Hannah Kobayashi, a Hawaii woman who mysteriously disappeared while traveling from Los Angeles to New York, has been found safe in Mexico. Hannah's sister, Sydni Kobayashi, confirmed the news via social media.
Hannah's family last heard from her on November 11, 2024, when she allegedly missed her flight to New York City. Before being completely unreachable, Hannah sent concerning messages to her family, informing them she almost got tricked into losing all her funds.
Since then, Hannah's family had not heard from her and grew worried. On November 13, they filed a missing person's report and flew to Los Angeles to carry out a search campaign. During this time, Hannah's sister Sydni started a GoFundMe campaign that raised $46,741 to help them cover transportation charges, temporary accommodation, and media campaigns.
Hannah Kobayashi found safe
After one month of tireless search, Hannah's sister Sydni confirmed in a social media post that they had spoken to Hannah, who is safe and unharmed in Mexico with their aunt Larie Pidgeon.
In a social media post, Sydni confirmed:
"At this time, my mother and I have not physically seen Hannah. We do not have actual proof of where she is, other than that she is somewhere in Mexico. We have only spoken to her over the phone, and she was allegedly found safe with Larie, but at this time, she does not wish to return to us."
Authorities stated that Hannah deliberately missed her flight, as CCTV footage showed her crossing the border on foot and entering Mexico. There was no evidence to suggest she was trafficked or a victim of foul play.
Hannah's aunt, Larie Pidgeon, had previously traveled to Mexico to verify whether Hannah went there by choice. According to Los Angeles Magazine reports, Hannah had allegedly fallen into an immigration scheme before her disappearance. Hannah's mother reportedly found documents regarding the same at her Hawaii home as reported by the Los Angeles Magazine.
"As you can imagine, we are all extremely relieved and glad that my sister is alive and seemingly okay, but we also have mixed and overwhelming feelings of exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal. We are kindly asking the public to respect our privacy and offer us grace for a moment as we are still grieving. There is still so much unknown, and so much that still needs to be navigated," Sydni wrote.
After tirelessly searching for Hannah for 13 days, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life as it became difficult for him to continue finding his missing daughter. Sydni expressed her pain of losing her father while searching for her sister as "two tragedies at once."
Sara Azari, the attorney of the family, released a statement on behalf of them saying:
"We want to stress that the family has not publicly announced any information regarding an alleged marriage because we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information. The family has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage. This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigative team. We would also like to confirm that we turned over the alleged information to law enforcement immediately upon receipt."
Azari posted another statement:
Trending
"We want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us during this incredibly difficult time, especially the volunteers and individuals who have gone above and beyond to help us search for Hannah. Your efforts and kindness mean the world to us. We remain deeply grateful for the urgency law enforcement has shown in investigating Hannah’s disappearance and continue to hope she is safe. The search is far from over, and our family is committed to doing everything possible to bring her home."
The investigation behind Hannah's disappearance is still underway.
Reply
