Hannah Kobayashi Has Been Found a Month After Voluntarily Vanishing into Mexico, Family Says: 'Relieved and Grateful'

Mar. 15, 2025

Hannah Kobayashi.Photo:Courtesy of Larie Pidgeon

Courtesy of Larie Pidgeon

Hannah Kobayashi’s family says she has been “found safe” about a month after she walked into Mexico and vanished in what police have called a voluntary disappearance.

The curious casemade headlines around the country— in large part because of her relatives' insistence that something horrible may have happened.

“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” her sister and mother, Sydni Kobayashi and Brandi Yee, said in a statement to PEOPLE through their attorney, Sara Azari, on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

“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,” the family continued.

“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us,” Hannah’s sister and mother added.

Azari did not provide details about when, where or how Hannah made contact with her family and said there would be no further statements at this time.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Hannah Kobayashi.LAPD

LAPD

“Wehave not seen herand at this point we have no reason to compel her to see us,” Oldfield says.

Still, he notes, “It’s a big news story so she may decide to come with a lawyer, but she is not obligated to speak to us. We’ll see what happens next.”

He says the Hannah’s family did not share her current location and “we have not received notification that she’s had contact with CBP [Customs and Border Protection] or crossed back into the U.S.”

“When she crosses back, she’ll show as a missing person,” Oldfield says. “We usually want law enforcement to determine a person is safe and make contact — in this case CBP could provide us with that info to take her out of the system.”

Hannah, a 30-year-old photographer living in Hawaii, had been reported missing on Nov. 11 after failing to make a connecting flight in Los Angeles bound for New York City.

Police believe that, for whatever reason, her phone was left behind on Nov. 11 at the Los Angeles International Airport. Hannah’s family said that beforehand, theyreceived strange and concerning textsfrom her, fueling their unease.

Since then, her relatives drew a national spotlight to her disappearance and said they worried she was the victim of a kidnapping or human trafficking.

“We are terrified,” her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, previously told PEOPLE. “We’re really afraid.”

“I think the thing that we fear the most is you hear all of these stories of trafficking and women that travel alone, they get drugged or — just some random person can come up and take advantage of them, so that’s our biggest fear,” Sydni said, adding, “We can’t discount anything at this point.”

Both Sydni and Azari, the family attorney, said she has no history of mental illness or addiction.

Amid the widespread interest in Hannah, claims about her personal life and motivations also flourished, as thousands of people gathered in various corners of the internet to dissect and discuss their own theories.

Ryanflew from Hawaiiand was one of a number of people aiding in the search,telling CNN before he diedthat he “wasn’t too close with [Hannah] … growing up. We hadn’t had contact for a while. I’m just trying to make up. I’m trying to get her back. That’s my main focus.”

Pidgeon, Hannah’s aunt, told PEOPLE that Ryan “died of a broken heart.”

L.A. police have said they spent weeksuntangling Hannah’s movements around the citybetween Nov. 8, when she arrived from Maui in Hawaii, and Nov. 11, when contact was lost.

A break in the case came on Dec. 1 whenauthorities reviewed video at the southern bordershowing Hannah, with a gray backpack and pink rolling suitcase, entering Tijuana alone and not under visible distress on Nov. 12, just one day after she went off the grid.

They have also stressed that, without suspicion of a crime, they are reluctant to comment fully on Hannah’s life.

“To date, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play,” L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters at a news conference on Dec. 2. “She’s also not a suspect in any criminal activity.”

Police also said they had found indication that Hannahwanted to disconnectfrom the world.

“We urge Ms. Kobayashi to contact her family, law enforcement or personnel at the U.S. Embassy to let us know that she is safe,” McDonnell said on Dec. 2.

“She has a right to her privacy and we respect her choices, but we also understand that the concern her loved ones feel for her,” he said. “A simple message could reassure those who care about her.”

source: people.com