COPS have released a major update about missing photographer Hannah Kobayashi and confirmed why she missed her flight before she vanished.
A massive search effort for Kobayashi was initiated in Los Angeles following a series of concerning developments in her case since she was last seen on November 11.
The 30-year-old woman did not board her connecting flight in Los Angeles for a highly anticipated trip to New York after departing from her residence in Hawaii on November 8.
She was then seen in a bookshop an hour away from LAX the next day but remains missing.
During a LAPD Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, law enforcement officials shared details of their investigation into Kobayashi’s choice to miss her red-eye flight to JFK airport.
“On Friday, Nov. 8 23-year-old Hannah Kobayashi missed her connecting flight from LAX to New York, which the investigation determined was intentional,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.
“Over the next few days, she maintained contact with her family and remained active on Instagram.”
He added: “Our hearts go out to the Kobayashi family during this unimaginable time of grief.
“We remain fully committed to locating Hannah and supporting the family as they navigate their way through this tragedy.”
The search for Hannah took a series of unusual turns such as a slew of cryptic texts that were sent from her phone on November 10.
One of the messages said she had been tricked into giving away money to someone she loved.
It read: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I loved.”
These messages sparked huge concern as her sister, Sydni Kobayashi, said the texts could have been sent by someone else.
“[It] feels like someone was controlling her,” Sydni told News Nation.
“Intuitively knowing her and being so close to her my entire life, I just know this is absolutely not like her.”
The mystery deepened as Hannah was seen at a Nike event in Los Angeles the same day.
The disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
HANNAH Kobayashi has been missing since she missed her connecting flight to New York.
Friday, November 8: Kobayashi leaves her home in Maui and arrives in Los Angeles for her connecting flight to New York City. She has 42 minutes to make the flight at 11 pm.
Saturday, November 9: Kobayashi is meant to land at JFK airport in New York City at 7 am but never arrives.
She is seen at a bookshop at The Grove, an hour away from LAX.
Sunday, November 10: Kobayashi sends a message saying she’s scared and worried about someone trying to steal her money and identity, alongside several other cryptic texts.
She’s later seen at an event at The Grove again in Los Angeles, attending a Nike event.
Monday, November 11: Kobayashi’s phone puts her back at LAX. She posts a picture on her Instagram account from the event. Her phone is then turned off.
Wednesday, November 13: Family files missing person’s report.
They are informed she was last seen at Pico Station in Downtown Los Angeles with an unidentified male.
Sunday, November 24: Hannah’s dad Ryan found dead in a Los Angeles parking lot after taking his own life.
By November 11, Kobayashi’s phone placed her back at LAX, and she posted a picture on her Instagram of the Nike event.
Her phone was then turned off.
Kobayashi was spotted again on November 11 at the Metro Pico station in downtown Los Angeles with an unknown man.
Her family, who have seen the surveillance footage, said she did not look well and fear she may have been abducted or trafficked.
The family, who flew to Los Angeles to search for Kobayashi, took a second tragic blow as her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead in a parking lot on November 24.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled his death as suicide.
Ryan was said to have searched through some of LA’s most dangerous neighborhoods, including the infamous Skid Row, for his girl.
“Imagine looking in places like Skid Row, picturing his daughter being sex trafficked, not getting sleep,” Kobayashi’s aunt Larie told the New York Post.
“He just broke.”
