• Police announced on Monday, December 2, that surveillance footage showed Hannah Kobayashi voluntarily entering Mexico weeks after her family reported her missing
• Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi’s aunt, tells PEOPLE that her niece has never mentioned plans to travel to Mexico
• “It was the most painful and confusing time of my life,” says Pidgeon. “I felt heartbreak, frustration and hope all at the same time.”

A family member of Hannah Kobayashi, the missing 30-year-old who has not been heard from for nearly a month after she failed to take a connecting flight to New York City, says the search for her is “not yet over” – according to authorities said Kobayashi entered Mexico voluntarily almost immediately after his apparent disappearance.

“Knowing that Hannah crossed the border doesn’t provide the answers I need or ease the heartache I feel,” Larie Pidgeon tells PEOPLE about her niece.

“Despite this, my heart is still broken and my concern for Hannah has not subsided,” Pidgeon continues. “It’s been 21 days since I last heard from her – 21 days of silence, fear and wondering what could have been.”

“I will not stop until I know my niece is safe and is doing this of her own volition and in a good state of mind,” Pidgeon said.

At a press conference on Monday, December 2, Los Angeles police announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection surveillance footage “clearly shows Kobayashi crossing the U.S. border on foot into Mexico.”

According to Police Chief Jim McDonnell, Kobayashi entered Tijuana, Mexico, shortly after noon local time on November 12th. She was on foot and used the San Ysidro entrance tunnel.

“She was alone with her luggage and appeared to be uninjured,” McDonnell said.

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Pidgeon claims to PEOPLE that her niece never mentioned plans to travel to Mexico.

“No one in her life knew she planned to go there,” Pidgeon says.

Of Kobayashi, she continues: “What worries me even more is her complete disconnect from her phone, her social media and her world – that’s not who she is.” And I can see the recent messages she sent to friends and family “I couldn’t get rid of it that I’ve replayed in my head a thousand times, trying to understand it but still not succeeding.”

Last month, Kobayashi traveled from her home in Maui, Hawaii to NYC with a stop in LA. Pidgeon previously told PEOPLE that her niece had gotten a job as a DJ photographer and had drawn up a detailed schedule.

Kobayashi flew from Maui to Los Angeles International Airport on November 8, but did not board her connecting flight to NYC

Pidgeon said that on Nov. 11, Kobayashi’s relatives began receiving text messages from her saying, “I think someone is trying to steal my identity. I’m really scared.”

Pidgeon described the messages as cryptic and out of character for her niece.

“Hannah talks with emojis,” she previously told PEOPLE, adding, “Usually there’s a heart, a flower or a fairy. That’s how she speaks. And these messages didn’t have a single emoji.”

Based on further investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that Kobayashi “knowingly left” the airport and went to Union Station.

There, according to authorities, she used her passport to buy a bus ticket to a destination near the Mexican border.

McConnell, the police chief, told reporters the investigation found no evidence that Kobayashi “was trafficked or was the victim of a crime.”

Following the police update on Monday, Pidgeon told PEOPLE that she has not yet seen the video footage of Kobayashi entering Mexico, but trusts authorities’ due diligence that it was her niece.

She thanked investigators for their hard work and dedication to the search, echoing statements made by other relatives.

“I love Hannah with all my heart, and that love drives me to keep searching for her,” says Pidgeon. “Everything I did, every request I made, every step I took – it was all out of love. I will not stop until I can personally confirm that she is safe and making these decisions of her own volition.”

The Kobayashi family has recently dealt with another death: Ryan Kobayashi, Hannah’s father, was found dead in a Los Angeles parking lot on November 24 after traveling to California to help search for his daughter.

The LA County coroner said Ryan, 58, died by suicide.

“It was the most painful and confusing time of my life,” says Pidgeon. “I felt heartbreak, frustration and hope all at the same time.”

Pidgeon also thanked those who helped find Hannah.

“I can’t thank everyone who has supported me enough – whether through the search, sharing their story or just praying for them,” she says. “Your kindness reminds me that there are good people in this world, even in the darkest moments.”

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or going to 988lifeline.org .