Timeline of tragic Hannah Kobayashi saga – from border dash & dad’s suicide to ‘fake marriage plot’ & being found alive
AS new details emerge about Hannah Kobayashi's disappearance after she has confirmed that she is safe, here are all of the twists and turns of the case.
The 30-year-old was reported missing on November 11 after missing her connecting flight in Los Angeles that would take her to New York.
It sparked a huge search for the Maui woman who is safe in Mexico.
On November 8, she flew from Hawaii to Los Angeles where she had 42 minutes to catch her connecting flight to New York at 11 pm.
The following day, Kobayashi failed to arrive at JFK Airport when her plane landed at 7 am.
Instead, she was seen at a bookshop an hour away from LAX.
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The U.S. Sun exclusively reported that on November 9, two Venmo payments were made to a man and a woman by Kobayashi.
Neither of the individuals were known to her family.
One was at 6:25 pm to a woman named Veronica Almendarez for an undisclosed amount, with the description showing only a bow and arrow emoji.
The second payment was made less than an hour later at 7:19 pm to a man called Jonathan Taylor with the description, "Reading."
Sources claimed it was for a tarot card reading, something the "spiritual" Kobayashi is interested in.
BIZARRE TEXTS
On November 10, her family received cryptic messages from Kobayashi claiming among many things that she was scared that someone was stealing her money and her identity.
Her mom Brandi Yee, had messaged her to see if she had landed in New York and received a two-word reply saying: "Not yet."
Kobayashi also sent an eerie text to her friend saying: "I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I loved."
Her sister Sydni admitted she was starting to feel uneasy in light of the text messages.
She said the text messages didn't sound like her sister.
"I don’t know if it’s her or if someone else was texting," she told the CBS affiliate .
"It was just really weird texts."
TRAGEDY STRIKES
On November 21, a rally was held in Los Angeles to help find Kobayashi, with efforts led by her father Ryan Kobayashi.
He was pictured breaking down at the event telling The U.S. Sun that it was "every parent's worst nightmare."
"We don't know where to start. It's very traumatic," he added.
Days later on November 24, he took his own life and was found dead in an LA parking lot after an extensive two-week search for her.
A family statement, seen by The U.S. Sun, was shared on a group set up in a bid to find Kobayashi.
"The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today," it said.
"This loss has compounded the family's suffering immeasurably."
Four days after his death, Koabyashi's aunt Larie Pidgeon claimed there had been new sightings of Kobayashi and that the cops were following "really credible leads."
'VOLUNTARILY MISSING'
On December 2, investigators confirmed that they had found CCTV of Kobayashi crossing into Mexico alone and with her luggage and passport on November 12.
She used her passport and cash to buy a bus ticket to the border.
They deemed her to be "voluntarily missing" after she said she wanted to go off-grid and have a "digital detox" which brought the investigation to an end.
The following day, her family argued that this was a grave mistake and called the decision by cops "reckless" as they vowed to continue the search for her.
They were forced to defend themselves from online controversy as people expressed their anger at the fundraiser still being active despite the conclusion by the cops.
Sara Azari, the family's attorney, declared that the GoFundMe would not be pulled down, saying "search efforts are not over" and that the only thing that changed was the need for funds had "gone up."
As well as spreading the search over the border into Mexico, Azari explained that due to the death of Ryan Kobayashi, there were also funeral expenses that needed to be covered.
The attorney added that she had urged the State Department to get involved in the search
HOURS WITH STRANGER
On December 8, an unknown man who Kobayashi was seen with after she was reported missing broke his silence about their hours-long interaction.
Cops told that the man who has not been named, met the aspiring photographer at the LAX train stop around 9 pm on November 11.
They quickly struck up a bond and spent nine hours together exploring the city and going to Union Station where they both fell asleep.
The stranger told police that Kobayashi seemed normal and coherent at the time.
LAPD Detective Omar Franco revealed that their investigation into the man showed that he played a supportive role in lending an ear to the Maui woman and had no bad intentions.
"She just spoke and talked about her life in Maui, her personal life, her love life and so forth. And he just listened to her," Franco told People.
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.
The stranger told cops that Kobayashi was a "free spirit" and the cops concluded that he did not commit any crime.
FOUND SAFE
On December 11, exactly a month after she was reported missing the attorney of the Kobayashi family confirmed that she was safe in Mexico.
"We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe," her family confirmed on Wednesday.
"This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through.
"We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us."
The family did not confirm where Kobayashi was found or why she travelled to Mexico.
MARRIAGE PLOT
The news saw pals speak out claiming that she had been part of a Green Card marriage scam.
Such theories had already swirled during the search for her after a wedding picture of Kobayashi from October was widely circulated online.
At this time, the family said that they had no idea about the legitimacy of the image and Azari said that they were in the dark about any alleged marriage.
Family's statement about alleged marriage
Hannah Kobayashi's family's attorney, Sara Azari, shared the following statement on behalf of Hannah's family about claims she was involved in a green card marriage scam:
"We want to stress that the family has not publicly announced any information regarding an alleged marriage because we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information.
"The family has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage. This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigative team.
"We would also like to confirm that we turned over the alleged information to law enforcement immediately upon receipt.
"Further, while we appreciate Larie’s efforts, she does not speak on behalf of our immediate family, which consists of Hannah’s mother, Brandi and her sister, Sydni.
"We remain focused on verifying the details and leads we have received, and ask for your understanding and patience as we continue our investigation.
"We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported us during this incredibly difficult time. Your efforts, especially those of the volunteers and individuals who have gone above and beyond to help search for Hannah, mean the world to us.
"Finally, we kindly ask everyone to avoid jumping to conclusions or spreading unverified claims. It is especially important not to perpetuate speculation that anyone is involved in a scam, as this only hinders our efforts to find Hannah and bring clarity and closure to the nightmare we are living because of her disappearance."
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Now, it has been revealed that Kobayashi's co-workers told the that her disappearance took place during a "love square" marriage plot to dupe immigration authorities.
It was claimed that Kobayashi and her ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda split up three to four months ago after booking a 'bucket list trip' to New York City.
But it reportedly turned into a Green Card marriage scam after they met Alan Cacace and his partner Marianne from Argentina when they arrived in Maui.
All four of them were allegedly due to be on the plane to New York with Kobayashi having married Cacace in October and Miranda marrying Marianne.
'NO SECRET'
Kobayashi's pals claimed that Cacace handed the 30-year-old $15,000 and promised to pay her the same again once immigration documents confirmed he could stay in the US.
He allegedly planned the trip to New York to get loved-up photographs of the sham marriage in the Big Apple in front of iconic tourist sites in a bid to convince the authorities that their relationship was real.
Kobayashi's colleague Desiree told the Daily Mail that it "was no secret" as "she told us about her plans."
"The Argentinian couple wanted to hop on the trip at the last minute because it presented an opportunity for photos of their 'romantic vacation,'" she claimed.
But before they could get to New York, Kobayashi missed her flight and failed to book another one.
Her co-workers claimed that there had been friction between the "love square" with both women falling out.
"I do remember Hannah saying that the girlfriend had an issue with her," Desiree told the Mail.
"And Hannah was like, 'Girl, I'm not trying to steal your man. This is an arrangement we all talked about beforehand.'"
When Kobayashi was reported missing by her family, her co-workers started trying to help with the search by getting answers from her ex-boyfriend about the New York trip.
Desiree, who knew him from high school, told Miranda that the situation was "very sus" and that he should have immediately informed Kobayashi's family when she failed to get the plane.
"She's an adult and I'd heard she'd also possibly had plans in Cali," he replied.
"I have no reason to get off a plane and miss time on my own trip for something I thought was as simple as just missing one flight and catching the next available one."
He added that Kobayashi's Green Card husband "is sweet" and "has nothing to do with any of this" before claiming that perhaps his ex-girlfriend was having a mental breakdown due to her drug use.
Since confirming that Kobayashi is safe, her family have asked for privacy as they try to "heal and process" from the "traumatic ordeal."