Hannah Kobayashi lawyer blasts ‘Hawaii wedding pic’ that stranger sent to sister as ‘green card marriage’ investigated
The attorney for the family of Hannah Kobayashi, who went missing about a month ago, has criticized a photograph that has sparked a lot of conjecture regarding the traveler’s marital status.
After arriving in Los Angeles on November 8, Kobayashi, a 30-year-old Hawaiian woman, vanished, leading to a frantic hunt that has garnered national attention due to its many twists and turns.
Police said Monday that Kobayashi was last spotted crossing the US-Mexico border on November 12. Kobayashi was seen carrying her passport and suitcase in surveillance footage that was made public on November 11.
Even though Kobayashi’s disappearance was deemed voluntary by the police, who claim that she wanted a “digital detox,” her family isn’t confident she’s safe because she hasn’t spoken to them since November 11.
The case took a turn when it became apparent that Kobayashi had fallen for an agreen card marriage scam when an image of her marrying an Argentian man named Alan Cacace became viral online.
Sara Azari, the lawyer for Kobayashi’s family, stated that because a stranger sent the photo to Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni, last month, the family is unsure of its authenticity.
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“What happened is on November 15, somebody on Facebook that we don t know sent Hannah s sister a picture that looked like a wedding picture on the beach in Hawaii with leis around their necks and Hannah with this man,” Azari told the U.S. Sun.
“They said that they got that off of Reddit.”
According to Azari, the anxious family sent the photo to the Los Angeles Police Department right away, but they were not informed of what the officers discovered.
“We have no idea what law enforcement investigated, and if they did, what they found out,” Azari said.
On December 3, Azari, a published novelist and criminal defense lawyer, said she would take over the family’s legal representation.
As the search for Kobayashi continues into Mexico, she added, her staff is taking on the task of looking into the marriage claims.
New twist in Hannah Kobayashi case as cops reveal missing woman was spotted alive on CCTV going into Mexico
In order to get legal residency through a green card, a foreign national typically marries an American citizen in a green card marriage fraud.
According to anonymous allegations by Los Angeles Magazine, Kobayashi’s family discovered immigration-related documentation at her Hawaii house after she vanished.
Social media users criticized the family for keeping their knowledge of the alleged phony marriage a secret.
The family was unsure of the veracity of the report, though.
Family’s statement about alleged marriage
Regarding allegations that Hannah Kobayashi was a part of a green card marriage fraud, her family’s lawyer, Sara Azari, posted the following statement on their behalf:
“We would like to emphasize that the family has not made any public announcements about a purported marriage since we lacked the information and supporting documentation to confirm the veracity of this claim.
“The family has not attested to the veracity of the information offered regarding a potential covert marriage or the legitimacy of the photos. With the assistance of our lawyer and investigative team, we are now looking into a number of leads, including this one.
“We also want to reaffirm that as soon as we received the alleged information, we gave it to law enforcement.
Additionally, even while we value Larie’s efforts, she does not speak for Hannah’s mother Brandi and her sister Sydni, who make up our personal family.
“As we continue our inquiry, we kindly ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to focus on confirming the information and leads we have received.
“We want to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped us through this extremely trying period. We much appreciate your efforts, particularly those of the volunteers and people who have gone above and beyond to assist in the hunt for Hannah.
Lastly, we respectfully request that everyone refrain from making hasty judgments or disseminating unsubstantiated statements. It is particularly crucial to avoid spreading rumors that someone is conniving, since this would only make it more difficult for us to locate Hannah and put an end to the misery we are experiencing as a result of her disappearance.”
Source: X
Azari remarked, “We don’t know if it’s true or not,”
“What we do not know, we will not disclose to the public.
“Just because somebody sent it and said they got it off Reddit, which is also unreliable, doesn t make it true.”
According to Azari, the family did the “right thing” by providing the police with the information so they could look into it.
According to the lawyer, Kobayashi has never been married as far as the family is aware.
According to the widely shared image, Cacace uploaded the wedding photo on October 26, almost two weeks prior to Kobayashi missing her November 8 flight to New York City.
Following her family’s requests for assistance after receiving cryptic texts from Kobayashi, volunteers gathered in Los Angeles to search for the missing tourist in the days after she was reported missing.
After flying to California to assist in the hunt for Hannah, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was spotted sobbing during a rally for the missing woman.
The disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
After missing a trip to New York during a layover in Los Angeles, Hannah Kobayashi set off a major search. This is a chronology of the case’s occurrences.
On Friday, November 8, Hannah departs from her Maui home and lands in Los Angeles in preparation for her subsequent journey to New York City. At 11 p.m., she has forty-two minutes to make the flight.
On Saturday, November 9, Hannah is scheduled to arrive at New York City’s JFK airport at 7 am, but she never does. An hour away from the Los Angeles airport, she is spotted inside a bookstore in The Grove.
Sunday, November 10: Along with a number of other cryptic texts, Hannah sends a message expressing her fear and anxiety about someone attempting to take her identity and money. Later, she is spotted at a Nike event in Los Angeles at The Grove.
On Monday, November 11, Hannah returns to LAX due to her phone data. She shares a photo from the Nike event on her Instagram account. Then she switches off her phone.
Tuesday, November 12: Hannah takes a bus from Union Station to San Ysidro, San Diego, and then crosses the border into Tijuana, Mexico, without her family knowing.
On Wednesday, November 13, the family flies to Los Angeles to look for her and files a missing person’s report. They have been told that she was last spotted with an unnamed male at Downtown Los Angeles’ Pico Station.
Sunday, November 24: Ryan, Hannah’s father, commits suicide and is discovered dead in a Los Angeles parking lot after searching Skid Row and other neighborhoods for almost a week.
Monday, December 2: Authorities report that Hannah was seen on security film entering Mexico from the United States on November 12 and that she desired to distance herself from contemporary technology. The inquiry has been put on hold.
Tuesday, December 3: In a statement issued by their lawyer, Hannah’s family promises to continue searching for her.
Weeks after his daughter was reported missing, Ryan was discovered dead by suicide in a parking lot at LAX, according to the authorities.
When The U.S. Sun contacted the LAPD, they declined to speak further.
After learning that Kobayashi entered Mexico willingly, police ceased their search for her, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell announced on Monday.
‘RECKLESS’
Azari stated that the search for Kobayashi will go on in Mexico even after the police took a step back.
“I think it s very reckless for the LAPD to call this voluntary,” she stated.
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For it to be against your will, you don’t even need to be pulled by your hair.
“I just have a problem with closing the books and calling it voluntary when that s very unusual behavior for somebody.”
You can text Crisis Text Line at 741741, chat on 988lifeline.org, or call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 if you or someone you know is impacted by any of the concerns discussed in this story.
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