Hannah Kobayashi last seen crossing U.S-Mexico border after missing LAX flight
Hannah Kobayashi, a woman who disappeared after missing her LAX flight to New York, was seen leaving the country, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Detectives from the agency's Missing Persons Unit believe video footage shows Kobayashi crossing the U.S. border into Mexico after sending her family a concerning series of cryptic messages, according to the department.
One of the texts sent from Kobayashi's phone read "I just finished a very intense spiritual awakening. I'm heading back to the airport to get to NYC. I might need some help getting there."
"Things started to get nefarious and scary on Monday when it went from 'I can't see you. I'm so excited,' to texts about people stealing her identity," Kobayashi's aunt Larie Pidgeon said. "That she was scared. That she felt unsafe. That people were going to steal her funds and that doesn't make sense. Using pet names she's never used before."
However, during a press conference on Monday night, Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced that Kobayashi was voluntarily missing.
"The investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play," McDonnell said. "She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity. Additionally, the investigators noted that before departing Maui Kobayashi expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity."
Kobayashi's cryptic texts before her sudden disappearance sparked her family's frantic search throughout LA.
"If she decided to deter her trip she would've let us know," Pidgeon said. "We haven't heard from her. We haven't, so we know something is wrong."
Pidgeon says Kobayashi's phone was last pinged at LAX Nov. 11 and then she went dark. Kobayashi's family flew from New York to search for her, including the 30-year-old woman's father Ryan Kobayashi. They spent November passing out fliers and posting them in areas where she was last seen.
During the family's search, police found Ryan Kobayashi's body near LAX airport last week. Investigators said he appeared to have died by suicide.