Fear for Hannah Kobayashi's Safety ‘Has Not Lessened’ After News She Went to Mexico, Aunt Says (Exclusive)

Fear for Hannah Kobayashi's Safety ‘Has Not Lessened’ After News She Went to Mexico, Aunt Says (Exclusive) https://ift.tt/CIriJvU

'My heart is still broken,' Larie Pidgeon, the aunt of the missing woman, tells PEOPLE

Courtesy of Larie Pidgeon

Hannah Kobayashi

• The LAPD announced on Dec. 2 that surveillance footage shows missing woman Hannah Kobayashi voluntarily crossing the U.S.-Mexico border
• Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi's aunt, tells PEOPLE that her niece never mentioned plans of traveling to Mexico
• “This has been the most painful and confusing time of my life,” Pidgeon says. “I’ve felt heartbreak, frustration, and hope all at once"

A family member of Hannah Kobayashi, the missing 30-year-old who has not been heard from in almost a month after she did not get on her connecting flight to New York City, says the search for her is "not over" — after authorities said Kobayashi voluntarily entered Mexico almost immediately after apparently disappearing.

“Knowing Hannah crossed the border does not provide the answers I need, nor does it ease the heartbreak I feel,” Larie Pidgeon tells PEOPLE about her niece.

“That said, my heart is still broken, and my worry for Hannah has not lessened," Pidgeon continues. "It has been 21 days since I last heard from her—21 days of silence, of fear, and of questioning what could have led to this.”

“I will not stop until I know my niece is safe and doing this on her own accord and in a good mental state,” Pidgeon adds. 

At a news conference on Monday, Dec. 2, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced surveillance footage from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection “clearly shows Kobayashi crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico.”

Related: Missing Woman Seen on Video with Stranger After She Didn’t Get on Connecting Flight, Family Says

According to Police Chief Jim McDonnell, Kobayashi entered Tijuana, Mexico, on Nov. 12 just after noon local time. She was on foot and used the San Ysidro point of entry tunnel.

“She was alone, with her luggage and appeared unharmed,” McDonnell said.

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Pidgeon, who has been acting as a spokesperson for the Kobayashi family, maintains to PEOPLE that her niece never mentioned any plans about traveling to Mexico. 

“No one in her life knew she intended to go there,” Pidgeon says.

She goes on to say of Kobayashi that “what alarms me even more is her complete disconnection from her phone, her social media, and her world—this is not who she is. And I can’t shake the last messages she sent friends and family, which I’ve replayed in my mind a thousand times, trying to make sense of it but still cannot.”

LAPD

Missing person Hannah Kobayashi was last seen at LAX Airport on November 8th, 2024

Last month, Kobayashi was traveling from her home in Maui to N.Y.C. with a layover in L.A. Pidgeon previously told PEOPLE that her niece had landed a job photographing a DJ and had drawn up an hour-by-hour detailed schedule. 

Kobayashi made her flight from Maui to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Nov. 8 but did not get on her connecting plane bound for N.Y.C.

Pidgeon told PEOPLE that on Nov. 11, Kobayashi’s relatives began receiving text messages from the missing woman saying “I think someone’s trying to steal my identity. I’m really scared.” 

Pidgeon described the messages as cryptic and uncharacteristic of her niece.

"Hannah speaks in emojis,” she said at the time, adding, “Usually there’s a heart or flower or a fairy. That’s how she speaks. And these messages didn't have a single emoji.”

The LAPD determined that, based on further investigation, Kobayashi “knowingly departed” LAX and went to Union Station.

There, authorities said, she used her passport to purchase a bus ticket for a destination in the vicinity of the Mexican border.

McConnell, the police chief, told reporters that the investigation found no proof that Kobayashi was "being trafficked or is the victim of foul play.”

Following the police update on Monday, Pidgeon tells PEOPLE that she had not seen the video footage of Kobayashi crossing into Mexico but trusts authorities’ due diligence that it was her niece.

She thanked authorities for their hard work and dedication to the search, echoing a statement released by other relatives. 

Related: Missing Hawaii Woman Hannah Kobayashi Intentionally Missed Her Connecting Flight, Police Say, Though Her Family Disagrees

“I love Hannah with all my heart, and that love is what drives me to keep searching for her,” Pidgeon says. “Everything I’ve done, every plea I’ve made, every step I’ve taken—it’s all been out of love. I will not stop until I can confirm, face-to-face, that she is safe and making these decisions of her own accord.”

The Kobayashi family has been dealing with another recent death: Ryan Kobayashi, Hannah’s father, was found dead at an L.A. parking lot on Nov. 24 after traveling to California to help in the search for his daughter.

The L.A. County medical examiner said Ryan, 58, died by suicide.

“This has been the most painful and confusing time of my life,” Pidgeon says. “I’ve felt heartbreak, frustration, and hope all at once.”

Pidgeon also expressed gratitude to those who also helped in the efforts to find Kobayashi.

“To everyone who has supported me—whether by searching, sharing her story, or simply praying for her—I cannot thank you enough,” she says. “Your kindness reminds me that even in the darkest moments, there are good people in this world.”