Police declared Hannah Kobayashi a 'voluntary missing person' after seeing video evidence of her 'crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico' willingly, with her luggage and unharmed, on 12 November. Hannah's family, who claim they have not been shown this video, is not convinced of this fact and says that the search is far from over.
Larie Pidgeon, Hannah's aunt, said:
“My heart is still broken, and my worry for Hannah has not lessened... 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.”
Hannah Kobayashi's family has now issued a statement that was shared by their lawyer, Sara Azari, on X.
The family claims they have not been shown the video that the LAPD says depicts Hannah safely crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Speaking with NBC News on Tuesday, Hannah’s sister, Sydni Kobayashi, revealed they only learned about the footage from the LAPD press conference that was held on Monday. During the announcement, police reclassified Hannah's case as a 'voluntary missing persons case,' leaving the family with unanswered questions about her disappearance. Sydni said:
"We found out the same day as the public, so we are very shocked and taken aback. We didn't have any confirmation at all from LAPD, we haven't been shown that there was footage at all, for us to confirm as her family that actually was in fact her."
Hannah Kobayashi's family lawyer also raised concerns
In an interview, the Kobayashi family’s attorney, Sara Azari, explained to NBC News that the term 'voluntary' is quite vague, adding that based on the LAPD’s statements on Monday, she believes they have stopped actively searching for Hannah.
"Voluntary is such a broad term. She's seen walking across the border by herself, but it takes a lot more digging and investigation to say it's voluntary."
Azari continued to question:
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"I don't know that there's any digital investigation, I don't know what more they've done. They've just reached this conclusion and told the family without really showing them any footage, having them identify Hannah, and so I get the frustration because it's the police saying it's voluntary but to the family, it's not like her at all to just disappear like this."
Azari shared that her team plans to send investigators to Mexico to gather more information about Hannah Kobayashi's possible location. According to Hawaii News Now, the family has also enlisted a private investigator to aid in the search.
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