Woman who went missing while on vacation speaks out as she's found safe after father died during search for her
Topics: News, World News
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: @midorieve/Instagram/NBC4
Topics: News, World News
A woman who went missing while on vacation has finally got in touch with her family after vanishing a month ago.
Hannah Kobayashi had been traveling from her home in Maui, Hawaii, to get a connecting flight to New York via Los Angeles last month. However, she never actually boarded the flight to New York.
Here's everything we know so far, including what she has said to her family this week.
Kobayashi's family say they received texts claiming someone was trying to steal her identity and having grew concerned, they reported her missing.
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A widespread search was sparked for the aspiring photographer, with Kobayashi's father Ryan Kobayashi flying from Maui to LA and multiple alleged sightings reported.
Police previously gave a rundown of Kobayashi's disappearance, though that caused quite the stir with the family.
And during their investigation, police dismissed speculation Kobayashi was involved in any type of criminal activity.
Kobayashi's father Ryan was tragically found dead at 4.00am in a car park near the airport in what is believed to be a suicide.
Just days before his death the 58-year-old was seen handing out missing person flyers.
A family statement at the time said: "The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today. After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family's suffering immeasurably.
"What the family needs most in this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion, and prayers. Please be considerate with your comments and posts. The trauma they are enduring is profound, and they now face the additional burden of grieving the loss of their family's pillar and navigating next steps."
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell announced during a Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners meeting that officials believed Kobayashi missed her flight on purpose and had gone missing voluntarily.
The family disputed the claims made by authorities.
A few days later, the case is officially re-classified, with Hannah now considered a voluntary missing person after being spotted crossing the border into Mexico.
An update was finally provided on the case as Kobayashi was found 'safe and well' in Mexico.
"We are incredibly relieved and grateful Hannah has been found safe," a family statement shared with the Mail Online stated.
Kobayashi's sister Sydni said she'd been speaking to her sister over the phone, where she detailed her plans for the future.
In a statement penned on social media, Sydni wrote: "When my father suddenly passed away, I added his funeral expenses and arrangements to the campaign as next of kin.
"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."
The statement continued: "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.
"In due time, the truth will surface, and we will all get the answers we truly deserve. I stand by the choices I’ve made for my family, and we know where our hearts lie in this. I would never wish this type of experience upon anyone, especially not back-to-back."
Sydni concluded the message by thanking those who have supported the family through the GoFundMe and through general well wishes.