Twist in Hannah Kobayashi case as mystery man who spent hours with missing woman before she vanished speaks out
Police have disclosed that a stranger who was observed conversing with Hannah Kobayashi for hours before to her disappearance was a “listening ear” to her.
After missing her connecting aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport on November 8 that would have taken her to New York City for a solo excursion, the 30-year-old Hawaiian woman was reported missing.
However, it was disclosed on December 2 that the missing woman crossed the US-Mexico border on foot on November 12 after police claimed she “voluntarily disappeared” from LAX.
Investigators said the wannabe photographer was seen on CCTV in Tijuana after using her passport and money to buy a bus ticket to the border.
However, Kobayashi stayed the night in Los Angeles with a stranger she met close to the airport prior to these occurrences.
According to investigators, the two seemed to click right away. They spent around nine hours together, strolling throughout the city before heading to Union Station, where they dozed off.
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MEETING WITH STRANGER
Investigating this encounter with the man who might have threatened her life yielded important information, Lieutenant Doug Oldfield told the news site.
“For a while, he was the last person to have seen her when we didn’t know where she was,” Oldfield continued.
“So we did have to spend a few days on this to ensure that nothing bad happened.”
However, Detective Omar Franco disclosed that their inquiry into the man demonstrated that he had no malicious intent and had supported the Maui woman by listening to her.
“She simply talked about her personal life, her romantic life, her life in Maui, and other topics. Franco told People, “And he simply listened to her.”
The unnamed man told police that Kobayashi was a “free spirit” and that they spoke after meeting at the LAX train station at approximately 9 p.m. on November 11.
Missing woman Hannah Kobayashi s dad pictured breaking down at rally just days before his body found in parking lot
He reported to the police that she appeared normal, lucid, and unfrightened.
According to reports, she informed him that she was originally going to New York and that she wanted to see the redwoods before losing her connection.
Police think she attempted to rebook a flight, but the cost was too high. They also discovered that Kobayashi abandoned her phone at the airport for an unknown reason.
The detectives also described how the two appeared to start a conversation when Kobayashi asked the man for directions to Union Station and he gave her one.
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:Unbeknownst to her family, Hannah catches a bus from Union Station down to San Ysidro, San Diego, and crosses the border into Tijuana, Mexico.
Wednesday, November 13:Family files missing person’s report and flies to LA to search for her. They are informed she was last seen at Pico Station in Downtown Los Angeles with an unidentified male.
Sunday, November 24:After scouring LA’s Skid Row and other areas for nearly a week, Hannah’s dad Ryan takes his own life and is found dead in a Los Angeles parking lot.
Monday, December 2:Cops announce Hannah was spotted in surveillance footage crossing into Mexico from the US on November 12 and say she wanted to step away from modern connectivity. The investigation is paused.
Tuesday, December 3:Hannah’s family vows to keep looking for her in a statement released by their attorney.
When the pair reached Union Station they had dinner together and fell asleep in a waiting area before she got her luggage and “walk[ed] off on her own,” Franco revealed.
“These things we were able to corroborate,” Oldfield noted.
He added that investigators had to look at the situation with an open mind but that their fears were quashed after piecing together video and interview evidence.
‘FREE SPIRIT’
Cops found footage showing the pair smiling as they walked the streets of LA together.
“We’re looking – hey, does this person seem like she’s in distress, what does she look like? We see a lot of smiling,” Oldfield said.
“There’s another video where she passes by twopoliceofficers and has a chance maybe to say, Help, help, if there’s anything wrong.
“So, from here, we’re able to then get a better idea of who this guy was and we identified him.”
On November 12 at 6:10 am Kobayashi was seen buying a bus ticket to the border alone.
Investigators have since concluded that the stranger did not commit anycrimeand that Kobayashi is not thought to be a victim of foul play or a “suspect in any criminal activity.”
They noted that before departing Maui, Kobayashi “expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity.”
But, cops told People that they would like to hear “her side of the story” and confirm her well-being, though the investigation has now ended.
FAMILY HEARTBREAK
As authorities confirmed the end of their investigation, Kobayashi’s family have continued to insist that her fleeing toMexicoisout of characterafter sharingconcerns that she is in danger.
They doubled down on these fears after she did not reach out following thesuicide of her fatherduring hisextensive searchfor the missing woman.
“With my father’s passing, with it being everywhere, in her right state of mind, she would have never thought to not reach out to anybody,” Kobayashi’s sister Sydni toldHawaii News Now.
The family previously said that the search for Kobayashi is “far from over and they are committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely.”
They have publicly spoken out about astring of bizarre text messagesthat were sent from Kobayashi’s phone two days after she missed her connecting flight.
Kobayashi was reportedly scared that someone was trying to steal hermoneyand her identity while her friend said she claimed in a text that she was “tricked” into giving away her money to someone she “thought she loved.”
Another message reportedly referenced a “spiritual awakening” and had an apology for acting crazy.
In another tragic twist, The U.S. Sun exclusively reported how two Venmo payments were sent to a man and a woman on November 9.
Her family said they didn t recognize the names of the people who were wired money.
A wedding picture has also emerged online sparking fears that Kobayashi waspart of a green card marriage scam, a theory that has been investigated by cops.
CONTINUED SEARCH
In a statementsharedby NewsNation reporter Brian Entin on December 3, the family said:
“We are deeply grateful for the urgency and dedicationlawenforcement has shown in investigating Hannah’s disappearance.
“Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe and urges everyone to continue the search.
“We want answers and a resolution that ensures Hannah’s safety and urge law enforcement and the public to stay focused on finding her and to avoid speculative conclusions.
“Spreading awareness and sharing verified information about her case is crucial, and we deeply appreciate your continued support in these efforts.”
The family isappealing to the US State Departmentfor help raising funds to continue their search for Kobayashi in Mexico.
Thefundraiser, which raised $47,612 of its $50,000 goal as of Friday, has fueled online controversy associal mediausers called for the family to shut it down over claims of Kobayashi’s voluntary disappearance.
Sara Azari, Kobayashi’s family’s attorney, said the family has no plans of taking it down because “search efforts are not over.”
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“The mission of thatGoFundMehas not changed, only the need for money has gone up,” Azari told The U.S. Sun.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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