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

Mar. 15, 2025

Hannah Kobayashi.Photo:Courtesy of Larie Pidgeon

Courtesy of Larie Pidgeon

A family member of Hannah Kobayashi, the missing 30-year-old who has not been heard from in almost a monthafter she did not get on a connecting flight to New York City, says the search for her is “not over” — after authorities saidKobayashi voluntarily entered Mexicoalmost 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 says.

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

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 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 hercomplete disconnection from her phone, her social media, and her world—this is not who she is. And I can’t shakethe last messages she sentfriends and family, which I’ve replayed in my mind a thousand times, trying to make sense of it but still cannot.”

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

LAPD

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

Pidgeon has said that on Nov. 11, Kobayashi’s relatives began receiving text messages from her 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 previously told PEOPLE, 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.”

L.A. police determined that, based on further investigation, Kobayashi “knowingly departed” the airport 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.”

“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, wasfound dead at an L.A. parking loton Nov. 24 after traveling to California to help in the search for his daughter.

“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 Hannah.

source: people.com