{"id":134868,"date":"2024-12-08T22:58:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T15:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134868"},"modified":"2024-12-08T22:58:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T15:58:58","slug":"hannah-kobayashi-case-of-missing-hawaii-woman-stirs-theories-and-frustration-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134868","title":{"rendered":"Hannah Kobayashi: case of missing Hawaii woman stirs theories and frustration | US news"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500;\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">O<\/span>n 11 November, the family of Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old Hawaiian photographer, received alarming texts from her cellphone informing them she had been \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/missing-woman-hawaii-hannah-kobayashi-237f5a7131079d4666aa5b0e77dd783e\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">intercepted<\/a>\u201d. A friend got a message from the phone stating: \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/29\/us\/timeline-hannah-kobayashi-missing-case\/index.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Deep Hackers wiped my identity<\/a>, stole all of my funds, &amp; have had me on a mind f**k since Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">So far that was the last thing her family has heard from her. Kobayashi\u2019s disappearance apparently caused panic among those close to her and sparked a frantic and massive investigation from law enforcement. It has captured both American and global headlines and likely played a significant role in the tragic suicide of her father.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Yet Kobayashi\u2019s disappearance is far from a run-of-the-mill criminal case. Astonishingly, authorities last week provided a partial answer to the question of what happened to Kobayashi: she was not kidnapped or killed. She was, according to police, a \u201cvoluntary missing person\u201d captured on video crossing the border by herself into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/mexico\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"08504765-d233-4895-9279-bdffed760fa4\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:3,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Missing Hawaii woman seen crossing into Mexico, police say&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;08504765-d233-4895-9279-bdffed760fa4&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/dec\/03\/missing-hawaii-woman-crossed-into-mexico&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:10,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">That was not the end of the story, however, as some in her family have not accepted that official explanation. Meanwhile, some people who closely followed the story and were moved to help the family are questioning whether they should have supported the cause. Law enforcement is also now investigating whether Kobayashi had been part of a scam.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Family and law enforcement have still made the same <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EXXYeABHKk0\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">plea to Kobayashi<\/a>: please let us know you are safe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cShe has the right to privacy, and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel,\u201d Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police department chief, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lapdonline.org\/newsroom\/statement-from-the-los-angeles-police-department-regarding-hannah-kobayashi-nr24328ma\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">stated in a news release<\/a> on 2 December. \u201cA simple message could reassure those who care about her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">There was little to suggest that Kobayashi and her family would ever be at the center of such drama. Kobayashi loved travel, photography, art and music, her father, Ryan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/25\/us\/hannah-kobayashi-father-found-dead-hnk\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told CNN<\/a> after she went missing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Kobayashi also in 2022 shared a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/ClMvg5Gvjo9\/?igsh=MXRzMHF1bmMzd3Iybw%3D%3D\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">selfie on Instagram<\/a> of herself at a volcano in Hawaii, along with the words: \u201cAttachment is the root of all suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"58f0ec99-20bd-430a-886b-0a6b628abfb9\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1fujct4\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Supporters donated more than $47,000 to the GoFundMe page to aid the search for Hannah Kobayashi.<\/span> Photograph: Wally Skalij\/Los Angeles Times\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">On 14 November, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kitv.com\/news\/maui-woman-reported-missing-while-traveling-family-seeks-help-finding-her\/article_4c01a3b6-a2f6-11ef-ae2f-5f6f053a2a5b.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">news organizations<\/a> in Hawaii reported that a local family was searching for a loved one who had apparently gone missing. She was supposed to travel from Maui to Los Angeles to New York to visit an aunt and take pictures at a DJ\u2019s show in Brooklyn but never arrived.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cThis is so unlike Hannah, she\u2019s very responsible. I mean, she was looking forward to the event so much,\u201d her aunt Larie Pidgeon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kitv.com\/news\/maui-woman-reported-missing-while-traveling-family-seeks-help-finding-her\/article_4c01a3b6-a2f6-11ef-ae2f-5f6f053a2a5b.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told KITV 4<\/a> in Hawaii.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">When asked if she had a message for her niece, Pidgeon choked up and said: \u201cWe will not stop until we find you, you have so many family, you have so many friends who love you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The family filed a missing person report and started a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/4fmxej-support-the-search-for-hannah-kobayashi\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">GoFundMe page<\/a> to help locate her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Photos and video emerged of her in Los Angeles before her disappearance. Upon learning his daughter was missing, Ryan Kobayashi traveled to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/california\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">California<\/a> to help find her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cI wasn\u2019t too close with her \u2026 growing up,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/25\/us\/hannah-kobayashi-father-found-dead-hnk\/index.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told CNN<\/a> in an interview last week. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to make up. I\u2019m trying to get her back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">About two weeks after Ryan started his search, his body was found near the Los Angeles international airport. A medical examiner determined he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/nov\/25\/hawaii-missing-hannah-kobayashi-father-dead-suicide\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">died by suicide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cAfter tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah\u2019s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family\u2019s suffering immeasurably,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/25\/us\/hannah-kobayashi-father-found-dead-hnk\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a statement<\/a> from a non-profit helping with the search read.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">About a week later, the LAPD announced that Kobayashi had voluntarily crossed the border from the United States into Mexico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">She had purchased a bus ticket in Los Angeles and traveled to San Ysidro, California. She crossed the border alone, with her luggage, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2024\/12\/02\/hannah-kobayashi-mexico-border\/76717250007\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">video surveillance<\/a> from US Customs and Border Protection showed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cThe investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play. She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity. Additionally, the investigators noted that before departing Maui, Kobayashi expressed a desire to step away from modern connectivity,\u201d the release stated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">A sister, Sydni, did not accept the conclusion that Kobayashi intentionally disappeared.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsnationnow.com\/missing\/hannah-kobayashi-sister-lawyer-interview\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">She told NewsNation<\/a>: \u201cIt feels like someone else is involved or controlling her or doing something.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-23\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"newsletter promotion\" class=\"dcr-av5vqf\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1xjndtj\">Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning<\/p>\n<p><gu-island name=\"SecureSignup\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;newsletterId&quot;:&quot;today-us&quot;,&quot;successDescription&quot;:&quot;Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning&quot;}\"\/><span class=\"dcr-1eusqlu\"><strong>Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/help\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/span><\/aside>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-23\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cIf she had seen what happened with my father and his passing, she would have definitely reached out by now,\u201d Sydni said. \u201cThere\u2019s no way that she wouldn\u2019t have reached out, knowing the person that she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Some followers of the story, however, expressed skepticism that Kobayashi was still in danger \u2013 or had ever been.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">People had donated more than $47,000 to the GoFundMe page to help find her and the family had also created a Facebook group, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/1721515858420462\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Help Us Find Hannah<\/a>, which more than 25,000 people joined.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cOnce something goes viral, people like to feel like they are part of that story,\u201d said Danielle Slakoff, an assistant professor of criminal justice at California State University, Sacramento, who specializes in media portrayal of criminal cases. \u201cPeople will go to Reddit and go to TikTok \u2026 and they will chat with people about the case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cThese stories become gathering spaces on social media,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"d3f0823b-b977-48a4-b6eb-100f68dd0331\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1fujct4\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Ryan Kobayashi, center, holds a picture of his missing daughter in Los Angeles on 21 November 2024.<\/span> Photograph: Damian Dovarganes\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Some people have now asked for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/hannahkobayashi\/comments\/1h5e6s1\/please_be_sure_to_get_your_gofundme_donations\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">refunds for their donations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cHope this will be a valuable lesson for some people out there to not rush into opening your wallets up for strangers and a sob story so early on,\u201d one person wrote on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/hannahkobayashi\/comments\/1h5e6s1\/please_be_sure_to_get_your_gofundme_donations\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Reddit thread<\/a> about her disappearance. \u201cLook at how much has come to light in just 3 weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/hannahkobayashi\/comments\/1h4mizf\/sydni_mom_are_removing_the_find_hannah_facebook\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">user in the Facebook group<\/a> announced that the family would be shutting down the page because of threats against their lives, and \u201cthe negativity and attacks\u2026have become more than they can bear\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The GoFundMe page remained active. Sydni, Kobayashi\u2019s sister, posted on 3 December that the family was still concerned for her safety and had hired an attorney and private investigator and that she had urged the LAPD to release the footage of Kobayashi crossing into Mexico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Sydni wrote on GoFundMe: \u201cIn addition to the expenses associated with our continued search efforts, we now also anticipate significant legal costs and expenses as we continue our search for Hannah.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Then on 4 December, <a href=\"https:\/\/lamag.com\/news\/investigators-want-to-know-if-hannah-kobayashi-is-involved-in-green-card-marriage-scam\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Los Angeles Magazine<\/a> reported that law enforcement, including the FBI, was investigating a new possible reason for Kobayashi\u2019s disappearance. She and her ex-boyfriend had possibly concocted an immigration scheme in which she participated in a marriage for money but was then scammed out of the proceeds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The report came after Kobayashi\u2019s mother discovered immigration documents in her daughter\u2019s home in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/hawaii\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Hawaii<\/a>. The alleged groom had also posted photos of the marriage on social media that have been removed, the magazine reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cThe 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,\u201d read a statement from the family by an attorney representing them. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">In the end. The mystery lingers and the only person who actually knows the truth has not yet spoken. Kobayashi herself remains silent and that may never change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cIf she is able to, let\u2019s say, go to the US embassy and say, \u2018I\u2019m safe. Let my family know I\u2019m safe,\u2019 that could potentially make it so that her family is able to resume their normal lives,\u201d Slakoff, the criminal justice professor, said. \u201cBut it is true that it\u2019s very complicated when an adult walks away because they do have the full right to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/dec\/08\/hannah-kobayashi-missing-theories\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 11 November, the family of Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old Hawaiian photographer, received alarming texts from her cellphone informing them she had been \u201cintercepted\u201d. A friend got a message from &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134868\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134868\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}