This article mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 800-273-8255. People are available to talk 24/7.
Editor’s note: There have been further developments in the Hannah Kobayashi case. Read more here.
(NewsNation) — Missing woman Hannah Kobayashi purposefully skipped her connecting flight at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 8, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
Kobayashi disappeared and stopped contacting her family just days after missing a connecting flight from Maui to New York at LAX, which “the investigation determined was intentional,” McDonnell said at a Nov. 26 Board of Police Commissioners meeting.
Hannah Kobayashi crossed into Mexico on foot: Police
Authorities updated the public Monday evening with the latest details on Kobayashi’s disappearance.
Kobayashi was seen on security footage crossing the U.S. border on foot into Mexico, alone, with luggage and seemingly unharmed, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point. She’s left the country and is in another nation now,” McDonnell said, adding that if she returns to the U.S., law enforcement will be notified.
McDonnell said she has a right to her privacy but urged her to reach out to her family or law enforcement.
“A simple message could reassure those who care about her,” McDonnell said. He explained that the missing person case will remain active until her safety is confirmed by law enforcement.
The case is now classified as a voluntary missing person case.
Hannah Kobayashi’s responds to LAPD investigation
Kobayashi’s sister and mother released a statement on Facebook Saturday night, claiming investigators have reported inaccurate information on the case. They also allege the police department has not communicated new developments with them, sharing in part:
- It does not appear that Hannah intentionally missed her flight.
- My mother and I were unaware about the alleged findings presented at the Los Angeles Police Commission meeting until multiple videos of the meeting were sent to us by multiple citizens.
- These alleged findings have yet to be relayed to my mother and I directly from the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department or any detective involved in Hannah’s case.
- My mother and I would later learn that the police commission is a five-member committee made up of five civilians, not law enforcement, who are not directly involved in Hannah’s missing persons case.
- Specific facts contained in that report were inaccurate, such as Hannah’s age. Hannah is 30 years old, not 23. Also, Hannah was reported missing to Law Enforcement on November 11th, not November 13th, as stated by the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The lack of communication surrounding some important details has left us feeling excluded from potentially crucial developments. However, we do remain hopeful and optimistic that the Los Angeles Police Department is doing everything in their power to assist us in locating Hannah …
Hannah, if you happen to see this, know that we are not going to give up or stop searching until we find you. We know that this is something you would never do on your own accord, unless you felt some type of threat or you were unwell. We know how much you love all of us, and we love you deeply.
Hannah Kobayashi disappears
The missing Hawaii woman was last seen in Los Angeles on Nov. 11. Cryptic text messages Hannah’s family received may have been sent by someone else, her sister told NewsNation, adding that it “feels like someone was controlling her.”
One of the texts said: “I got hacked, stripped of my identity, I can’t fly.”
Another reads: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away my funds for someone I thought I loved. I’ve been on the streets.”
Loved ones flew to California to form a search party following the texts and then radio silence from Kobayashi, with volunteers joining the mission as the case grows nationally.
Tragedy surrounding Hannah Kobayashi search
During the search, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead in a parking lot near LAX on Nov. 24.
In a statement posted on Facebook by the RAD Movement, a nonprofit organization that works to find people, the organization confirmed the 58-year-old “tragically took his own life.” The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office and LAPD confirmed his identity.
McDonnell addressed the tragedy, saying: “Our hearts go out to the Kobayashi family during this unimaginable time of grief. We remain fully committed to locating Hannah and supporting the family as they navigate their way through this tragedy.”
Hannah Kobayashi is a ‘beautiful person,’ sister says
Hannah Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni, joined NewsNation’s “CUOMO” on Wednesday to call for compassion and continued support, describing her family’s anguish as they search for Hannah while mourning the suicide of their father.
Sydni told NewsNation that her sister is “an amazing and beautiful person” who would never intentionally cause her family distress.
Hannah Kobayashi missing description
According to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit, Kobayashi is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes and fair skin with freckles as well as a tattoo that says “knife” on her forearm.
Authorities continue to investigate the disappearance. Anyone with information is urged to contact local law enforcement.
Here’s a timeline retracing key moments in Kobayashi’s disappearance >
NewsNation’s Nancy Loo and Damita Menezes contributed to this report.