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Hannah Kobayashi, Missing After LAX Flight, Found Safe in Mexico; Father Dies by Suicide

Dec 12, 2024, 05:10 AM

Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old budding photographer from Maui, who vanished in Los Angeles last month after missing her connecting flight to New York at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on November 8, has been found safe, her family and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced. Subsequent text messages to her family were cryptic and alarming, leading to a massive search and a missing persons investigation. She was last seen crossing into Mexico on foot at the San Ysidro border crossing on November 12. Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, who had flown in from Hawaii to help in the search, was found dead on November 24 near LAX, having died by suicide. The LAPD had previously stated that Kobayashi sought to 'step away from modern connectivity' and classified her disappearance as voluntary. Her family expressed immense relief and gratitude upon learning of her safety, asking for privacy to heal from the ordeal. The investigation into her disappearance has been concluded by the LAPD.