Woman from Hawaii seen entering Mexico on foot

Editor’s Note: This article is about suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call 988, text or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Los Angeles police said in a news conference Monday that they have “done everything we could do” in the case of Hannah Kobayashi, the Maui, Hawaii, woman who is believed to have gone missing in Los Angeles, following the announcement She was seen on a video entering Mexico.

The department classified Kobayashi as a voluntary missing person on Monday after reviewing video footage from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that showed Kobayashi crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on foot in San Ysidro.

Kobayashi, 30, stopped contacting her family on November 11 after receiving a series of unusual text messages mentioning that she didn’t feel safe and that someone had tried to steal her identity and money steal.

“I can’t get rid of the recent messages she sent to friends and family. I’ve replayed them a thousand times in my head, trying to understand them, but I still can’t,” said Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi’s aunt, in a statement provided to USA TODAY Tuesday.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a news conference that there was no evidence that the family caused Kobayashi to abruptly stop communicating with them and leave the country.

The Kobayashi family has been looking for Hannah for over three weeks. Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead near Los Angeles International Airport in an apparent suicide.

The family saw no apparent connection to Mexico

Pidgeon said she was not informed about the footage from the border until hours before the LAPD news conference. She had not reviewed the footage as of Tuesday morning but accepted the department was able to identify Kobayashi.

“Hannah never mentioned plans to travel to Mexico, and no one in her life knew that she had any intention of going there,” Pidgeon said. “What concerns me even more is her complete disconnect from her phone, her social media and her world – that is not who she is.”

McDonnell told reporters during the news conference that before her departure from Maui, Kobayashi had “expressed a desire to move away from modern connectivity,” but did not provide details.

LAPD Lt. Douglas Oldfield said police had reviewed “some requests or posts” that would match “someone wanting to disconnect from their phone.”

“Are we 100% correct? We can’t say. All we know is that she didn’t have her phone after she left LAX,” Oldfield said. “We know she doesn’t have her phone with her. For what reason, we cannot say for sure.”

The department said the investigation will not continue in Mexico but will remain open in the missing and unidentified persons system. If Kobayashi re-enters the country, law enforcement will be notified.

Timeline: Missing Person Hannah Kobayashi

November 8th: Kobayashi missed a connecting flight from Maui to New York City at Los Angeles International Airport. She was seen on airport security cameras leaving the airport wearing a black hoodie, tie-dye leggings and a dark green backpack.
November 9th: Kobayashi is seen around midday by employees of the Taschen Bookstore at The Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.
November 10th: Kobayashi is seen again at The Grove, this time on video at a Nike event around 3:40 p.m. On the same day, she posted a photo from the event on her Instagram.
November 11th:
- According to the LAPD, Kobayashi returned to LAX where she picked up her luggage. Her phone with an Audrey Hepburn case on it was last pinged at LAX but wasn’t found.
- Pidgeon previously told USA TODAY that Kobayashi spoke with an American Airlines ticket agent between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m
- According to the LAPD, Kobayashi used her passport to purchase a bus ticket to a destination near the California-Mexico border.
- At around 10 p.m., Kobayashi is seen on surveillance cameras near the Pico subway station in downtown Los Angeles. The family said in an earlier statement, “It is apparent that Hannah does not appear to be in good condition and she is not alone.” The LAPD was investigating the person who appeared on camera with Kobayashi and “made a full disclosure the entire sequence of events,” said LAPD Chief Detective Alan Hamilton.
November 12th:
- According to the LAPD, Kobayashi is seen crossing the U.S.-Mexico border near San Ysidro. The department, which later reviewed video provided by Customs and Border Protection, said Kobayashi was alone.
- The family files a missing person report with the LAPD and begins searching for volunteers in Los Angeles.
November 24th: Ryan Kobayashi is found dead around 4 a.m. at an address next to Los Angeles International Airport. Kobayashi’s family issued a statement the same day via The Rad Movement stating that the death was a suicide.
November 26th: LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a Los Angeles Police Board meeting that investigators determined Kobayashi intentionally missed her flight – a claim the family denies.
Dec 2nd: A day after reviewing CBP video of Kobayashi crossing the border, the LAPD says it has reclassified the case as a voluntary missing person.

Family closes Facebook group and promises to continue search

In a statement posted on social media just hours before the LAPD’s press conference on Monday, Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni Kobayashi, announced that a Facebook group that had been created to help find Hannah would be disbanded , and referred to threats against the family.

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