Hannah Kobayashi missed her flight—then vanished. Her household fears she’s been kidnapped after receiving chilling texts | EUROtoday

It’s been greater than three weeks since Hannah Kobayashi missed a connecting flight in Los Angeles.

The 30-year-old from Maui, Hawaii, went lacking on November 8 whereas touring to New York City for what she described as a “bucket list” journey.

In the times after her disappearance, Kobayashi was seen in varied locations round LA and, most not too long ago on November 12, she was noticed by Border Patrol brokers on surveillance footage crossing over the Mexican border.

The Kobayashi household’s heartbreak was compounded by the dying of the lacking lady’s father Ryan Kobayashi on November 24 close to Los Angeles International Airport. He had traveled to town to assist seek for his daughter, police stated.

Meanwhile, a sequence of suspicious texts had been additionally despatched from Kobayashi’s telephone, however she has now gone silent.

On December 2, the LAPD declared Kobayashi a “voluntary missing person,” including that no proof has been uncovered that she is “being trafficked or is the victim of foul play”.

Here’s every thing we all know:

Where was she going?

Kobayashi, a photographer and aspiring DJ, departed her hometown of Maui, Hawaii, on November 8 to go to her aunt in New York City. She described the journey in her hand-written itinerary as “bucket list dreams become reality”.

She had initially deliberate the journey with a boyfriend who she had since damaged up with. The pair on account of journey on the identical flight however had determined to go their separate methods as soon as they landed at John F Kennedy International Airport, in New York.

They touched down at LAX for a 42-minute layover and whereas her ex-boyfriend made it to the ultimate vacation spot, the Hawaiian missed the connection, in response to CNN.

Kobayashi’s aunt, Geordan Montalvo, was supposed to fulfill her niece at her resort and go to a present that night on November 12, the lacking lady’s mom Brandi Yee stated.

The ex-boyfriend has since been serving to police with their inquiries to attempt to discover Kobayashi.

Where was she final seen?

A photograph of Kobayashi appeared to indicate her getting off the flight on the Los Angeles airport on November 8.

The subsequent day she was noticed at a Taschen bookstore at The Grove purchasing heart within the Fairfax space of LA. Her household stated they have no idea why.

A video posted on YouTube On Sunday November 10 confirmed Kobayashi on the LeBron XXII Trial Experience, an occasion held on the Nike retailer, additionally at The Grove. A photograph of the occasion additionally appeared to have been posted on her Instagram account.

A day in a while November 11, surveillance video round a downtown Los Angeles Metro prepare station close to the Crypto.com enviornment confirmed her with an unknown particular person. Her household stated she “does not appear to be in good condition” within the footage.

“She is not safe, and she is not alone,” her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, informed KTLA 5.

Police stated in an announcement on December 2 that Kobayashi was seen gathering her baggage from a carousel at LAX on November 11.

According to surveillance footage from the US Customs and Border Protection, which was reviewed by the Los Angeles Police Department on December 1, she was alone, carrying solely her belongings.

“To date, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play,” the LAPD stated within the assertion.

“She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity.”

Suspicious funds

Police had been investigating a pair of funds she revamped Venmo to a person and lady on November 9.

One of the funds was despatched at 6:25 p.m. to a girl named Veronica Almendarez and was labeled with a bow-and-arrow emoji, in response to TheUS Sun.

Less than an hour later, at 7:19 p.m., Kobayashi made a second fee to a person named Jonathan Taylor with the topic line “reading.”

That fee was reportedly for a tarot card studying, sources acquainted with the investigation informed the outlet.

Pidgeon stated that their search efforts are nonetheless targeted on downtown LA, and that they nonetheless have hope to seek out Kobayashi alive.

It’s unclear precisely how a lot she despatched within the funds she made earlier than she was final heard from on November 11.

‘Weird’ texts

The Kobayashi household stated they acquired a “strange and cryptic” textual content from her telephone suggesting she was being “intercepted” whereas she was boarding a Metro prepare, and expressing concern that somebody was attempting to steal her id.

“Once the family started pressing, she went dark,” Pidgeon beforehand informed the Associated Press. She stated the telephone “just went dead” after November 11.

That day, her mom texted her asking whether or not she made it to New York, to which the daughter responded she hadn’t.

Kobayashi later texted a buddy, writing: “Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f*** since Friday.”

Another message stated, “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds,” adopted by one saying, “For someone I thought I love”.

A 3rd message a buddy acquired from Kobayashi’s quantity stated she had been “tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds” to “someone I thought I loved,” it was beforehand reported.

Her sister Sydni Kobayashi spoke of her household’s fears that “someone is controlling her.” She informed NewsNation late final month that “strange” textual content messages “were absolutely not like her.”

The textual content messages used phrases like “hun,” “love” and “babe,” phrases that Kobayashi wouldn’t use, her sister previous HawaiiNewsNow.

The LAPD launched an investigation into Kobayashi’s disappearance with help from the FBI, nonetheless her sister stated on-line that the pressure had “not been much help”.

Tragic dying of her father

In contemporary heartache for the household, Kobayashi’s dad Ryan Kobayashi was discovered useless in Los Angeles close to LAX within the early hours of November 24 police stated.

The 58-year-old died in an obvious suicide within the airport car parking zone after having traveled to LA to seek for his daughter, in response to the LAPD.

The LA County health worker stated the person had succumbed to a number of blunt pressure traumatic accidents.

Just just a few days earlier than he died, he was handing out lacking individuals flyers within the metropolis and stated he would do every thing in his energy to seek out Kobayashi.

“We’re just trying to get us as much information as we can,” he beforehand informed HawaiiNewsNow. “Want to get the word out… has anyone seen my daughter?”

He added: “She’s a wonderful person who brings joy to so many people.”

Sydni Kobayashi informed NewsNation that her father “fought until his last breath” to seek out Hannah.

While Kobayashi’s aunt informed People that the household believes the daddy was overwhelmed in the course of the search and suffered a psychological well being emergency.

“He died of a broken heart,” Pigeon stated. “I think it just became so overwhelming for [Ryan] driving the streets, going to Skid Row and seeing where his daughter could possibly have ended up.”

If you’re based mostly within the USA, and also you or somebody you realize wants psychological well being help proper now, name or textual content 988, or go to 988lifeline.org to entry on-line chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential disaster hotline that’s obtainable to everybody 24 hours a day, seven days per week. If you’re out of the country, you possibly can go to www.befrienders.org to discover a helpline close to you.