What We Know About the Disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
A 30-year-old woman from Hawaii has gone missing, and TikTok wants to get to the bottom of it. According to CNN, Hannah Kobayashi had November plans to travel from her home in Maui to New York with her then-boyfriend. NBC News reports the 30-year-old aspiring photographer was looking forward to exploring the city’s vibrant arts scene, alongside plans to visit her aunt upstate. Before the trip arrived, however, Kobayashi and her boyfriend broke up. Unable to get a refund for their flights, the exes apparently kept their plans intact, agreeing to go their separate ways once they arrived at JFK. But Hannah’s sister Sydni Kobayashi told CNN that Hannah didn’t board her connecting flight in Los Angeles and never made it to New York. Her family last heard from Hannah on November 11.
Per CNN, the FBI is now involved in the LAPD’s investigation into Hannah’s disappearance. While Hannah’s sister says her ex boarded the connecting flight to New York as planned, Hannah seems to have remained in Los Angeles for reasons that aren’t clear. In the days leading up to her disappearance, her friends and family say they began to receive “alarming” texts from Hannah. The messages were mildly suspicious at first, employing words like “hun,” “love,” and “babe” that Sydni says weren’t in her sister’s regular vocabulary. But family and close friends became increasingly concerned as the messages grew more sinister. “Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind fuck since Friday,” one such message read. Hannah reportedly texted another friend that she “got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds … for someone I thought I loved.”
“Hannah’s last message to us was alarming — she mentioned feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity,” Hannah’s aunt Larie Pidgeon wrote on Facebook following her niece’s disappearance. “She hasn’t been heard from since, and we are gravely concerned for her safety.”
“So, our mind is now going to, you know, abduction and, I hate to say the word, but, you know, trafficked,” Pidgeon told CNN. The last known surveillance footage of Hannah shows the 30-year-old with an unknown individual at a downtown Los Angeles Metro train station on November 11, her family said. Addressing Hannah’s potential captor, Pidgeon added, “Please just give her back to us. No questions asked. Just don’t hurt her. Please.”
The story of Hannah’s disappearance has been splashed across news sites, but it’s also drawn the attention of true-crime accounts on Facebook and TikTok, where amateur sleuths are now scrutinizing Hannah’s social-media activity. As the investigation into Kobayashi’s whereabouts continues, Pidgeon asked CNN to relay a message to her niece. “Hannah, we love you. We are all here. Your mom’s here, your sister’s here, your father’s here. The entire world is looking for you,” she said. On Monday, the LAPD confirmed that Hannah’s father — 58-year-old Ryan Kobayashi, who traveled to Los Angeles to help search for his daughter — has been found dead in a parking lot near LAX. NBC Los Angeles reports that police have indicated that his death was an apparent suicide.
In a statement, a missing-persons nonprofit believed to be supporting the Kobayashis asked for privacy for the family and emphasized their continued focus on the search for Hannah. “It is the family wish that the public keep the focus on locating and recovering Hannah safely,” the statement reads. “If you see Hannah, please call 911 immediately. Please obtain a photograph if possible. Your prompt action is crucial.”
This post has been updated.
Related