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LOS ANGELES – Hannah Kobayashi’s aunt is speaking out after police say she “voluntarily” crossed the border into Mexico and classified her case as a “voluntary missing person” case.

“I was only made aware of this development a few hours before her press conference. “I have not seen the footage myself, but I trust that the LAPD did their due diligence to confirm that it was her,” Kobayashi’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, said in a statement. “I want to thank the LAPD for their hard work and the resources they dedicated to this search. I know they have worked tirelessly and their efforts have led us to this new piece of the puzzle.”

Kobayashi was reported missing by her family on November 12th after she missed a connecting flight from Maui to New York City at LAX days earlier on November 8th.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hannah Kobayashi: LAPD says the missing woman safely crossed the U.S.-Mexico border

The 30-year-old’s phone last rang on Nov. 11 at LAX, where her family said she was seen talking to an American Airlines agent but not boarding a flight.

During a press conference on Monday, L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell said they determined from surveillance footage that Kobayashi crossed the border into Mexico on Nov. 12.

“We urge Ms. Kobayashi to contact her family, law enforcement or U.S. Embassy personnel to let us know that you are safe,” he said. “She has a right to her privacy and we respect her decisions, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her. A simple message could reassure those who care.”

McDonnell said Kobayashi was “alone with her luggage and appeared to be unharmed” as she traveled to Mexico and there was no evidence that she “was trafficked or was the victim of a crime.”

Additionally, police said the investigation revealed that Kobayashi had in the past “expressed a desire to move away from modern connectivity,” McDonnell said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hannah Kobayashi: Missing woman from Hawaii intentionally missed flight at LAX, police say

Reacting to the new development, Pidgeon said: “The search is not over yet” and they remain “committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely.”

“Hannah never mentioned plans to travel to Mexico, and no one in her life knew that she had any intention of going there. What worries me even more is her complete disconnect from her phone, her social media and her world – that’s not her.” And I can’t get rid of the recent messages she’s sent to friends and family,” the statement reads Pidgeon’s explanation continues.

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“Even in those text messages, it just didn’t seem like her, or it seemed like someone else, or maybe someone did something to her to change her state of mind because she doesn’t normally talk like that,” Sister Sydni said in an interview, according to her previous statement .

Just a few days ago, McDonnell said Kobayashi intentionally missed her Nov. 8 flight.

“On Friday, November 8, 23-year-old Hannah Kobayashi missed her connecting flight from LAX to New York, which the investigation determined was intentional,” McDonnell said.

Kobayashi’s family denied the claims and said some of the details about the case provided by McDonnell were false.

In a tragic turn of events, last week Hannah’s father Ryan Kobayashi, who had traveled to Los Angeles to look for his daughter, was found dead after apparently jumping from a parking garage near LAX.

According to the LA County Department of Medical Examiner, the 58-year-old’s death was ruled a suicide caused by “multiple traumatic blunt force injuries.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hannah Kobayashi: The search continues for a Hawaiian woman who disappeared from LAX

“Please continue to tell Hannah’s story. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers,” Pidgeon said.

Police say Kobayashi’s case remains open until it is assured she is safe.