A Hawaii woman whose disappearance in early November led police on a wild goose chase before she was located safe in Mexico last week, says she’s not interested in reuniting with her family despite their desperation to find her.
Authorities said 31-year-old Hannah Kobayashi reached out to relatives on Dec. 11, assuring them she was fine after vanishing from Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 8.
That’s when Kobayashi failed to board her connecting flight to New York and mysteriously vanished, leaving her family worried and inconsolable.
The hashtag #findhannah trended for weeks on social media, while missing person posters were printed and distributed, but Kobayashi had seemingly vanished into thin air.
The family’s anguish deepened when Kobayashi’s 58-year-old father, Ryan, took his own life 13 days into his daughter’s disappearance. He was found dead Nov. 25 after leaping from a parking garage in Los Angeles, where he traveled to search for his oldest girl.
Kobayashi sent a series of cryptic text messages to family members, though it remained unclear whether they were truly from her.
Last week, the Los Angeles Police Department concluded that Kobayashi had “voluntarily” left the airport and traveled to Tijuana, Mexico on Nov. 12.
Following the announcement, the family expressed relief that Kobayashi had finally contacted them to say she was alive, but would not be returning to Hawaii to be with them.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” her family said in a statement.
“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.”
Later, Kobayashi’s sister Sydni suggested that relatives were still uncertain about Hannah’s well-being and their future together as a family.
“At this time, my mother and I have not physically seen Hannah. We do not have actual proof of where she is, other than that she is somewhere in Mexico,” the statement said. “We have only spoken to her over the phone, and she was allegedly found safe with Larie [her aunt], but at this time, she does not wish to return to us.”
The statement also highlighted the family’s struggles with being thrust into the public eye during the ordeal to find Kobayashi, saying the search had taken a serious toll on the family, with differing views among relatives about how to handle the situation.
Allegations of a deeper conspiracy began swirling as Kobayashi had boarded her original flight from Hawaii with an Argentine man named Alan Cacace, who carried a Green Card and posed as her husband to deceive border officials, suggesting they had entered a sham marriage for immigration purposes, according to news reorts.
At the same time, Kobayashi’s ex-boyfriend, Amun Miranda, boarded the same flight with his own wife, Marianne, who coincidentally happened to be Cacace’s girlfriend.
Previously, Cacace reportedly gave Kobayashi $15,000, with the promise of another payment once the necessary immigration paperwork was completed.
The alleged marriage scheme was set in motion in October when the two exchanged phony wedding vows, reports said.
Cacace thought that photos of him and Kobayashi sightseeing around New York City would be enough to convince officials their marriage was legitimate.
Pictures of the fake wedding were shown to Kobayashi’s colleagues at Up ‘N Smoke, where Desiree, a co-worker, confirmed that Kobayashi had discussed her plan to skip town, though she didn’t reveal all the details, including a slick plot to vanish into Mexico.
Desiree told news outlets that it wasn’t immediately clear the wedding was part of an immigration scheme, but she did sense something was off. She explained that Cacace and his partner had planned to join the trip last minute, intending to create photos of a “romantic vacation,” apparently to support the ruse.
In hindsight, Desiree believed this was all part of the plan to make the marriage appear genuine. However, she was still puzzled when Kobayashi suddenly vanished, leaving both her and the Kobayashi family searching for answers.
Since the shocking details of the case emerged, Kobayashi has faced a flood of public criticism, branding her a crafty manipulator who appeared to be avoiding any responsibility for weaving a tangled web of chaos and heartbreak, all in front of a worldwide audience.
Social media critics blasted her apparent insolence in the matter, saying Kobayashi’s family was taking all the heat for the drama she created.
“Not sure why people are mad at Hannah Kobayashi’s family. They were worried about her and got duped too,” one outraged observer noted on X. “You know it’s true because her father died trying to find her. The only piece of (poop emoji) here is Hannah Kobayashi herself. She’s definitely a narcissist. Nasty b—h.”
Not sure why people are mad at Hannah Kobayashi’s family. They were worried about her and got duped too. You know it’s true because her father died trying to find her. The only piece of 💩 here is Hannah Kobayashi herself. She’s definitely a narcissist. Nasty bitch. pic.twitter.com/SDq6YgrAfp
— And I am Iron Man Von Doom (@hitmanhoupt) December 15, 2024
Another added, “So while she was partying in Mexico her family was going through hell. Terribly tragic ending. Kids these days…”
Meanwhile, Sydni’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, found herself at odds with the family over media interviews and disputes regarding the GoFundMe campaign established to aid in the search for Kobayashi.
Pidgeon, a social media influencer, quickly took on the role of media spokesperson, giving multiple interviews and acting as the primary family contact, according to Sydni, who said she disagreed with this approach, though it unfolded regardless.
“There were many occasions when my mother and I requested that Larie respect our feelings and tone down her posts and interviews,” Sydni wrote. “Our priority was finding Hannah, not creating a media circus.”
As the search for Kobayashi stretched on with no new leads, Sydni confronted Pidgeon over her remarks to the press, frustrated by the attention they were attracting amid the uncertainty.
“It’s really unfortunate when you have to question family,” she told NewsNation. “The fact that she has gone rogue and wants to disconnect from [our effort], that’s on her.”
She added: “I will do whatever I can to protect our family at this point and do whatever I can to still find my sister. And I no longer want to have any connection with the confusion that I feel like she’s caused since this case started with my sister.”
Pidgeon later told the New York Post that her niece was “throwing her under the bus” so that she could be in the spotlight.
“They want to be the face,” Pidgeon said of her extended family. “They want to be the whole thing… It’s really sad.” She added that she was planning to travel to Mexico to find her niece.
In some circles, the family has been accused of not being transparent about Kobayashi’s circumstances and profiting from the GoFundMe set up to support the search for her.
However, Sydni Kobayashi denied these rumors, saying the episode had left the family deeply distressed.
“The past 31 days have been an absolute hell for us, and I feel they will continue to be for a while, even as we try to transition back to some semblance of normalcy,” she said. “My mother and I have remained completely transparent and have not misled or taken advantage of anyone.”
Sydni also explained how the GoFundMe which has raised just under $45,000 was being managed.
“While the GoFundMe lists my mother as the beneficiary, we have kept all the receipts to show where the funds have been used: for the search for my sister.” She added: “When my father suddenly passed away, I added funeral expenses and arrangements to the campaign as next of kin.”
