Police on Monday announced a surprise discovery surrounding the disappearance of missing Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi, who vanished last month after landing at LAX airport.
Investigators have been searching for Hannah Kobayashi since Nov. 11. She failed to board a flight to New York from LAX days prior, on Nov. 8. Her family and friends have also been actively involved in the search while dealing with the tragic suicide of Kobayashi’s father, Ryan, near LAX on Nov. 24, after he traveled from Hawaii to Los Angeles to take part in the search.
Though friends have described texts received from Kobayashi since she went missing as out of character, Los Angeles police on Monday confirmed a sighting of the 30-year-old crossing the U.S. border into Mexico on foot. LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell said video footage of Kobayashi from U.S. Border and Customs Protections “clearly” showed her making the move on Sunday.
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The family has been made aware, McDonnell added. “She was alone with her luggage and appeared unharmed.”
The evidence means the case is now categorized as a “voluntary missing person.”
Video evidence clearly shows Kobayashi at LAX unharmed after the flight from Maui, McDonnell said, but did not provide any indication why she strayed from her path.
Instead, he laid out a timeline of evidence showing Kobayashi floating in Los Angeles for three days from Nov. 8-11. She retrieved her luggage from an LAX baggage carousel on Nov. 11.
“To date, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked, or is the victim of any foul play,” McDonnell said, adding that she is also not a suspect in any criminal activity.
Before departing Maui, she expressed a desire for stepping away from modern technology and interconnectivity, according to investigators.
Police have urged Kobayashi to contact law enforcement, her family, or the U.S. Embassy “to let us know she is safe.”
