DECEMBER 11 UPDATE
Updated December 11, 2024 – Hannah Kobayashi traveled to Mexico after allegedly getting married to an Argentinian man.
As of this afternoon, Hannah’s family has reported that she’s been found safe and sound.
The attorney for Hannah’s mother Brandi Yee and sister Sydni Kobayashi issued a statement asking for privacy so that Hannah can “process the events and heal.”
As to the man that Hannah allegedly married before she traveled to Mexico, Los Angeles Magazine revealed his identity as Alan Tomas Cacace.
On November 8th, Hannah and Cacace flew from Maui to LAX on their way to New York.
But something happened that caused Hannah to miss her connecting flight – deliberately, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
After wandering around L.A. by herself for two days, Hannah sent a series of strange text messages to family and friends and headed to Union Station.
On November 12th, Hannah crossed the border into Mexico.
HANNAH KOBAYASHI – A CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHER WITH A SPIRITUAL OUTLOOK
Hannah Kobayashi is a photographer who hails from Haiku, a picturesque town in the verdant hills on the north side of Maui.
Hannah was born on Christmas Eve in 1993 to her mother Brandi Kobayashi and her father Ryan Kobayashi. At that time the family lived on the island of Oahu.
Hannah’s Instagram account identifies her as a “creatrx • aphrodite • activist • womxn” artist who is “here to stoke your healing & creative journey.”
Hannah’s flickr account contains 299 images offering Hannah’s unique perspective on herself and her surroundings – often natural settings enhanced with filters and bright colors.
AGENTINIAN ALAN CACACE ALLEGEDLY MARRIED HANNAH IN HAWAII
About two weeks before Hannah vanished, she allegedly married Alan Cacace, an Argentinian man.
Los Angeles Magazine broke the story, but few of the details have been confirmed by law enforcement or Hannah’s family.
The man seen in the photos with Hannah is Alan Tomas Cacace, 32, from Buenos Aires.
Based on my investigation, Alan is one of four brothers from an affluent Argentinian family.
Marcela Molle, an attractive and ebullient middle-aged woman, appears to be Alan’s mother. His father is Cristian P. Cacace, a prominent Argentinian food products executive.
ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, HANNAH ABORTED THE TRIP TO NEW YORK
Hannah told her family that she was planning a “bucket list” trip to New York along with her then-boyfriend. The first leg would take them from Maui to LAX, where they would catch a connecting flight.
Hannah landed at LAX on Friday, November 8th, as planned. At 10:03 p.m. California time, surveillance video 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 ex-boyfriend boarded the New York flight, but Hannah didn’t.
Instead, Hannah left the airport. LAPD says that Hannah intentionally missed her connecting flight.
HANNAH SPENT A WEEKEND WANDERING IN LOS ANGELES
On Saturday, November 10th, Hannah 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.
At 7:19 p.m., Hannah sent a Venmo payment to a man named “Jonathan Taylor” for a “Reading,” which her family believes was for a tarot reading.
Hannah was spotted again at The Grove at about 3:40 p.m. on November 10th. 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. Where she spent the night is unknown.
ON MONDAY, HANNAH SENT A SERIES OF TEXTS AND HEADED TO UNION STATION
On Monday, November 11th, Hannah sent a series of text messages to friends and family.
“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.”
“I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. For someone I thought I loved.”
“Sorry for a craziness. Was definitely intercepted.”
“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind fuck since Friday.”
On Monday afternoon, Hannah returned to LAX. Her cell phone pinged for the last time at around 4 p.m. LAPD says they now believe she “disconnected” voluntarily.
Surveillance video shows Hannah picking up her bag at a baggage carousel. According to LAPD, she’d originally checked her bag through to New York, but at some point she requested that her bag be returned.
Surveillance video shows that around 9 p.m., Hannah boarded the Metro light rail system at the Aviation/Century Station near LAX, accompanied by a man she met there, and headed to Union Station in downtown.
People reported that LAPD interviewed the man and cleared him of any involvement in Hannah’s disappearance.
He told police that on Monday night, they slept on benches inside Union Station – which surveillance video reportedly confirmed.
ON TUESDAY, HANNAH HEADED TO THE BORDER
Early Tuesday morning, November 12th, using her passport for identification and paying with cash, Hannah bought a bus ticket to the U.S.-Mexico border, about 140 miles away.
Around noon, Hannah walked across the border into Tijuana, Mexico. Surveillance video from U.S. Customs & Border Patrol revealed that Hannah was alone and carrying her bag. According to LAPD, she “appeared fine.”
LAPD also says there’s no evidence that Hannah was being trafficked or was the victim of foul play.
Because law enforcement believes that Hannah crossed into Mexico alone and of her own free will, as of December 2nd, the case was reclassified as a voluntary missing person case.
HANNAH’S FAMILY WENT LOOKING FOR HER
When I interviewed Hannah’s aunt Laurie Pidgeon on December 3rd when writing an article for the Long Beach Post, she said that Hannah never mentioned any plans to travel to Mexico.
“She doesn’t know anybody in Mexico,” Pidgeon told me “She doesn’t speak Spanish.”
Pidgeon also said: “I will not stop until I can confirm that she is safe and making these decisions of her own accord.”
Pidgeon is the sister of Hannah’s mom Brandi Yee. Brandi and Hannah’s sister Sydni Kobayashi are now represented by an L.A. criminal attorney.
Back on November 12th, unaware that Hannah had traveled to Mexico, Hannah’s mother filed a missing person report with LAPD.
Word began to spread through the true crime and missing persons ecosystem, and Hannah’s case became worldwide news.
In a bizarre and tragic twist, at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, November 24th, twelve days after Hannah crossed into Mexico, the body of her 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. There’s no evidence that he knew she had gone to Mexico.
Based on the circumstances and medical examiner’s report, it appears that Ryan died in a fall. The family issued a statement saying that his death was a suicide.
Although some people posted comments blaming Hannah for her father’s death, reportedly they were estranged.
Whatever the case, if he killed himself, that was his tragic choice and we can only hope that he now rests in peace.
