Hannah Kobayashi breaks silence after being found safe on month-long search
Hannah Kobayashi, the woman who went off the grid after disappearing from an airport in Los Angeles last month, has finally broken her silence after being found safe earlier this week.
The 31-year-old made contact with relatives on Wednesday – but has told her family she does not wish to return to Hawaii after going Awol from Los Angeles International Airport in November.
Her sister Sydni released a statement confirming the family have spoken to Hannah over the phone, but said they “do not have actual proof of where she is, other than that she is somewhere in Mexico”.
The family has not yet seen Hannah in person in the wake of her discovery.
Kobayashi was initially reported missing on November 11 after failing to board her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York.
After weeks of searching, the Los Angeles Police Department revealed on Monday that she had “knowingly” crossed the border into Mexico on November 12.
The Daily Mail reported that Kobayashi had been travelling with her new Green Card husband, Argentinian Alan Cacace, in what appeared to be part of an immigration scheme.
Her ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda was also on the same flight with his own Green Card wife Marianne – who was reportedly Cacace’s girlfriend.
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The search for Hannah proved devastating for her family, with her father Ryan taking his own life on November 25 after searching for 13 days.
The ordeal also brought family tensions into the public eye, particularly between Hannah’s sister Sydni and aunt Larie Pidgeon.
Sydni criticised her aunt, a self-proclaimed social media influencer, for conducting multiple media interviews against the family’s wishes.
“Our priority was finding Hannah, not creating a media circus,” Sydni said.
The aunt later told the New York Post that her niece was “throwing her under the bus” because she wanted to be in the limelight.
Sydni has also been forced to defend the family’s handling of their GoFundMe campaign.
“My mother and I have remained completely transparent and have not misled or taken advantage of anyone,” she said.
She explained that while her mother was listed as a beneficiary, the family had maintained receipts showing funds were used for the search efforts.
The campaign, which raised over $44,000 (£35,000) has now stopped accepting donations.
Donors have until 18 December to submit refund claims, according to an update posted on the fundraising page.
In a lengthy social media post, Sydni expressed mixed feelings about her sister being found safe.
“As you can imagine, we are all extremely relieved and glad that my sister is alive and seemingly okay, but we also have mixed and overwhelming feelings of exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal,” she wrote.
“In due time, the truth will surface, and we will all get the answers we truly deserve,” Sydni added, noting there was still much unknown that needed to be navigated.