Hawaii Woman Hannah Kobayashi Returns to the U.S. After Mysterious Disappearance
Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaii woman who was believed to have gone missing before being declared a “voluntary missing person” by police, is reportedly back in America after crossing the border to Mexico on foot.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, TMZ reports that Kobayashi is back in California after leaving Mexico over the weekend. After being questioned by U.S. officials to see if she was OK, TMZ writes that Kobayashi seemed “healthy” and was not under any “duress.”
The outlet adds that she was greeted by her lawyer upon her arrival, though it’s unclear if she’s seen her family yet.
On Nov. 8, the 31-year-old failed to board a connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York City which she was set to visit. Three days later, her family reported her missing and a police investigation swiftly ensued. After three weeks of searching, police moved to classify Kobayashi as a “voluntary missing person” as video evidence revealed that she had entered Mexico on foot, alone and unharmed.
In the days following Kobayashi’s disappearance, her father died by suicide in what his loved ones described as a result of a “broken heart.”
Earlier this week, Kobayashi’s family also disclosed that they made contact with her on the phone. On Dec. 15, her sister, Sydni, posted a statement on Facebook detailing how the conversation went.
“We do not have actual proof of where she is, other than that she is somewhere in Mexico,” her sister wrote. “The past 31 days have been absolute hell for us, and I feel they will continue to be for a while, even as we try to transition back to some semblance of normalcy.”
“Each day brought the unbearable uncertainty of whether my sister was alive or dead,” she continued. “Losing my father to suicide during this ordeal was more than my soul and heart could bear. I am human.”
While it’s unclear why Kobayashi chose to leave, her friends shared a series of text messages from her to the New York Post that indicate she may have been part of a scam.
“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f—k since Friday,” she texted one of her friends, according to the Post.
“I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds… For someone I thought I loved,” she wrote in another text.
