Hannah Kobayashi crossed into Mexico alone, police say

Hannah Kobayashi crossed the U.S. border into Mexico on foot and alone, according to Los Angeles police.

Investigators in the case of the missing Hawaii woman reviewed surveillance video from the Border Patrol on Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at an evening news conference.

“The footage clearly shows 30-year-old Hannah Kobayashi crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico,” police said in a statement. She was seen walking through a tunnel shortly after noon on Nov. 12. “She was alone, with her luggage.”

McDonnell said at the news conference that Kobayashi had been classified as a voluntary missing person.

Kobayashi went missing Nov. 8 after catching a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles, with a connecting flight that would ultimately take her to New York, where she planned to visit relatives. Her family became worried after she landed at LAX and sent them cryptic text messages, suggesting that someone was trying to steal her money and identity.

McDonnell said he was aware of the questions surrounding the woman’s missed connection at LAX, saying the department’s investigation “corroborated by video evidence clearly shows Hannah at LAX, appearing unharmed after arriving from Maui on Nov. 8 of this year.”

“For unknown reasons, she decided not to board her prescheduled flight to New York,” he said. He said that police had uncovered no evidence that she was being trafficked or was involved in any criminal activity.

Kobayashi’s family did not immediately respond to a Times request for comment on the latest information from police but earlier strongly disputed the idea that Kobayashi had intentionally missed her connecting flight.

Sydni Kobayashi, her sister, said on social media that “[b]ased on information, surveillance footage reviewed and information shared with us, these are the facts known to my mother and I: It does not appear that Hannah intentionally missed her flight.”

Police, however, uncovered old social media posts suggesting that Kobayashi had “expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity,” McDonnell said.

The chief urged her to contact her family, law enforcement or someone from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to assure them of her well-being.

“She has a right to her privacy, and we respect her choices,” he said, “but we also understand the concern loved ones feel for her; a simple message could reassure those she cares about.”

The LAPD investigation will not continue a search into Mexico, McDonnell said, but he encouraged anyone with information about Kobayashi’s whereabouts to contact law enforcement.

Sydni Kobayashi was critical of the investigation, citing “lack of communication surrounding some important details” and saying the family had felt “excluded from potentially crucial developments.” She noted, however, that they were “hopeful and optimistic” that police were doing their best to find Kobayashi.

Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton pushed back on the family’s criticism at Monday’s news conference, saying there had been “daily communication and contact with family members,” as well as considerable resources expended, including sending investigators to the U.S.-Mexico border to examine the surveillance footage.

According to Kobayashi’s family, she landed at LAX on Nov. 8 and missed her connecting flight to New York City because of a short layover. Kobayashi stayed overnight in Los Angeles and was seen the next day at the Taschen bookstore at the Grove, an open-air shopping mall in the Fairfax district.

On Nov. 10, Kobayashi was captured on video outside a Nike event near the Grove and was believed to have returned to LAX, according to her family’s statement.

On Nov. 11, Kobayashi was seen talking to a ticketing agent at LAX; she then boarded the Metro C Line at the Aviation/Century station around 9 p.m., her family wrote. She transferred at the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station and was seen in video leaving the Pico station with an unknown person.

On Nov. 12, Kobayashi was captured on video at the Greyhound bus terminal at Union Station in downtown L.A. around 6:30 a.m., according to her family.

Just a few hours later, according to police, the woman crossed into Mexico.

After Kobayashi’s disappearance, her father, Ryan, flew to Los Angeles to help look for his daughter. The elder Kobayashi was found dead last week near LAX in what police said was an apparent suicide.

The body of Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found in a parking lot in the 6100 block of Century Boulevard. According to the Los Angeles County medical examiner, Ryan Kobayashi died from blunt force traumatic injuries.

“Our hearts go out to the Kobayashi family during this unimaginable time of grief,” McDonnell said during a Nov. 26 Police Commission meeting. “We remain fully committed to locating Hannah and supporting the family as they navigate their way through this tragedy.”