Hannah Kobayashi twist as family and cops address 'deeply concerning' border crossing
Once-missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi chose to flee to a city in Mexico deemed the 'the most dangerous place in the world,' while her family says police still haven't shown them recently unearthed surveillance footage of her crossing the border.
Kobayashi, 30, was initially reported missing by her family early last month, after not boarding her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York.
But on Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department revealed that she had been seen crossing the United States-Mexico border into Tijuana.
The LAPD deemed Kobayashi a 'voluntary missing person' and not a crime victim after investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage on Sunday that showed her crossing the border sometime between November 12 and 13.
Her sister, Sydni Kobayashi, called that decision unsatisfactory for the family, which has still not seen the footage.
'We're just as confused and just as frustrated more than anything now,' Sydni told NBC News in an interview on Tuesday.
Family lawyer Sara Azari questioned how police could make the determination without consulting Kobayashi's relatives.
'They just reached this conclusion…without showing them any footage,' the attorney told NBC News. 'It takes a lot more digging and investigation to be able to say it's voluntary.'
Hannah Kobayashi, 30, was initially reported missing by her family early last month, after not boarding her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York
Hannah Kobayashi's sister, Sydni Kobayashi, told NBC News on Tuesday that the family 'is confused' as to why authorities have not shared footage of Kobyashi crossing into Tijuana
The LAPD reviewed footage that showed Kobayashi crossing into Mexico on foot through a border crossing tunnel (one such border entrance is pictured above). Police will not release the footage, citing her privacy rights
The LAPD revealed on Monday that Kobayashi was seen at LA's Union Station buying a bus ticket to the border on November 11 - the day she stopped replying to messages from her family and friends.
A photo from the surveillance footage shows her standing at a counter with her passport in hand and a suitcase by her side.
'She absolutely picked the wrong spot to cross into Mexico from the United States,' Texas-based security consultant Robert Almonte, who was deputy chief of the El Paso Police Department for 25 years, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday.
'I am very concerned about her safety. At the same time, I have to wonder why she did that. I wonder what her motive is.'
The footage showed her only days after she disappeared and about two weeks before her father, Ryan Kobayashi, took his own life at a parking garage near Los Angeles International Airport after arriving to help search for her.
A U.S. Border Patrol security camera showed Kobayashi carrying her luggage through a tunnel at the San Ysidro port of entry that leads into Tijuana.
The LAPD told the DailyMail.com that it would not release the footage because Kobayashi was a private citizen and had not committed a crime.
A Mexican immigration official told DailyMail.com that they had not received any requests from US federal law enforcement agencies or Kobayashi's family to locate her.
Texas-based security consultant Robert Almonte, who was deputy chief of the El Paso Police Department for 25 years, told DailyMail.com that Hannah Kobayashi 'absolutely picked the wrong spot to cross into Mexico from the United States'
Located in the Pacific Coast state of Baja California and known for its vibrant nightlife that attracts tourists, Tijuana has also earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
The municipality of more than 1.8 million residents had reportedly registered 1,624 homicides so far this year, including five over a recent 24-hour period.
The border town topped all municipalities in the country with 1,844 murders last year.
The state of Baja California recorded 222 homicides of women from January to October of this year, with 29 classified as 'femicide,' or women being targeted because of their gender. At least 15 were reported in Tijuana during the same stretch.
The US Department of State issued a travel advisory for American citizens wishing to visit Baja California due to the presence of criminal organizations vying for control of the border area's lucrative human smuggling and drug-trafficking routes.
'Violent crime and gang activity are common. Travelers should remain on main highways and avoid remote locations,' the warning reads. 'Of particular concern is the high number of homicides in the non-tourist areas of Tijuana. Most homicides appeared to be targeted; however, criminal organization assassinations and territorial disputes can result in bystanders being injured or killed. U.S. citizens and [lawful permanent residents] have been victims of kidnapping.'
Almonte, who was also a US Marshal for six years before retiring, said that Kobayashi placed herself in a 'very dangerous' situation by entering Tijuana.
'That area is the most dangerous place in the world to be,' Almonte said. 'I suspect that she had to know that. There's been a lot of publicity about that. She apparently is by herself, a young female. So that alone is (enough) for her to be targeted by criminal organizations over there.'
Kobayashi has been declared a 'voluntary missing person' by the LAPD
Kobayashi was seen at the Los Angeles International Airport on November 8
LAPD investigators found that Kobayashi 'knowingly departed' LAX after checking her bag to her connecting flight to New York from Maui.
She made her way to Los Angeles' Union Station on November 11 and used her passport to buy a bus ticket to the southern border.
On the morning of November 12, Kobayashi boarded a bus to San Ysidro, California, and then crossed into Mexico through a pedestrian tunnel.
The LAPD said there is no evidence of human trafficking or foul play and noted that Kobayashi seemed to want a less complicated life.
'The investigators noted that before departing Maui, Kobayashi expressed a desire to step away from modern connectivity,' the police department said in a statement.
'The LAPD remains mindful of privacy concerns while ensuring all investigative actions are conducted within the bounds of legal and ethical standards,' they added.
Los Angeles law enforcement added they will not further their investigation of Kobayashi but will be notified if she returns to America and encourage her to contact police or the American Embassy in Mexico to 'confirm her well-being.'
Kobayashi, her family said, flew from her home in Maui on November 8 and was meant to arrive in New York City the next day.
National Guard personnel conduct a vehicle inspection operation at the San Ysidro International Port in Tijuana, Mexico on November 28. The border city is considered one of the most dangerous in the world
A Mexican immigration official told DailyMail.com that they have not been contact by U.S. authorities or the family of Hannah Kobayashi
Kobayashi's father Ryan, 58, joined the search after the family believed she might have been kidnapped. Ryan was found dead on November 25 after he jumped from a parking garage in Los Angeles
Kobayashi, her family said, flew from her home in Maui on November 8 and was meant to arrive in New York City the next day.
She was on the flight with her ex-boyfriend, who continued on to New York and had cooperated with police while she was a missing person.
Kobayashi missed the flight to New York and security camera footage showed her abandoning the airport with her backpack only.
On November 10, she visited a book store at The Grove, a popular shopping center in Los Angeles.
Security cameras showed Kobayashi boarding a train on the LAX Metro C line at Aviation/Century Station at 9:02 pm and then transferred to a different train at the Rosa Parks Station.
Kobayashi was finally seen leaving the Metro Pico Station with an unidentified person at 10:03pm.
It was around that time that her family received a string of strange text messages from Kobayashi that seemed to suggest she was in trouble and someone had stolen her money.
She claimed she had recently undergone a 'spiritual awakening,' after she was due to meet family in New York.
Mexico's National Guard agents keep watch near a house where a cross-border drug trafficking tunnel was discovered, in Tijuana, Mexico on May 10, 2023
The Mexican border city of Tijuana, which is home to more than 1.8 million residents, has reportedly registered 1,624 homicides so far this year, including five over a recent 24-hour period
Hannah Kobayashi crossed the United States-Mexico and entered Tijuana sometime between November 12 and 13
Members of a forensic team walk near at the crime scene where a Mexican journalist Lourdes Maldonado in Tijuana, Mexico on January 23, 2022. The city has been considered an unsafe place for women. According to government data, 15 'femicides,' or women being targeted because of their gender, were registered between January and October of this year
In another, she claimed: 'Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f--- since Friday.'
A third text message to a friend said she was 'tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I love.'
The family also noted that the young artist's phone has been off since November 11 and her last pinned location was at LAX.
'There are a lot of suspicious or at least peculiar things about this case,' Almonte said, referencing her texts messages and 'spiritual awakening.'
'It remains a mystery to me as to why she would cross into Mexico.'
