Family says Hannah Kobayashi was found safe, ending month-long ordeal
Hannah Kobayashi, the 30-year-old Hawaii woman who had been missing since Nov. 11, has been found and is safe, her family announced today.
Sara Azari, a Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney representing the Kobayashi family, posted a statement from the family on social media this morning, saying, “We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe. 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.”
The statement gave no details on where Kobayashi was found.
“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,” said the statement on behalf of her mother and sister, Brandi Yee and Sydni Kobayashi.
The case of Hannah Kobayshi, an Oahu woman who recently moved to Maui, has garnered international media attention and intense online speculation since she went missing after failing to board a connecting flight at Los Angeles International Airport last month.
Her 58-year-old father, Ryan Kobayashi, killed himself Nov. 24 after searching for his daughter in Los Angeles for two weeks, according to LAPD. A GoFundMe was set up to pay for search efforts, legal fees, Ryan Kobayashi’s funeral, and other family expenses as they searched for the missing woman.
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The official search by authorities ended last week when LAPD announced that they had discovered that Hannah Kobayshi had entered Mexico on her own will and appeared in safe with her luggage in surveillance video as she entered the San Ysidro border crossing.