Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old woman from Hawaii who went missing during her transit at the Los Angeles International Airport on November 8, has been seen in a surveillance video entering Mexico. The authorities have found no indications of any criminal mishaps that could have led to her disappearance.
The Los Angeles Police Department has released a statement in which they changed Kobayashi’s missing case to a ‘voluntary disappearance’. She was seen embarking on a journey from Los Angeles Union Station towards the San Ysidro border on November 12, crossing into Mexico on foot in the early afternoon of the same day.
The video footage showed Kobayashi at the border, alone and seemingly unimpacted, accompanied only by her personal baggage. The investigation carried out by the LAPD highlighted that Kobayashi has in the past voiced her wish to decouple from the digital world, which aligns with the fact she apparently did not carry her mobile device with her to Mexico.
Police Chief Jim McDonnell emphasized that so far, their activities do not indicate any evidence of a committed crime. Speaking of Kobayashi’s intent prior to disappearance, her family advanced that she was travelling to New York City to visit her kin.
Several anomalies were reported concerning Kobayashi’s journey, including her failure to board her connecting flight to New York. She reportedly spent the night at LAX and the subsequent day visiting The Grove shopping center before returning to the airport during the evening.
Once more returning to The Grove on November 10, Kobayashi was likely back at LAX later on. She was last recorded at the airport on the evening of November 11, however, she did not take a flight.
On the night of November 11, Kobayashi was seen embarking on an eastbound Metro C Line train from the Century/Aviation Station. Afterwards, she transferred onto a northbound A Line train at the Rosa Parks Station along with an unidentified individual.
The same individual was spotted with Kobayashi at the Pico Station near Crypto.com Arena around 10 PM on November 11. Come morning on November 12, Kobayashi was noticed within the bustling area of the Union Station bus terminal in downtown Los Angeles.
The final traces of Kobayashi’s communication emerged from unusual messages, including one where she expressed fear of someone attempting to transgress on her identity and finances. Despite these concerning notes, Chief McDonnell maintains that no explicit evidence of criminal conduct has been discovered.
The police were successful in identifying an individual captured on surveillance alongside Kobayashi, believed to have met her at LAX. This person is not under suspicion of any illicit action. Reference was made to Kobayashi intentionally not boarding her connection to New York, retrieving her luggage at LAX, recorded on video during November 11.
Investigations have involved extensive interviewing of possible witnesses, rigorous surveillance video examination, and collaborations between local and federal law enforcement agencies. The case remains open, however, no evidence suggesting Kobayashi’s unwilling involvement or criminal liability was unveiled.
Additional findings point towards Kobayashi’s expressed intent to disengage from contemporary technology, voiced prior to her departure from Maui. Law enforcement continue to prioritize Kobayashi’s safety and welfare, extending pleas for her to make contact with her family or reach out to the U.S. embassy personnel.
Finally, complications in the case ensued when Ryan Kobayashi, Hannah’s 58-year-old father, committed suicide on November 24 near an LAX parking structure, intensifying the grief inflicted on the family.