Hannah Kobayashi has spoken for the first time since returning to the United States after mysteriously disappearing in Mexico.
The 31-year-old aspiring photographer said she was “completely unaware” of the media coverage surrounding her disappearance last month and her father’s death by suicide amid the search.
He also confirmed that he is now back in the United States, saying: ‘At dawn on December 15, I crossed the border back into the United States.
“My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity,” she said. he told the people. ‘I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.
“I wasn’t aware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I’m still processing it,” Kobayashi added.
‘I kindly ask for respect for myself, my family and my loved ones as I go through this difficult time. Thank you for your understanding.’
Kobayashi crossed the border from Mexico into California over the weekend, where she was questioned by U.S. officials who asked if she was okay, a source said. TMZ.
He appeared to be in good health when he met his lawyer at the border before leaving with him and has since been reunited with his family.
Hannah Kobayashi, right, returned to the United States and was reunited with her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, left.
Lt. Doug Oldfield, a member of the Los Angeles Police Department’s missing persons unit, has now confirmed that his case is closed.
He added that she spoke with Customs and Border Protection and “did not appear to be in danger.”
Kobayashi was headed to New York from his home on the Hawaiian island of Maui when he decided to walk out of Los Angeles International Airport and disappear on November 8.
She was not alone on that flight, as she was accompanied by her supposed new green card-holding husband, Alan Cacace, a native of Argentina, in an apparent attempt to fool immigration officials into believing their marriage was genuine, DailyMail previously revealed. com.
And, on that same flight, her ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda joined them with his alleged wife Marianne, who turned out to be Cacace’s girlfriend.
This messy square of love, all together on the same plane, was only possible because Cacace had supposedly given Kobayashi $15,000 with the promise of a similar sum once he was issued immigration documents allowing him to remain in the United States.
Their fake marriage ruse was already underway after they tied the knot in October. Photos of the ceremony were shown to Kobayashi’s colleagues at Up ‘N Smoke, the Maui smoke shop where he worked.
Kobayashi said he was completely unaware of the media coverage of his case.
While she was missing, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, took his own life by jumping from a building structure near LAX after traveling to California to help authorities search for her.
“There was no secret,” Desiree, a co-worker, told DailyMail.com. “She told us her plans.”
“The Argentinian couple wanted to take the trip at the last minute because it presented the opportunity to take photos of their ‘romantic vacation,'” Desiree explained.
But the group dynamic quickly became complicated.
Kobayashi’s colleagues told DailyMail.com that she had mixed feelings about taking the trip: She was excited to check off a place on her bucket list where she could see her relatives, but also frustrated at having to share her flight with her ex-boyfriend Miranda. .
His co-workers also divulged that Cacace and his girlfriend were a point of contention for the previously missing woman, who did not want either of them to come on this trip.
Kobayashi allegedly told them that he did not want to waste time taking photographs, but would reluctantly sacrifice a day of his planned weekly vacation to accommodate their wishes.
And then there was Marianne, who Kobayashi had a recent fight with over her jealousy over marrying her boyfriend Cacace.
“I remember Hannah saying her girlfriend had a problem with her,” Desiree said. “And Hannah said, ‘Girl, I’m not trying to steal your man. “This is an agreement that we all talked about beforehand.”
Kobayashi with her ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda seen at a 2023 Christmas party
Her family then reported her missing three days later after receiving cryptic text messages, including information that she had recently experienced a “spiritual awakening, after reuniting with her family in New York.”
After she was reported missing, her coworkers decided to do some research on their own, since they knew the backstory of what was happening on the trip to New York City.
Desiree, who had known Miranda since high school, texted her that they were actively looking for her ex, going so far as to ask her the Argentinian couple’s name and if they made it to New York.
“Everything seems very suspicious and you should have told his family he didn’t make the flight,” he texted Miranda. “Not really, you should have gotten off that flight when you realized she wasn’t on it… Explain yourself.”
Miranda responded to the questioning coworker by telling him that it wasn’t his job to take care of her.
“She’s an adult and I had heard she possibly had plans in Cali too,” he texted.
The Hawaiian woman, 31, contacted her relatives on Wednesday to say she was fine after disappearing from Los Angeles International Airport in November.
“I have no reason to get off a plane and waste time on my own trip for something I thought was as simple as missing a flight and taking the next available one,” he said.
“I shouldn’t have to do anything because she and I broke up 3 or 4 months ago and agreed to have no contact.”
Miranda and Kobayashi’s plan went sour when he discovered that she had reunited with an ex-boyfriend, a DJ she had dated for years, leading to them breaking up.
Kobayashi’s ex-boyfriend also vehemently defended her alleged green card husband, Cacace.
“Your husband is sweet and a little guy and wouldn’t hurt a fly,” she wrote. “He has nothing to do with any of this.”
Miranda said her best guess was that Kobayashi was using drugs or suffering a mental health crisis.
Amun Miranda had dated Kobayashi for two years before he caught her reuniting with his former DJ and broke up with her in August, but the couple still decided to go ahead with the trip to New York.
“To be honest,” he wrote, “from what her friends and her mother have told me, from the things she told them before this, it is very possible that she is having some kind of mental breakdown from lack of sleep, too.” . psychedelics or coke. I don’t know.’
In his hometown, sources say Kobayashi was known to use psychedelics, cocaine, and whiskeys (or nitrous oxide).
A person close to Miranda’s family told DailyMail.com that Kobayashi had a “serious drug problem” and that was a factor in her breakup with him.
“Amón really didn’t like his drug addiction,” said Anita López, who lives on her mother’s property. “I was just upset about it.”
“There is a difference between recreational use and abuse,” he said.
Earlier this month, Los Angeles police reported that Kobayashi had voluntarily crossed into Mexico, but her family continued to contradict police in public statements, saying they did not yet know if she was safe.
As the investigation into Kobayashi’s disappearance continued, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, took his own life by jumping from a building structure near LAX after traveling to California to help authorities search for her.
He was tragically found dead at the back of a parking lot around 4 a.m. on November 24, just over two weeks after his daughter was reported missing.
Then, Los Angeles police announced earlier this month that Kobayashi had voluntarily crossed into Mexico.
Still, her family continued to contradict police in public statements, saying they still did not know if Kobayashi was safe.
They claimed they had not seen surveillance footage showing her crossing the border into Mexico until December 2.
Kobayashi finally contacted her relatives on Wednesday to tell them she was fine.
Kobayashi’s sister and mother, Sydni Kobayashi and Brandi Yee, have released a statement through their attorney saying they were “incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe.”
“The past month has been an unimaginable trial for our family and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through,” they said.
‘We want to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant a lot to us.
Ryan Kobayashi holds a photo of his missing daughter Hannah outside Crypto.com Arena with his aunt Larie Pidgeon.
The family previously faced backlash after police revealed she was not missing as they had raised money for the search.
The donation page raised more than $47,000, but since Kobayashi resurfaced, the family announced that they would be canceling the donations and would accept any claims submitted for a refund.
They said: “We are canceling donations and any donor who wants a refund can submit a claim before December 18 and it will be accepted.”