The disappearance of the 30-year-old Hawaiian photographer Hannah Kobayashi has kept her family and authorities on edge, after she was reported missing on November 11th. The desperation of her loved ones was so great that her father Ryan Kobayashi traveled from Hawaii to Los Angeles to search for her, but not finding her, he committed suicide. After all the chaos, the police have now reported seeing the woman entering Mexico freely.
“She is missing voluntarily,” reported Jim McDonnell, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to The Associated Press (AP). She was captured on surveillance cameras at the border. There were no signs that she was injured, kidnapped, a victim of human trafficking, or any other crime.
Before being reported missing, Hannah was supposed to travel to New York on November 8 for a new job and to visit her family. However, she missed a connecting flight during a layover at Los Angeles International Airport. She contacted her close relatives via chat telling them she would spend the night at the airport and do some sightseeing in Los Angeles. Her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, expressed that after that they received "strange and cryptic, simply alarming" messages, so they started to press her. It was then that she disappeared. Her phone was turned off. They didn't hear from her since November 11, so they reported her missing.
The search for Hannah Kobayashi was activated in Los Angeles and across the country with photos of her, as well as the dissemination of contact numbers for anyone who saw her.
His desperate father left Hawaii, but he was found dead around 4:00 in the morning last Sunday, November 24, near the parking lot of Los Angeles International Airport. The cause of death was reported as suicide, after jumping from a high floor. The man was 58 years old.
"After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah's father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life... This loss has immeasurably increased the family's suffering," says a statement from the Los Angeles Police.
It is presumed that he committed suicide out of desperation for not finding his daughter, adding more tragedy to his entire family circle, who still do not know the whereabouts of the woman.
Hannah Kobayashi was seen in Mexico.
As Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Jim McDonnell notified that according to the security video recordings of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Hannah Kobayashi traveled alone and voluntarily to Mexico.
On November 12th, she was seen at the San Ysidro border crossing, about 201 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles. Her case was declared as a "voluntary disappearance," as she left without wanting to communicate it to her loved ones.
McDonnell said that the woman was only seeking to "disconnect from modern connectivity," and although he emphasized her right to privacy, he asked her through the press representatives' cameras to contact her family so they can be reassured knowing that she is well.
The police believe that Kobayashi missed his flight voluntarily, although his relatives still refute this version.
The hypothesis of "voluntary disappearance" is reinforced by the fact that Hannah Kobayashi had already confided in those close to her that she wanted to disconnect from everything. It is unknown whether she is aware that her father has already passed away, nor is it known in which exact part of Mexico she is located, so the call remains for her to get in touch with her family.
Despite all the controversy surrounding his "disappearance," Mexican authorities claim that they will not begin the search until a formal request is made.
In the last few hours, it is noteworthy that Hannah's family closed the Facebook page 'Help Us Find Hannah' through which they were asking for help to find her. They have not informed whether she has already contacted them.
As long as Hannah Kobayashi does not communicate with her loved ones, her case remains a mystery. Is she really okay? Did she disappear voluntarily? Why hasn’t she reported back after her father’s death? Does Ryan Kobayashi’s death have anything to do with the woman’s disappearance plot?