This blog is in chronological order. Please scroll to the bottom for updates.
Hannah Kobayashi (31) has gone missing in Los Angeles. She flew from Hawaii and was on her way to New York to visit family. She never made her connecting flight.
It feels like there is a lot being held back in this case, likely in an attempt to protect Hannah’s privacy.
From what we have gathered from online posts, Hannah made the trip with her ex-boyfriend.
I believe that he made the connecting flight to New York and Hannah did not.
Hannah’s family began posting on social media in an attempt to find her.
Hannah was due to fly from Los Angeles to New York on Friday November 8, 2024.
She was due to have a 42 minute gap between landing in Los Angeles and getting on her flight to NYC. She instead left the airport.
She was wearing a black hoodie, tie-dye leggings and was carrying a green backpack.
Hannah has been seen twice at The Grove mall in Los Angeles since she left the airport. According to USA Today, She was seen once around noon by employees at the shopping center’s Taschen book store on Nov. 9 and was seen on video at a Nike event around 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 10. A photo from the two-day Nike and LeBron James event was posted to her Instagram the same day.
On November 9, Hannah sent a Venmo payment to two people whose names the family does not recognize.
Hannah apparently went back to LAX on November 11. This is the date that her family last heard from her.
Hannah’s mother asked if she had arrived in New York and Hannah wrote back ‘not yet.’
Hannah’s phone has been turned off Since November 11. Her last location shows as LAX.
Her mother told Hawaii News Now: “She texted [the friend] that she was scared and that she couldn’t come back home or something. It was just really weird texts.”
Her mother and sister both claim the texts did not sound like they were written by Hannah and have concerns as to whether she was the one who sent the messages. They told media that “this is so unlike Hannah” and said “she’s very responsible”.
She used words like “hun,” “love” and “babe,” her sister said.
“I personally don’t think that was my sister,” Sydni Kobayashi said. “She doesn’t use the word ‘hun.’ ‘Love’ and ‘babe,’ but never ‘hun.’ Even her close friends have said the same.”
They explained she had a hotel room booked and tickets for an event for her arrival in New York.
The family said her communication “started getting fuzzy” after missing her flight.
One of the last messages sent from her phone claimed she got sidetracked on her holiday because of a “very intense spiritual awakening”, a relative told media.
The message continued, claiming she was charging her phone and planned to head to the airport to get to New York despite previously claiming her identity was stripped and couldn’t fly.
“I might need some help getting there, it’s a long story. I’ll keep you posted. I think I still have my hotel room,” Hannah’s message read.
She then apologised for her “craziness” and claimed she was “definitely intercepted”.
Both the Los Angeles Police Department and FBI are now involved.
A photo of Hannah’s handwritten NYC itinerary has been posted online:
There was a sighting of Hannah on November 11 at Pico Metro Station near Crypto.com Arena.
In a statement to KTLA, Hannah’s family said it was “evident” that she was not in “good condition” at the time.
“She is not safe, and she is not alone,” her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told KTLA of the video without providing further details.
In a random twist, Hannah has seemingly popped up in a YouTube video online.
This info is from The Sun:
Online sleuths claim to have also seen Hannah walking through a camera shot for a Nike advert taking place near to the LA venue.
The short video was posted on Thursday and shows a woman wearing glasses and headphones.
Hannah’s family have spoken to the media in past days.
“So, our mind is now going to, you know, abduction and, I hate to say the word, but, you know, trafficked,” Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi’s aunt, told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.
“We’re doing the best that we can, but the family at this point is having to come to the reality that those things could be a possibility,” Larie said.
“Hannah, we love you. We are all here. Your mom’s here, your sister’s here, your father’s here. The entire world is looking for you,” she said.
“If someone has Hannah, I want you to know that she is the kindest, most beautiful soul in the entire world. And please don’t hurt her.
“Please just give us back to her. No questions asked. Just don’t hurt her. Please.”
In a devastating turn in this case, Hannah’s father, Ryan, took his own life while in Los Angeles on November 24, 2024. It is being reported that he jumped from a parking structure near LAX.
This quote about the suicide is from ABC:
Amid the search for a missing Hawaii woman last seen in Los Angeles, the woman’s father was found dead Sunday near LAX, police say.
Ryan Kobayashi had recently traveled to Los Angeles to help in the search for his daughter, Hannah Kobayashi. The 30-year-old woman went missing apparently sometime after a stopover at Los Angeles International Airport as she was traveling from Hawaii to New York City on Nov. 8.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirms the death of Ryan Kobayashi, age 58, on Sunday, saying he was found in a parking lot. The coroner’s information does not provide details on the cause of death.
You can view Ryan’s entry on the Los Angeles Medical Examiner database here.
On December 2, police announced that Hannah had been spotted crossing into Mexico from California on November 12/13. It is thought that Hannah left willingly and no foul play is suspected. Authorities have said they believe Hannah left her phone in California.
On December 11, 2024, Hannah’s family made a statement and announced that she had been found safe in Mexico.
SOURCE LIST
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/18/us/hannah-kobayashi-missing-hawaii-los-angeles/index.html