Police: Missing Hawaii woman crossed border into Mexico; No foul play detected

A Hawaii woman who went missing after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 8 while en route to New York was seen on video crossing the border into Mexico -- apparently of her own volition -- and there are no signs of foul play, police announced tonight.  

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters at an early evening news conference that the case of 30-year-old Hannah Kobayashi has been reclassified as a "voluntary missing person."

LAPD News: Statement From the Los Angeles Police Department Regarding Hannah Kobayashi pic.twitter.com/ThfcSpfDph

— LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) December 3, 2024

According to McDonnell, Kobayashi traveled from Los Angeles Union Station to the San Ysidro border crossing on Nov. 12, and she crossed into Mexico on foot shortly after noon that day.

"She was alone with her luggage and appeared unharmed,'' McDonnell said.

Police also said their investigation turned up indications that Kobayashi had previously expressed a desire to disconnect from modern technology, and she is not believed to have taken her cell phone with her to Mexico.   

McDonnell stressed that police "have not been able to determine any crime has been committed."

According to her family, Hannah Kobayashi, 30, was traveling to New York City to visit family when she disappeared. She landed at LAX on Nov. 8 but did not board her connecting flight, and she apparently spent the night at LAX.

She traveled the next day to The Grove shopping center and returned to LAX that night, according to the family. She was spotted back at The Grove on Nov. 10 attending a Nike/LeBron James event, and likely returned to LAX again. She was spotted around 5 p.m. Nov. 11 speaking to a ticketing agent at LAX, but she did not board a flight, according to the family.

The family says Kobayashi boarded an eastbound Metro C Line train at the Century/Aviation Station the night of Nov. 11, transferred to a northbound A Line train at the Rosa Parks Station, accompanied by an "unknown individual,'' with whom she was seen at about 10 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Metro Pico Station near Cryto.com Arena. The family says she was spotted early the next morning, Nov. 12, at the Union Station bus terminal in downtown Los Angeles.   

The family said earlier the last communications they received from Kobayashi were in strange text messages, including one in which she said she was feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity.

McDonnell insisted, however, that there was no evidence of a crime. Police also noted that they were able to identify the person who was spotted on video with Kobayashi after meeting her at LAX, and he is not suspected of any wrongdoing.

McDonnell also said Kobayashi did not miss her connecting flight to New York, but chose not to board it ``for unknown reasons.'' He noted that while her luggage was checked through to New York, she asked that it be returned to her at LAX, and she was seen on video picking up her luggage at an airport baggage carousel on Nov. 11. She was seen carrying the same luggage when she went into Mexico, police said.   

"LAPD's Missing Persons Unit has conducted extensive witness interviews, reviewed video surveillance and collaborated with local and federal law enforcement agencies on this case,'' McDonnell said. ``To date the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobauashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play. She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity. Additionally, the investigators noted that before departing Maui, Kobayashi expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity."

"Our priority is ensuring Miss Kobayashi's safety and well-being, and we urge Miss Kobayashi to contact her family, law enforcement or personnel at the U.S. Embassy to let us know that she is safe,'' he said. "She has a right to her privacy and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her. A simple message could reassure those who care about her."  

There were no immediate statements from the family. A Facebook page that had been set up to provide updates on the search was suspended over the weekend.

The heavily publicized search effort by the family took a tragic turn on Nov. 24, when Kobayashi's father, Ryan, 58, killed himself. He was found near an LAX parking structure from which he may have jumped.

"After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah's father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life,'' according to a statement from the family at the time. ``This loss has compounded the family's suffering immeasurably.''