A woman disappears in L.A. and its mysterious trail leads to Mexico

Report Issue

Please complete the required fields.

Your Name

Email

Reason (required)
This post contains broken linksPost has incorrect informationPost has spamCopyright IssueOther

Description

Submit

Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaii woman who had been believed to be missing in Los Angeles, crossed the border into Mexico on her own accord four days after landing at LAX and is not the victim of any crime, the LAPD said Monday.

“To date the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of any foul play,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.

Detectives reviewed her social media accounts and found a desire expressed to “step away from modern connectivity,” he added.

The investigation discovered that while Kobayashi initially checked her bag through to New York, she later instructed it to be sent to her at LAX, where she retrieved it on Nov. 11.

She later used her passport and cash to buy a bus ticket at Union Station to travel to the San Ysidro border crossing, where she entered Mexico via tunnel on foot at 12:13 p.m. on Nov. 12.

LAPD has not pursued the investigation further into Mexico because it appears she is not the victim of any crime. If she returns to the United States, law enforcement will be notified.

“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point,” McDonnell said. “She’s left the country and in another nation now.”

It is believed she does not have her phone with her. McDonnell urged her to contact her family or the nearest U.S. embassy to provide assurances she is safe.

“She has a right to privacy and we respect her choices,” McDonnell said. “But we also understand the concern her loved ones have for her.”

Kobayashi flew from Maui to LAX on Nov. 8 and was supposed to catch a connecting flight to New York a short time later. But she missed the flight and, after a few cryptic text messages, lost contact with her family within a few days. Family members have traveled to Los Angeles to search for her.

Mexico, a country of the dead and disappeared