Hannah Kobayashi crossed into Mexico alone, police say

Published Dec. 2, 2024 Updated Dec. 3, 2024 8:31 AM PT

Hannah Kobayashi crossed the U.S. border into Mexico on foot and alone, according to Los Angeles police.

Investigators in the case of the missing Hawaii woman reviewed surveillance video from the Border Patrol on Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at an evening news conference.

“The footage clearly shows 30-year-old Hannah Kobayashi crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico,” police said in a statement. “She was alone, with her luggage.”

On Nov. 12, Kobayashi was seen using cash and her passport to get a bus ticket to Union Station in order to reach the San Ysidro border crossing, where she crossed into Mexico through a tunnel shortly after noon, McDonnell said.

Kobayashi has been classified as a voluntary missing person, McDonnell said, adding that law enforcement will be notified if she decides to reenter the U.S.

Kobayashi went missing Nov. 8 after catching a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles, with a connecting flight that would ultimately take her to New York, where she planned to visit relatives. Her family became worried after she landed at LAX and sent them cryptic text messages, suggesting that someone was trying to steal her money and identity.

McDonnell said he was aware of the questions surrounding the woman’s missed connection at LAX, saying the department’s investigation “corroborated by video evidence clearly shows Hannah at LAX, appearing unharmed after arriving from Maui on Nov. 8 of this year.”

“For unknown reasons, she decided not to board her prescheduled flight to New York,” he said. He said that police had uncovered no evidence that she was being trafficked or was involved in any criminal activity.

Kobayashi’s family said in a statement Monday that they weren’t giving up the search for their relative and urged law enforcement and the public to “stay focused on finding her and to avoid speculative conclusions.”

“We are deeply grateful for the urgency and dedication law enforcement has shown in investigating Hannah’s disappearance,” the statement read. “Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe and urges everyone to continue the search. The search is far from over, and we are committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely.”

Sydni Kobayashi, her sister, said on social media that “[b]ased on information, surveillance footage reviewed and information shared with us, these are the facts known to my mother and I: It does not appear that Hannah intentionally missed her flight.”

Police, however, uncovered old social media posts suggesting that Kobayashi had “expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity,” McDonnell said. Police believe that Kobayashi may have left her phone in Los Angeles instead of taking it with her to Mexico.

The chief urged her to contact her family, law enforcement or someone from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to assure them of her well-being.

“She has a right to her privacy, and we respect her choices,” he said, “but we also understand the concern loved ones feel for her; a simple message could reassure those she cares about.”

The LAPD investigation will not take the search into Mexico, McDonnell said, but he encouraged anyone with information about Kobayashi’s whereabouts to contact law enforcement.

Sydni Kobayashi was critical of the investigation, citing “lack of communication surrounding some important details” and saying the family had felt “excluded from potentially crucial developments.” She noted, however, that they were “hopeful and optimistic” that police were doing their best to find Kobayashi.

Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton pushed back on the family’s criticism at Monday’s news conference, saying there had been “daily communication and contact with family members,” as well as considerable resources expended, including sending investigators to the U.S.-Mexico border to examine the surveillance footage.

According to Kobayashi’s family, she landed at LAX on Nov. 8 and missed her connecting flight to New York City because of a short layover. Kobayashi stayed overnight in Los Angeles and was seen the next day at the Taschen bookstore at the Grove, an open-air shopping mall in the Fairfax district.

On Nov. 10, Kobayashi was captured on video outside a Nike event near the Grove and was believed to have returned to LAX, according to a family statement.

On Nov. 11, Kobayashi was seen talking to a ticketing agent at LAX; she then boarded the Metro C Line at the Aviation/Century station around 9 p.m., her family said. She transferred at the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station and was seen in video leaving the Pico station with an unknown person.

On Nov. 12, Kobayashi was captured on video at the Greyhound bus terminal at Union Station in downtown L.A. around 6:30 a.m., according to her family.

Just a few hours later, according to police, the woman crossed into Mexico.

Family members have raised alarm over “strange” text messages sent from Kobayashi’s phone Nov. 11, shortly before she vanished. Kobayashi reportedly texted them that she was afraid someone had stolen her identity and all of her money. Her family said they tried to get hold of her, but her phone had been shut off.

After Kobayashi’s disappearance, her father, Ryan, flew to Los Angeles to help look for his daughter. The elder Kobayashi was found dead last week near LAX in what police said was an apparent suicide.

The body of Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found in a parking lot in the 6100 block of Century Boulevard. According to the Los Angeles County medical examiner, Ryan Kobayashi died from blunt force traumatic injuries.

“I’m very sorry for the family for all that they’ve been through,” McDonnell said during Monday’s news conference.