Hannah Kobayashi has finally been found safe more than a month after her family reported her missing in Los Angeles. The 31-year-old Hawaiian woman she reached out to her relatives on Wednesday to let them know she is doing well, according to a statement shared by her family.
"We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe," the family of the aspiring photographer said in an attorney-issued statement to local media after she was found. "This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through."
Safe but Not at Home
"We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us," the statement added.
The announcement came a week after Kobayashi was seen on surveillance footage crossing the border into Mexico, seemingly of her own accord.
Her safe return marks the end of a lengthy, widely publicized investigation that began when she abruptly lost contact with her family on November 8 after failing to board a connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York.
However, her family continued to challenge police statements in public, claiming that they still lacked confirmation about Kobayashi's safety.
Investigators reported that Kobayashi "knowingly departed" the airport, using her passport and cash to purchase a bus ticket to the U.S.-Mexico border. Surveillance footage later captured her crossing into Tijuana on foot between November 12 and 13.
Authorities closed the investigation into her disappearance after determining she was "voluntarily missing."
Her family said they didn't view the surveillance footage showing her crossing into Mexico until December 2.
The family has faced criticism after police revealed that Kobayashi was not actually missing, despite their efforts to raise funds for the search.
They described her decision to go to Mexico as out of character and said they were still attempting to reach her.
Finally Happy
Even after the police ended their investigation, the family insisted that the search for Kobayashi was "far from over" and pledged to do everything they could to ensure her safe return. Before she vanished, Kobayashi had sent a series of unusual text messages to friends and family, mentioning a "spiritual awakening" and feeling "deceived."
Kobayashi was also spotted with an unidentified man just hours before her last known sighting.
Her family, including her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, speculated that she might have been kidnapped or possibly trafficked.
At the same time, online sleuths suggested various theories, ranging from a potential psychotic episode to involvement in a cult or even a conspiracy connected to Kobayashi's ex-boyfriend, with whom she had traveled to Los Angeles.
After authorities concluded that Kobayashi had willingly traveled to Mexico, the FBI began investigating whether she was involved in a green card marriage scheme with an Argentine citizen.
In a heartbreaking development, Kobayashi's father, Ryan, died by suicide two weeks after traveling to Los Angeles to search for her. According to her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, the stress from harassment and online trolling may have driven him to this tragic decision.
