Hannah Kobayashi’s disappearance remains a mystery as her family and friends desperately search for answers piecing together what happened to her and what may have led to her radio silence.
The 30-year-old Hawaii native traveled from Maui to Los Angeles on November 8, with plans to catch a connecting flight to New York City the same day, but she did not board the flight, her sister Sydni Kobayashi said.
Described as an artistic and creative soul, Hannah Kobayashi was headed to New York where she planned to take pictures at a DJ’s mid-November show in Brooklyn.
Her family has described the days following her disappearance as filled with troubling signs, including unusual financial transactions and multiple sightings.
Los Angeles police this week said investigators determined Kobayashi intentionally missed her flight to New York and she kept in contact with family and was active on Instagram over the next few days.
Below is a timeline of the series of events after Kobayashi’s disappearance:
November 8: Hannah Kobayashi flies from Maui to Los Angeles International Airport with plans to fly to New York City. She was traveling on the same itinerary as her ex-boyfriend, with both initially planning to take a flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport. The ex-boyfriend, unlike Kobayashi, boards his connecting flight. Surveillance cameras show Kobayashi leaving the plane wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and tie-dyed leggings.
November 9: Kobayashi is seen at a Taschen bookstore in The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. That same day she makes Venmo transactions to two unidentified individuals.
November 10: A YouTube video surfaces showing Kobayashi at the LeBron XXII Trial event at the Nike store in The Grove. She shares a photo from this event on her Instagram account.
November 11: This was the last day anyone was in contact with Kobayashi. She texts her mother, telling her she hasn’t reached New York. She also sends alarming messages to a friend, saying, “Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f**k since Friday,” and “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds.”
Surveillance footage from this day shows Kobayashi at a downtown Los Angeles Metro station near Crypto.com Arena, accompanied by an unidentified person. Her family says she “does not appear to be in good condition.”
November 15: The Los Angeles Police Department creates a missing person poster for Kobayashi, describing her as last seen at the airport with freckles and a forearm tattoo.
November 24: Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, is found dead around 4 a.m. on West Century Boulevard near the airport. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office rules his death a suicide. “After tirelessly searching Los Angeles for 13 days for Hannah, Ryan Kobayashi tragically took his own life,” the Kobayashi family said in a statement. Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told CNN that he “died of a broken heart.”
November 26: In a Board of Police Commissioners meeting, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell provides an update on Kobayashi’s case, saying investigators determined Hannah Kobayashi intentionally missed her flight from L.A. to New York. Investigators also noted that upon arriving in L.A., Kobayashi “maintained contact with her family and remained active on Instagram” over the next few days.
