The mystery man who spent time with Hannah Kobayashi before she disappeared says the two talked about her personal life and her time in Hawaii.
The 30-year-old woman disappeared from Los Angeles International Airport after missing a connecting flight from her home in Maui to New York on November 8.
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 later captured on surveillance footage crossing into Tijuana on foot between Nov. 12 and 13, police said.
Before that, she was seen talking to an unnamed man at the airport before wandering through downtown Los Angeles to Union Station, where they both fell asleep.
Law enforcement revealed People that they had managed to locate the man who told them that they initially struck up a conversation after she asked them how to get to the station.
The man told police that Kobayashi seemed like a “free spirit,” and Detective Omar Franco told the outlet that she was “a listening ear.”
He said: ‘She just went on and on about her life on Maui, her personal life, her love life, etc.’ And he just listened to her.
The man told officers they met at the LAX train stop and struck up a conversation, saying she was coherent and normal.
Investigators say Hannah “knowingly left” the airport, before using her passport and cash to buy a bus ticket to the US-Mexico border.
The 30-year-old woman disappeared from Los Angeles International Airport after missing a connecting flight from her home in Maui to New York, seen after landing at LAX on the left and purchasing a bus ticket at Union Station on the right.
He said Kobayashi had told him about his plans to be in New York and also mentioned that he wanted to go see the redwoods in the Golden State.
After arriving at Union Station, the two had dinner together before sleeping in a waiting room. Later, Kobayashi woke up, grabbed his belongings and left.
He bought a bus ticket and boarded shortly after before arriving at the border several hours later and walking toward Tijuana.
Investigators say Hannah “knowingly left” the airport and had her status changed to “voluntarily missing,” effectively closing the book on their investigation.
Such a move has fractured her already devastated family, as they continue to insist that her flight to Mexico is uncharacteristic of her and are now fighting among themselves.
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 earlier this week.
“The fact that he has gone rogue and wants to disconnect (from our effort) is his responsibility.”
Friction between her loved ones has since increased since Sydni’s comments, and her aunt announced that she was separating from Sydni and her mother to find Hannah.
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.”
Pidgeon told NewsNation on Friday that she made the decision to part ways with the two after GoFundMe funds were used for an attorney instead of a private investigator.
She told the outlet: “I am preparing to travel to Mexico in person to continue efforts to locate her and verify that she is acting of her own free will and is truly safe.”
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.”
Police revealed that Kobayashi had been seen on security footage crossing the border into Tijuana and updated her status to “voluntarily missing person.”
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. said Hawaii News Now.
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.”
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.
Sources have since claimed to Los Angeles Magazine that Kobayashi had apparently been scammed out of the proceeds of a green card visa scheme.
The sources since then He told Los Angeles magazine that Kobayashi had apparently been scammed 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 necessary facts or 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.”