Hannah Kobayashi found after Mexico border crossing in month-long disappearance, family says
Hannah Kobayashi, 30, was reported missing on Nov. 11 and crossed into Mexico on Nov. 12; her family announced that she was "found safe" on Dec. 11.
Missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi has been "found safe" about a month after surveillance footage captured her crossing into Mexico with a suitcase in a disappearance that made nationwide headlines.
Kobayashi's mother Brandi Yee and her sister Sydni Kobayashi said they were "incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe" in a statement issued through their attorney, Sara Azari, on X on Wednesday.
"This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through," the family said.
"We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time," the statement continued. "Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us."
In a statement to People, Azari did not comment on the circumstances of when, where or how Kobayashi's family contacted her, and said there would be no further statements at this time. Azari could not immediately be reached for comment.
Earlier this month, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said surveillance footage and other evidence showed Kobayashi entering Mexico on foot, alone and carrying luggage, at the San Ysidro port of entry on Nov. 12. There was no evidence that she was "being trafficked or [was] the victim of foul play," McDonnell said.
Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi's aunt, who has acted as a family spokesperson during their search, said at the time that her "worry for Hannah [had] not lessened."
"Hannah never mentioned any plans to travel to Mexico, and no one in her life knew she intended to go there," she previously told Fox News Digital. "What alarms me even more is her complete disconnection from her phone, her social media and her world – this is not who she is."
Before Kobayashi was found, Pidgeon told Fox News Digital that she had "parted ways" with the rest of the family, saying that her "sole focus remain[ed] on finding Hannah" and that she intended to travel to Mexico to "verify that she is acting of her own free will and truly safe."
Pidgeon later told NewsNation that she did not see why funds raised were being used on an attorney rather than a private investigator.
Kobayashi flew from Hawaii to Los Angeles and was scheduled to take a connecting flight to New York on Nov. 8, with a 42-minute layover at 11 a.m., but did not board a flight despite a detailed itinerary and a booked hotel room in New York City.
Previously, Pidgeon told Fox News Digital that friends and family received a flurry of bizarre text messages from Kobayashi after her missed flight that didn't match her usual cadence. She texted a friend that she "got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds" and that she was tricked "for someone I thought I loved."
HAWAII WOMAN'S CRYPTIC TEXT MESSAGES PROMPT CONCERN AFTER DISAPPEARANCE
"She [wrote she] was having a spiritual awakening, that she was concerned about the matrix. It was just the most bizarre text messages," Pidgeon previously said. "And it went from, 'Hi, I can't wait to see you guys. Love you. Everything's great.'"
Ryan Kobayashi, the 30-year-old's father, was found dead on Nov. 24 of an apparent suicide after jumping from a parking structure in Los Angeles, while he and his family were searching for the missing woman.
Los Angeles Magazine reported that Kobayashi had fallen victim to an immigration scheme before going missing. Kobayashi's mother reportedly found documents in her daughter's Hawaii home that listed an immigration attorney, according to the outlet, and turned that information over to law enforcement.
But family attorney Azari wrote in a post on X that the family "has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage… we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information."
What's Your Reaction?
