Suspected Missing Hawaii Woman found voluntarily crossing Mexico Border
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – According to a press release from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), The hunt for Hannah Kobayashi has been called off after she was spotted safely crossing the United States border into Mexico alone on Dec. 1st. She was seen on surveillance footage by LAPD Missing Persons Unit investigators who had traveled to the U.S./Mexico border in hopes of finding any evidence of Kobayashi's whereabouts.
On Nov. 8th, Kobayashi travelled to Los Angeles Airport (LAX) from Maui where she was spotted at various locations around the city via surveillance footage. For reasons still unknown, Kobayashi decided not to board her flight to New York on Nov. 11th. She was then seen leaving LAX with her luggage and headed to Union Station.
Kobayashi was reported missing on Nov. 12th and her case caught mass media attention due her lack of communication with her friends and family, with fears of potential human trafficking.
30-year-old's father, Ryan Kobayashi, headed down to Los Angeles himself to search for his daughter, though the two had been estranged prior to her disappearance.
Officers found the body of Ryan Kobayashi on Nov. 24th in a parking lot near LA International Airport. Kobayashi reportedly died from "multiple blunt force traumatic injuries" after jumping to his death.
Once she arrived at Union Station, Kobayashi used her passport to purchase a bus ticket, then traveled to San Ysidro, Calif. where she crossed the border into Mexico.
The LAPD investigation will not continue into Mexico, however, should Kobayashi return to the U.S. law enforcement will be notified. Kobayashi's case has now been classified as a voluntary missing person.
LAPD states the investigation has not uncovered any evidence of Kobayashi being a victim of human trafficking or foul play.
Her case will remain active in the Missing and Unidentified Persons System (MUPS) until her safety is confirmed by law enforcement.
LAPD News: Statement From the Los Angeles Police Department Regarding Hannah Kobayashi pic.twitter.com/ThfcSpfDph
— LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) December 3, 2024
