Los Angeles, November 27, 2024 – With the death of her father three days ago, Hannah Kobayashi’s disappearance has gone from baffling to tragic.
As Thanksgiving approaches, people following the case fear the worst.
Here’s a timeline of what’s publicly known as of today about the missing traveler from Hawaii.
About Hanhah
Hannah Kobayashi is a thirty-year-old photographer from Haiku, a small town on the north side of the Island of Maui.
Hannah’s Instagram account reveals her as an artistic, spiritual, and beautiful young woman.
Hannah has brown eyes and long brown hair. She stands 5’10” tall and weighs 140 pounds. Her fair-skinned face has a splash of freckles.
Hannah’s Planned Trip to New York
Hannah and her former boyfriend planned to travel together to New York, but their relationship ended before the trip.
Both decided to go ahead with the trip, but they didn’t sit together on the plane.
Hannah had made hotel reservations in New York and she’d also bought concert tickets. She called the trip a “bucket list” event.
Friday, November 8th – Hannah arrives at LAX
Hannah boarded a flight from Maui to LAX. At 10:03 p.m. California time, a video camera captured footage of her walking off the plane.
The arrival time gave Hannah only 42 minutes to make her connecting flight to New York. Her former boyfriend boarded the New York flight – but Hannah didn’t.
Instead, Hannah left the airport.
Saturday, November 9th – Hannah visits a bookstore
At this point, it’s unknown why Hannah didn’t reschedule her flight to New York.
Instead, on Saturday she went to The Grove, an upscale retail destination in the Fairfax region of Los Angeles, about ten miles north of LAX.
At Taschen, a bookstore, Hannah asked the store employees if she could charge her phone while she grabbed a bite to eat. Hannah also added her name and address to a mailing list – in her own handwriting.
Hannah’s aunt Larie Pidgeon reported that Hannah texted her a photo.
On Saturday night, Hannah returned to LAX and may have stayed at the airport or at a nearby hotel.
Sunday, November 10th – Hannah is seen at an event
Hannah was spotted again at The Grove at about 3:40 p.m. on Sunday.
A video captured an image of her attending a Nike-sponsored LeBron James event.
Hannah also posted a photo from the event on her Instagram account.
That evening, Hannah returned to LAX and spoke with a ticketing agent.
Monday, November 11th – Hannah’s strange text messages
On Monday, Hannah sent a series of strange text messages:
“Hi loves, I just finished a very intense spiritual awakening. I’m charging my phone and heading back to the airport to get to NYC. I might need some help getting there, it’s a long story. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Sorry for a craziness. Was definitely intercepted.”
“I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. For someone I thought I loved.”
Monday, November 11th – unexplained Metro travel
On Monday afternoon, Hannah returned to LAX. Her cell phone pinged for the last time at around 4 p.m.
Surveillance video reportedly shows that around 9 p.m., Hannah boarded the Metro light rail system at the Aviation/Century Station near LAX.
According to Hannah’s family, the video reveals that she was in the company of an unknown man.
Hannah got off the train at the Pico station near the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center).
Tuesday, November 12th – missing person report filed
On Tuesday, Hannah’s family filed a missing person report with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Word of the case began to spread through the true crime and missing persons ecosystem – and now the case is worldwide news.
Sunday, November 24th – Hannah’s father found dead near LAX
In a bizarre and tragic twist, at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, November 24th, the body of Hannah’s father Ryan Kobayashi was found at a parking structure on Century Blvd. near LAX.
Hannah’s exhausted father had spent days on end searching for his missing daughter.
Based on the circumstances and medical examiner’s report, it appears he died in a fall.
The family issued a statement saying that his death was a suicide.
As of Wednesday, November 27th, the search for Hannah continues.
