Hannah Kobayashi has spoken out for the first time since she returned to the United States after she mysteriously disappeared into Mexico.
The 31-year-old aspiring photographer claimed she was completely ‘unaware’ of the media coverage surrounding her disappearance last month, and her father’s death by suicide amidst the search.
She also confirmed she is now back in the States, saying: ‘At daybreak 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. ‘I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.
‘I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing,’ Kobayashi added.
‘I kindly ask for respect for myself, my family and my loves ones as I navigate through this challenging time. Thank you for your understanding.’
Kobayashi crossed the Mexico border into California over the weekend, where she was questioned by US officials who asked if she was OK, a source told TMZ.
She appeared to be healthy as she met with her lawyer at the border before leaving with him, and has since been reunited with her family.
Hannah Kobayashi, right, has returned to the United States and 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 her case is closed.
He added that she spoke with Customs and Border Protection and ‘did not appear to be under any distress.’
Kobayashi was on her way to New York from her home on the Hawaiian island of Maui, when she decided to walk out of Los Angeles International Airport and disappear on November 8.
She wasn’t on that flight by herself, as she was joined by her alleged new Green Card husband Argentina-native Alan Cacace, in an apparent bid to hoodwink immigration officials into believing their marriage was genuine, DailyMail.com previously revealed.
And, on that same flight, her ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda joined them with his own alleged Green Card wife Marianne – who just happened to be Cacace’s girlfriend.
This messy love square, all on one plane together, was only possible because Cacace had allegedly given Kobayashi $15,000 with the promise of a similar sum once the immigration documents that allowed him to stay in the United States were issued.
The ruse of their sham marriage was already in the works after they tied the knot in October. Pictures of the ceremony were shown to Kobayashi’s colleagues at Up ‘N Smoke, the Maui smoke shop where she worked.
Kobayashi said she was completely unaware of the media coverage of her case
While she was missing, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, took his own life by reportedly jumping from a building structure near LAX after traveling to California to help authorities look for her
‘There was no secret,’ Desiree, a co-worker, told DailyMail.com. ‘She told us about her plans.’
‘The Argentinian couple wanted to hop on the trip at the last minute because it presented an opportunity for photos of their “romantic vacation,”‘ Desiree explained.
But the dynamics of the group quickly got complicated.
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Kobayashi’s colleagues told DailyMail.com she had mixed feelings about going on the trip – feeling both excited by checking off a location on her bucket list where she could see relatives, but also frustrated she’d have to share her flight with ex-boyfriend Miranda.
Her coworkers also divulged that Cacace and his girlfriend were a point of contention for the formerly missing woman, who didn’t want either of them coming on this trip.
Kobayashi supposedly told them she didn’t want to waste time taking photos, but would reluctantly sacrifice one day of her weekly planned vacation to satisfy their wishes.
And then there was Marianne, who Kobayashi had a recent fight with revolving around her jealousy of marrying her boyfriend Cacace.
‘I do remember Hannah saying that the girlfriend had an issue with her,’ Desiree said. ‘And Hannah was like “Girl, I’m not trying to steal your man. This is an arrangement 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 talk that she had recently undergone a ‘spiritual awakening, after she was due to meet family in New York.’
After she was reported missing, her coworkers decided to do some digging of their own since they knew the backstory of what was going down on the trip to New York City.
Desiree, who had known Miranda since high school texted him telling him they were actively looking for his ex, going as far as to ask for the Argentinian couple’s name and if they made it to New York.
‘All seems very sus and you should have told her family she didn’t get on the flight,’ Desiree texted Miranda. ‘Actually no you should’ve got off that flight when you realized she wasn’t on it.. Explain.’
Miranda shot back at the questioning coworker saying it wasn’t his job to look after her.
‘She’s an adult and I’d heard she’d also possibly had plans in Cali,’ he texted.
The Hawaii woman, 31, made contact with relatives on Wednesday to tell them that she was fine after disappearing from Los Angeles International Airport in November
‘I have no reason to get off a plane and miss time on my own trip for something I thought was as simple as just missing one flight and catching the next available one,’ he sniped.
‘I shouldn’t have to do anything because her and I had split up 3-4 months ago and agreed to no contact.’
Miranda and Kobayashi’s plan got messy when he discovered she had met up with an ex-boyfriend – a DJ she’d dated for years – which led to them breaking up.
Kobayashi’s ex-boyfriend also vehemently defended her alleged Green Card husband Cacace.
‘Her husband is sweet and just a lil guy and wouldn’t hurt a fly,’ he wrote. ‘He has nothing to do with any of this.’
Miranda said his best guess was that Kobayashi was off taking drugs, or having a mental health crisis.
Amun Miranda had dated Kobayashi for two years before he caught her meeting up with her DJ ex and broke up with her in August, but the pair still decided to go ahead with the New York trip
‘To be honest,’ he wrote, ‘from what her friends and her mom have told me from the things she said to them leading up to this it’s very possible to be having some kind of a mental breakdown from lack of sleep, too much psychedelics, or coke. I don’t know.’
In her hometown, sources say Kobayashi was known to use psychedelics, cocaine and whippets – or nitrous oxide.
A person close to Miranda’s family told DailyMail.com that Kobayashi had a ‘heavy drug problem’ and that it was a factor in her breakup with him.
‘Amun really didn’t like her drug habit,’ said Anita Lopez, who lives on his mother’s property. ‘He was just disgusted by it.’
‘There’s a difference between recreational use and abusing,’ she said.
Earlier this month, the LAPD reported that Kobayashi had crossed voluntarily into Mexico but her family continued contradicting police in public statements, saying they still did not know whether she was safe
As the investigation into Kobayashi’s disappearance continued, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, took his own life by reportedly jumping from a building structure near LAX after traveling to California to help authorities look for her.
He was tragically found dead at the bottom of a parking structure around 4am on November 24 – a little over two weeks after his daughter was reported missing.
The LAPD then announced earlier this month that Kobayashi had crossed voluntarily into Mexico.
Still, her family continued contradicting the police in public statements, saying they still did not know whether Kobayashi was safe.
They claimed they had not seen the surveillance footage that shows her walking across the border into Mexico until December 2.
Kobayashi finally made contact with relatives on Wednesday to tell them that she was fine.
Kobayashi’s sister and mother, Sydni Kobayashi and Brandi Yee, have now released a statement through their attorney saying they were ‘incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe.’
‘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,’ they said.
‘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.’
Ryan Kobayashi holds a picture of his missing daughter Hannah outside Crypto.com Arena with her 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 they would be turning donations off and that they would honor any claims submitted for a refund.
They said: ‘We are turning donations off, and any donor who would like a refund can submit a claim by December 18th, and it will be honored.’