The search for Hannah Kobayashi finally ends after a month of tragedy and uncertainty

The month-long search for Hannah Kobayashi concluded this week after her family said they found her safe.

The announcement comes after the Los Angeles Police Department said it tracked the Maui woman into Mexico and that she appeared safe, with no signs of foul play.

Here is a timeline of what we know.

Nov. 8

• Kobayashi lands at Los Angeles International Airport from Maui and misses her connecting flight to New York City, according to her family. The LAPD said Kobayashi intentionally missed this flight, which her family disputed.
  
• Relatives receive cryptic text messages from Kobayashi, suggesting that someone is trying to steal her money and identity.
  
• Kobayashi stays overnight in Los Angeles and is seen the next day at the Taschen bookstore near the Grove shopping center.
  

Nov. 10

• Kobayashi is seen on video attending the LeBron XXII Trial Experience near the Grove and returns to LAX, according to her family’s statement. Kobayashi also posts a black-and-white photo on Instagram about the event.

  

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  Dec. 5, 2024

Nov. 11

• Kobayashi is seen talking to a ticketing agent at LAX; she then boards the LAX Metro C line at the Aviation/Century Station near LAX around 9 p.m., her family says.
  
• She transfers at the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station in South L.A. and is seen in video footage leaving the Pico Station near downtown with an unknown person.

Nov. 12

• Kobayashi is seen again on video footage at the Greyhound bus terminal at Union Station in downtown L.A. around 6:30 a.m., according to her family.
  
• Just a few hours later, according to police, Kobayashi enters Mexico through the San Ysidro border crossing. LAPD officials said they reviewed surveillance video from the U.S. Border Patrol on Dec. 2.

Volunteers put up flyers of missing Maui woman Hannah Kobayashi

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Nov. 24

• Authorities discover the body of Kobayashi’s father, Ryan, near LAX. He had flown to Los Angeles to help look for his daughter. Authorities labeled his death as an apparent suicide. Relatives released a statement saying: “After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”

Dec. 3

• Los Angeles Police Department officials said there was no evidence of criminal activity in Kobayashi’s disappearance and video showed her crossing the border into Mexico.
  
• The LAPD classified her as a “voluntary missing person” and say there are no signs of foul play.
  
• Kobayashi’s family said in a statement that they weren’t giving up the search and urged law enforcement and the public to “stay focused on finding her and to avoid speculative conclusions.”

California

Hannah Kobayashi crossed into Mexico alone, police say; chief urges her to message her family

Hannah Kobayashi crossed the U.S. border into Mexico on foot and alone, according to Los Angeles police.

Dec. 3, 2024

Dec. 4

• Some family members continue to express concerns about her whereabouts and welfare.

Dec. 11

• Her family releases a statement saying Kobayashi had been found safe. “We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” the statement says. “This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through.”
  
• It’s unclear where Kobayashi was found and why she disappeared.

Dec. 12

• In a statement, Kobayashi’s family announces it has closed its GoFundMe connected to the search and will offer refunds. “We are turning donations off, and any donor who would like a refund can submit a claim by December 18th, and it will be honored.”