Hannah Kobayashi​ Breaks Her Silence About The Frantic Search Effort

LOS ANGELES, CA — Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaiian woman whose seeming disappearance in Los Angeles triggered a weeks-long international search effort, broke her silence Tuesday, saying she was unaware of the media frenzy, police investigation and heartbreak surrounding the effort to find her.

“I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing it all. I kindly ask for respect for myself, my family, and my loved ones as I navigate through this challenging time. Thank you for your understanding,” she said in a written statement released to media outlets.

Kobayashi, a photographer from Maui, was reported missing after she missed her Nov. 8 connecting flight to New York out of LAX. She had sent cryptic messages to her family, who sought help finding her and bringing her home safely. Amid fears that she may have been a victim of foul play or human trafficking, a widespread search effort emerged. It was during the search that her father took his life at a Los Angeles hotel, according to authorities.

Police ultimately determined that Kobayashi voluntarily disappeared, crossing the border to Mexico on foot without her phone. Kobayashi returned to the United States Sunday.

Kobayashi did not say what prompted her to go to Mexico or halt communications with family.

“At daybreak on December 15th, I crossed the border back into the United States,” Kobayashi added. “My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity. I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.”

Her relatives confirmed she had been found safe last week nearly a month after she disappeared.

"We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe," according to a statement released to various media outlets by the family. "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."

TMZ reported that Kobayashi had spoken to her family to reassure them about her safety. No other details were released.

The family began searching for Kobayashi Nov. 8, when she arrived at LAX but never boarded a scheduled connecting flight to New York. After weeks of investigation and reports of various sightings of Kobayashi around Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell announced that she was seen on video crossing the border into Mexico on Nov. 12, with no foul play suspected.

McDonnell said Kobayashi traveled by bus from Los Angeles Union Station to the San Ysidro border station and crossed on foot with her luggage into Mexico, adding that she "appeared unharmed."

Police also said their investigation turned up indications that Kobayashi had previously expressed a desire to disconnect from modern technology, and she is not believed to have taken her cell phone with her to Mexico.

McDonnell stressed that police "have not been able to determine any crime has been committed."

The family initially said they wanted police to release the video showing Kobayashi entering Mexico, insisting they were continuing their search.

After missing her flight and leaving LAX, Kobayashi traveled the next day to The Grove shopping center and returned to LAX that night, according to the family. She was spotted back at The Grove on Nov. 10 attending a Nike/LeBron James event, and likely returned to LAX again. She was spotted around 5 p.m. Nov. 11 speaking to a ticketing agent at LAX, but she did not board a flight, according to the family.

The family says Kobayashi boarded an eastbound Metro C Line train at the Century/Aviation Station the night of Nov. 11, transferred to a northbound A Line train at the Rosa Parks Station, accompanied by an "unknown individual," with whom she was seen at about 10 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Metro Pico Station near Cryto.com Arena. The family says she was spotted early the next morning, Nov. 12, at the Union Station bus terminal in downtown Los Angeles.

McDonnell said police were able to identify the person who was spotted on video with Kobayashi after meeting her at LAX, and he is not suspected of any wrongdoing.

McDonnell also said Kobayashi did not miss her connecting flight to New York, but chose not to board it "for unknown reasons." He noted that while her luggage was checked through to New York, she asked that it be returned to her at LAX, and she was seen on video picking up her luggage at an airport baggage carousel on Nov. 11. She was seen carrying the same luggage when she went into Mexico, police said.

The heavily publicized search effort by the family took a tragic turn on Nov. 24, when Kobayashi's father, Ryan, 58, killed himself. He was found near an LAX parking structure from which he may have jumped.

"After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah's father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life," according to a statement from the family at the time. "This loss has compounded the family's suffering immeasurably."

City News Service contributed to this report.