Curious case of Hannah Kobayashi: ‘Voluntary Missing’ 

In a new development, police said that Hannah Kobayashi, the curiously missing 30-year-old woman who has captured headlines in America for the past month, had spent the night in Los Angeles with a stranger before she eventually went missing.

Kobayashi is believed to have met the unnamed man near the airport before forming a quick bond and spending nine hours together, according to an LAPD official who talked to People magazine.

Questions around her missing status have been fuelling intense speculation. Has Kobayashi moved to Mexico “voluntarily” as the police suggest, or is she still hiding in Los Angeles for reasons best known to her? Nobody knows even as Americans are agog with this latest case of the woman who went out of the radar between connecting flights.

Kobayashi was reported missing after her family said she did not board her connecting flight from Maui to New York City at the Los Angeles International Airport on November 8, 2024. Over the next few days, she was captured on surveillance videos and as images at various locations around Los Angeles.

Three weeks later on December 2, the The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared Kobayashi a “voluntary missing” person.

“As the family is aware, after traveling to the US-Mexico border, we reviewed video surveillance from US Customs and Border Protection, which clearly shows Kobayashi crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said earlier.

McDonnell said that Kobayashi was “alone, with her luggage and appeared unharmed” when she went to Mexico and that there was no evidence she was “being trafficked or is the victim of foul play.”

The investigation officer also said that Kobayashi had, in the past, “expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity.”

Her family, in their statement, said they are “committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely.”

McDonnell said she had a right to her privacy, but she was urged to contact her family or law enforcement.

Twist in the case

Adding to the mystery, Hannah’s father Ryan Kobayashi, who had been in the search party along with volunteers, was found dead in a parking lot near the LA International Airport on November 24. Police said he had committed suicide.

What’s going on with the search?

The search is still on, though more at a private level with family members, friends and local volunteers joining the hunt in Los Angeles. Places like the airport and The Grove which is a few miles west of downtown, have been under scrutiny.

Here is the timeline of Hannah’s disappearance even as the nation is trying to figure out what really happened to Hannah, or what she’s up to.

Timeline of Events

November 8

Hannah Kobayashi arrives at LAX from Maui, heading to New York City.

She misses her connecting flight and informs her family she will sleep at the airport.

The family assumes she is on standby for another flight.

November 9

Hannah texts her family, stating she is sightseeing in Los Angeles and plans to visit The Grove shopping mall and downtown LA.

Gets captured on surveillance video at various locations in Los Angeles.

November 11

Family receives alarming and cryptic text messages from Hannah’s phone about being “intercepted” and fears identity theft.

November 24

Hannah’s father Ryan Kobayashi is found dead by apparent suicide near LAX where he had gone to look for her.

Current Status

The LAPD classifies Hannah as a “voluntary missing person” with no evidence of human trafficking or crime.

(With inputs from AP)