Hannah Kobayashi, a Hawaii woman whose disappearance triggered a widespread search and investigation, has been found safe, Los Angeles police announced Wednesday.
The circumstances surrounding the 30-year-old’s discovery and her whereabouts while she was missing remain unclear.
Kobayashi, an aspiring photographer from Maui, disappeared last month while traveling through Los Angeles. Her disappearance had sparked concern and prompted a missing person investigation that extended outside of city limits.
“We are happy to learn that Hannah has been found safe,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement to the Associated Press. “Now that we have this new information, this has become a private matter and we will wrap up our investigation.”
The Los Angeles Police Department didn’t immediately return a request for comment or additional details from NTD, The Epoch Times’ sister media.
The news of Kobayashi’s safe return was first revealed in a statement by her family, released through their attorney.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” her mother, Brandi Yee, and sister, Sydni Kobayashi, said in a statement. “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. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us.”
The events leading to the Hawaii natives’ disappearance began on Nov. 8, while she was en route to New York City for a new job opportunity and to visit relatives. Her trip was interrupted when she missed a connecting flight at the Los Angeles International Airport. Kobayashi had at the time told her family that she would spend the night at the airport and later said she planned to sightsee in Los Angeles.
But concern grew when family members received what Kobayashi’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, described as “strange and cryptic, just alarming” text messages.
“Once the family started pressing, she went dark,” Pidgeon told The Associated Press. She added that after the texts on Nov. 11, Kobayashi’s phone “just went dead.”
The family reported Kobayashi missing to police on Nov. 11, initiating a search effort that would span several weeks. Family members, friends, and local volunteers joined the search in Los Angeles, combing the city for any signs of Kobayashi.
In a tragic turn of events, Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, who had flown from Hawaii to take part in the search, was found dead after an apparent suicide on Nov. 24 in a parking lot near Los Angeles International Airport, according to the county medical examiner.
Later in the investigation, Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police chief, learned that Kobayashi had voluntarily crossed into Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing, which is about 125 miles southeast of Los Angeles, on Nov. 12.
The discovery came to light after authorities reviewed security footage from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
McDonnell determined at the time Kobayashi’s disappearance was voluntary, calling it an attempt to “step away from modern connectivity.”
