
Family members were also shocked to learn that Kobayashi’s age was incorrectly reported by McDonnell as 23 in his regular report to the police commission. They said that he mistook the date on which she was reported missing.
“We are deeply grateful for the urgency and dedication law enforcement has shown in investigating Hannah’s disappearance. Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe and urges everyone to continue the search. The search is far from over, and we are committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely,” the family stated.
“We want answers and a resolution that ensures Hannah’s safety and urge law enforcement and the public to stay focused on finding her and to avoid speculative conclusions. Spreading awareness and sharing verified information about her case is crucial, and we deeply appreciate your continued support in these efforts.”
In a chronology shared on the private “Help Us Find Hannah” Facebook page, sister Sydni Kobayashi stated that Kobayashi arrived at LAX from Honolulu at 9:53 p.m. on November 8 with plans to board a flight to New York City at 11 p.m.
According to her family, Hannah Kobayashi wanted to become an artist and a photographer, so she intended to visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and take in the city’s art scene.
However, Kobayashi’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, stated in an interview last month that Kobayashi missed her connecting flight to New York because she didn’t have enough time to travel from her arrival gate to the departure gate.
The following day and the day after that, she visited The Grove shopping center in the Beverly Grove neighborhood, which is approximately 12 miles north of Los Angeles International Airport, but she always returned to LAX, according to the Facebook timeline.
Along with the unnamed male, she was spotted talking to a ticket agent at the airport on November 11 before boarding a Metro train to South Los Angeles and then to downtown Los Angeles, according to police.
Family members claimed that she sent them texts that day that worried them due to their content and a voice that didn’t seem to be her own.
Wrestler Samantha Fiddler Missing in Florida: Community Rallies for Help
“Hannah’s last message to us was alarming — she mentioned feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity,” Pidgeon stated on Facebook.
According to the Facebook timeline, she was spotted alone at a Greyhound bus stop in downtown Los Angeles the following morning, November 12.
According to Pidgeon, it was the final day that any family member knew where she was.
According to McDonnell, Kobayashi was reported missing on November 13; however, on November 15, the LAPD assumed responsibility for the case. The FBI was helping with the inquiry, according to an FBI spokesperson.
On Monday, police reported that they had examined U.S. Customs and Border Protection footage of Kobayashi entering Mexico at a land port in the San Ysidro district of San Diego around 12:13 p.m. on November 12.
Missing Colorado Woman, Jayna Lang, Found Dead After Disappearing on Shopping Trip
According to McDonnell, the police chief, Kobayashi has done nothing illegal and is perfectly entitled to travel in that direction; yet, he advised her to contact her family members since they are concerned.
“She has a right to her privacy, and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her,” he stated. “A simple message could reassure those who care about her.”
According to police, Kobayashi’s father committed himself close to Los Angeles International Airport on November 24 after family members flocked to the city to look for her.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, passed away from multiple blunt force trauma injuries, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
