Hannah Kobayashi’s family is turning on each other amid infighting over what to do after the Los Angeles Police Department declared the Maui woman “voluntarily missing.”
The 30-year-old aspiring photographer disappeared from Los Angeles International Airport after missing a connecting flight from her home in Maui to New York on November 8.
A GoFundMe was created to help find her, but the $47,000 raised so far has become a controversial detail as they argue over how to use it and who should be the face of the family’s effort to locate her.
Investigators say Hannah “knowingly left” the airport, before using her passport and cash to buy a bus ticket to the US-Mexico border.
She was even captured on surveillance footage crossing into Tijuana on foot between Nov. 12 and 13, police said Monday as they announced they would not continue their search in Mexico.
However, Kobayashi’s family continues to insist that her escape to Mexico is uncharacteristic of her and are fighting to keep her story in the news.
Among their problems is the variety of relatives who have different opinions about who should speak for the family. Hannah’s sister, Sydni, criticized her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, for her comments to the press.
“It’s really unfortunate when you have to question the family,” he said. he told NewsNation. “The fact that he has gone rogue and wants to disengage (from our effort) is his responsibility.”
Hannah Kobayashi’s sister Sydni (right) criticized her aunt for comments she made to the press.
Kobayashi, 30, had disappeared from Los Angeles International Airport after missing a connecting flight from her home in Maui to New York on November 8. Investigators now say she “knowingly left” the airport, before using her passport and cash to buy a bus ticket. to the border between the United States and Mexico
“I will do everything I can to protect our family right now and I will do everything I can to find my sister,” Sydni continued.
“And I no longer want to have any connection to the turmoil I feel she has caused since this case with my sister began.”
Family attorney Sara Azari added that it’s important to note that Hannah’s family consists of Sydni, “her mother and her uncle and that side” and not Pidgeon.
It’s unclear what exactly Pidgeon may have said that the other family members disagree with.
But the worried aunt is now hitting back. telling the New York Post that her niece is “throwing her under the bus” because she wants to be the center of attention.
“They want to be the face,” Pidgeon said of her extended family. “They want to be everything… It’s really sad.”
He went on to say that he agrees that the LAPD’s decision that Kobayashi “voluntarily” left the airport and went to Mexico is probably true, but said He also plans to travel to Mexico to continue the search for his niece.
Sydni said her aunt became “dishonest” and is creating “confusion” about the case
Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, claimed her niece is “throwing her under the bus” because she wants to be the center of attention.
Meanwhile, there are also disagreements within the family over what to do with the nearly $50,000 they raised online for their search efforts and the funeral expenses for Hannah and Sydni’s father after he took his own life.
Many online have suggested that the family refund everyone who donated to the GoFundMe.
“I can’t believe Hannah Kobayashi crossed the border into Mexico a week and a half ago and family officials didn’t tell anyone,” one person wrote on X.
“They just let GoFundMe go and let volunteers spend thousands of hours looking for it.”
“Give money back to the people who donated to this fundraiser,” another added. ‘The police have already declared that she is voluntarily missing. The organizers have withheld information from donors.’
‘Okay, resources need to go somewhere else now. I wonder if GoFundMe is still active…’ one person wrote.
According to GoFundMe, the money will be used for food and hydration for search teams, transportation, communication devices and technology, a media campaign, “temporary housing for essential personnel” and on-site support for the family.
A spokesperson for the fundraising website confirmed that it remains within its terms of service at this time, and Pidgeon told the Post that she did not believe the family was trying to scam the public and instead really wanted to take Hannah home safe and sound.
The family had been searching for Kobayashi since she missed her flight to New York.
They previously said the search for Hannah is “far from over and they are committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely.”
The family has previously said the search for Hannah is “far from over and they are committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely.”
“We are deeply grateful for the urgency and dedication that law enforcement has shown in the investigation of Hannah’s disappearance,” they said in a statement. shared online by NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin.
‘Our family is hopeful that Hannah is safe and urges everyone to continue the search.
“We want answers and a resolution that ensures Hannah’s safety and we urge authorities and the public to remain focused on finding her and avoid speculative conclusions.
“Spreading awareness and sharing verified information about your case is crucial, and we deeply appreciate your continued support in these efforts.”
The family has repeatedly shared concerns that Hannah may be in danger.
The family has repeatedly shared their concerns that Hannah may be in danger, and Sydni said that even if she had decided to go offline, she would have reached out after her father took his own life during search efforts.
“With my father passing away, being everywhere, in his right state of mind, I would never have thought about not reaching out to anyone,” he said. Hawaii News Now said.
They also claimed that they received a series of strange text messages from Kobayashi that seemed to suggest that he was in trouble and that someone had stolen his money.
In the messages, he claimed that he had recently experienced a “spiritual awakening” after reuniting with his family in New York.
In another, he stated: “Deep Hackers deleted my identity, stole all my funds and have had me in trouble since Friday.”
A third text message to a friend said she was “practically tricked into donating all my funds to someone I thought I loved.”
One of Hannah’s friends received strange text messages from Kobayashi’s phone, indicating that she may be in trouble.
Kobayashi also sent some unusual payments to Venmo after her disappearance.
A payment was sent at 6:25 pm on November 9 to a person named Verónica Almendarez for an unknown amount, and the payment description only shows a drawn bow and arrow emoji.
The second was made less than an hour later to someone named Jonathan Taylor, also for an undisclosed amount, and the description only said: “Reading.”
Family members said they did not recognize any of the names and noted that Kobayashi’s phone has been off since Nov. 11 and that her last marked location was Los Angeles International Airport.
The sources since then He told Los Angeles magazine that Kobayashi had apparently been swindled out of the proceeds of a green card visa scheme.
The outlet said Kobayashi and her then-partner landed at LAX with plans to board their connecting flight, with her legal husband and partner also on board.
LA Mag reports that the scam was discovered by Kobayashi’s mother, who found documents listing an attorney for her daughter’s marriage, which she turned over to authorities.
In statements by the family’s lawyer Sara Azari, she said that the family did not have ‘the facts or the necessary documents’ to verify what they called the ‘alleged marriage.’
Their statement read: ‘This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigation team.
“We would also like to confirm that we handed over the alleged information to the authorities immediately upon receipt.”
The FBI is now investigating the claims.