Hannah Kobayashi lawyer defends Mexico search fundraiser & insists ‘need has gone up’ as she calls on State Dept to help
HANNAH Kobayashi’s family lawyer has fired back at backlash over their request for more funds to search for the missing woman in Mexico.
The family is calling on the US State Department to get involved after the bombshell revelation on Monday that Kobayashi crossed the border on November 12.
The Hawaii woman, 30, was feared missing after landing in Los Angeles on November 8, when she missed a connecting flight that was supposed to bring her to New York City for a solo trip.
Her disappearance sparked a massive hunt in Los Angeles that’s drawn attention and speculation from across the nation.
Family flew to Los Angeles to search for her and feared she may have been kidnapped or trafficked until December 2 – when cops revealed she crossed into Mexico alone on November 12.
Surveillance video of her at the border led the Los Angeles Police Department to suspend the search for Kobayashi, calling her disappearance “voluntary.”
But Kobayashi’s family insists her unusual behavior, including cryptic texts before she went off the grid, is alarming and vowed to continue the search for her with resources provided by a GoFundMe fundraiser they organized on November 15.
The fundraiser, which raised $47,612 of its $50,000 goal as of Friday, has fueled online controversy as social media users called for the family to shut it down over claims of Kobayashi’s voluntary disappearance.
Sara Azari, Kobayashi’s family’s attorney, said the family has no plans of taking it down because “search efforts are not over.”
“The mission of that GoFundMe has not changed, only the need for money has gone up,” Azari told The U.S. Sun.
ADDED EXPENSES
The fundraiser was originally created to provide food, transportation, and a media campaign as volunteers rallied to search for Kobayashi in Los Angeles in the days following her disappearance from LAX.
The investigation took a tragic turn when Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead by suicide in a Los Angeles parking lot after two weeks of searching for his daughter.
“As we continue searching for Hannah, we also face the unexpected costs of Ryan’s funeral,” Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni Kobayashi, wrote in an update to the GoFundMe page’s description.
“Donations will now support both the search for Hannah and honoring Ryan’s memory.”
Azari emphasized, “The mission of the GoFundMe is no different – except now it’s even more money that we need because we have to deploy assistance in Mexico. And the father died so there’s also funeral expenses.
“The GoFundMe is absolutely legitimate, we post updates, and we have receipts for all the expenses.”
Azari told The U.S. Sun how the family will use donations to investigate Kobayashi’s whereabouts.
“We have to go to Mexico. We have to start an investigation there, use the media there, and I’m starting to put all that in place,” Azari explained.
The disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
HANNAH Kobayashi sparked a massive search after missing a flight to New York during a layover in Los Angeles. Here is a timeline of events in the case.
Friday, November 8: Hannah leaves her home in Maui and arrives in Los Angeles for a connecting flight to New York City. She has 42 minutes to make the flight at 11 pm.
Saturday, November 9: Hannah is meant to land at JFK airport in New York City at 7 am but never arrives. She is seen at a bookshop at The Grove, an hour from the Los Angeles airport.
Sunday, November 10: Hannah sends a message saying she’s scared and worried about someone trying to steal her money and identity, alongside several other cryptic texts. She’s later seen at a Nike event at The Grove in Los Angeles.
Monday, November 11: Hannah’s phone data puts her back at LAX. She posts a picture on her Instagram account from the Nike event. Her phone is then turned off.
Tuesday, November 12: Unbeknownst to her family, Hannah catches a bus from Union Station down to San Ysidro, San Diego, and crosses the border into Tijuana, Mexico.
Wednesday, November 13: Family files missing person’s report and flies to LA to search for her. They are informed she was last seen at Pico Station in Downtown Los Angeles with an unidentified male.
Sunday, November 24: After scouring LA’s Skid Row and other areas for nearly a week, Hannah’s dad Ryan takes his own life and is found dead in a Los Angeles parking lot.
Monday, December 2: Cops announce Hannah was spotted in surveillance footage crossing into Mexico from the US on November 12 and say she wanted to step away from modern connectivity. The investigation is paused.
Tuesday, December 3: Hannah’s family vows to keep looking for her in a statement released by their attorney.
“I don’t know if we’re going to have [volunteers] on the ground like we did here, but certainly that’s the goal.
“More importantly, I have to escalate this to the State Department because this is now not on US soil.
“This is an American citizen who’s gone missing,” she added.
When approached for comment, the DOS told The U.S. Sun they have no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad and could not comment further.
Azari said donors who claimed the GoFundMe’s mission is misleading should get their money back instead of slamming the family.
“Anyone who wants a refund can get a refund from GoFundMe,” she said.
“They have policies for that so they can just go on there and ask questions and ask for refunds or whatever they want to do.”
GoFundMe confirmed the fundraiser does not violate their terms of service.
‘THEY’RE HONEST PEOPLE’
“The legitimacy of that refund is something I first and foremost investigated,” Azari said, vouching for the family’s legitimacy.
“This is a family who is very above board. They’re honest people.
“Everything is supported by receipts, all the funds are documented as to what they’ve been spent on, and the mission has been updated to include that there’s now additional expenses because of the latest that we learned that she went to Mexico.”
Azari also slammed LAPD after Police Chief Jim McDonnell said there was nothing more cops could do after Kobayashi’s disappearance was declared voluntary with no foul play involved.
The family is genuinely concerned for her because this is not how she rolls.
Sara Azari
McDonnell said surveillance footage shows Kobayashi crossing into Mexico alone with her luggage at a pedestrian port of entry in San Diego on November 12 – but the family said cops never showed them the video.
“The police have not been good about, despite what the police chief said, giving this family a lot of transparent, regular disclosures or updates or anything,” Azari said.
“The family’s really been in the dark. They found out about the Mexico entry just hours before it was announced at a press conference.”
Despite LAPD previously telling reporters Kobayashi had gone missing before, the Maui Police Department confirmed to The U.S. Sun there was no previous missing person report filed for her in Maui, where she’s a resident.
“She has never gone missing before. Ever,” Azari said.
“And when she has traveled, she’s always stayed in touch.”
LAPD told The U.S. Sun they have no further comment on the case.
FEARS OF MARRIAGE SCAM
Speculation has also swirled that Kobayashi was involved in a green card marriage scam after a picture circulated online appearing to show her getting married to an Argentinian man named Alan Cacace.
Family's statement on alleged marriage
Hannah Kobayashi's family's attorney, Sara Azari, shared the following statement on behalf of Hannah's family about claims she was involved in a green card marriage scam:
“We want to stress that the family has not publicly announced any information regarding an alleged marriage because we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information.
“The family has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage. This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigative team.
“We would also like to confirm that we turned over the alleged information to law enforcement immediately upon receipt.
“Further, while we appreciate Larie’s efforts, she does not speak on behalf of our immediate family, which consists of Hannah’s mother, Brandi and her sister, Sydni.
“We remain focused on verifying the details and leads we have received, and ask for your understanding and patience as we continue our investigation.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported us during this incredibly difficult time. Your efforts, especially those of the volunteers and individuals who have gone above and beyond to help search for Hannah, mean the world to us.
“Finally, we kindly ask everyone to avoid jumping to conclusions or spreading unverified claims. It is especially important not to perpetuate speculation that anyone is involved in a scam, as this only hinders our efforts to find Hannah and bring clarity and closure to the nightmare we are living because of her disappearance.”
Source: X
Azari said the family is investigating the marriage claims but that they didn’t share the information with the public earlier because they didn’t know if it was legitimate.
“At this point, we don’t have any information that that information is correct, whether that photo is real, we don’t know,” Azari said after revealing the family was made aware of the picture on November 15.
“But this came to Hannah’s sister’s attention from Reddit via Facebook and she immediately turned it over to law enforcement.”
Azari said the family just wants to know if Kobayashi is safe, even if it means she has no plans of coming home.
“The family’s not trying to coerce her, the family is genuinely concerned for her because this is not how she rolls,” the lawyer explained.
“All they want to know is that she’s located and that she’s safe.”
Sydni vowed she won’t stop looking for her sister until she physically sees her alive and well with her own eyes.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.