Hannah Kobayashi ‘has been found safe,’ family says in new statement after police declared her voluntarily missing
By Emma Tucker and Celina Tebor, CNN
(CNN) — Hannah Kobayashi “has been found safe,” her family said Wednesday, more than a week after police declared her voluntarily missing amid fears she may have been abducted.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni, and mother, Brandi Yee, said. “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 statement was posted on X by the family’s lawyer, Sara Azari. The statement did not indicate where Kobayashi was or how the family determined she was safe.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement they are “happy to learn that Hannah has been found safe” and due to the new information “this has become a private matter and we will wrap up our investigation.”
The family had launched a GoFundMe that raised over $47,000 to help find Hannah. Donations have been turned off, and donors who would like a refund can submit a claim, the family said.
Hannah Kobayashi arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Maui on November 8, but did not board her connecting flight to New York, her sister previously told CNN. The family last heard from the 30-year-old on November 11 after spending four days in Los Angeles at various locations, according to video footage and photos.
Video footage shows Hannah Kobayashi retrieving her luggage from baggage claim at LAX on November 11 after she requested it be returned from New York, and she then traveled via LA Metro to Union Station where she used her passport and cash to purchase a ticket that took her to the US-Mexico border, police said. She was declared a missing person on November 15.
More than three weeks after she left Maui, Los Angeles police declared her as a voluntary missing person on December 2. Video surveillance from US Customs and Border Protection “clearly shows” Hannah Kobayashi crossing the US-Mexico border just after noon on November 12 at the San Ysidro port of entry, police said.
“To date the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play. She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a news conference. “She has a right to her privacy, and we respect her choices but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her.”
Before leaving Maui, investigators found Hannah Kobayashi had expressed a desire to disconnect from modern technology, police said.
Tragedy struck the family during their search for Hannah Kobayashi when her father Ryan Kobayashi, who had traveled from Hawaii to Los Angeles to help look for her, was found dead November 24 near the airport, having taken his own life, the family and authorities say.
Hannah Kobayashi’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told CNN that he “died of a broken heart.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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CNN’s Caroll Alvarado and Michelle Watson contributed to this report.
