A search was continuing today for a 31-year-old woman who disappeared after landing at Los Angeles International Airport, where she had missed her connecting flight.
According to her family, Hannah Kobayashi was traveling to New York City to visit family when she disappeared. She landed at LAX on Nov. 8, but after missing her connecting flight, she apparently traveled to The Grove shopping center, where she attended a Nov. 10 Nike event -- from which she posted a photo to her Instagram page.
Her family says Kobayashi went back to LAX on Nov. 11, but apparently did not board a flight. It was on that day that the family says they started to receive strange text messages from her.
“Hannah's last message to us was alarming -- she mentioned feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity,” according to the family. “She hasn't been heard from since, and we are gravely concerned for her safety.”
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A Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman told City News Service the agency did receive a missing person report about Kobayashi, and it is still an active case. No other details were provided.
Family members most recently stated that they had obtained surveillance footage that captured Kobayashi in the area of the downtown Metro train station near Crypto.com Arena, although it was unclear exactly when that footage was taken. The family indicated that based on the footage, “it is evident that Hannah does not appear to be in good condition and she is not alone.”
Kobayashi's aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told USA Today on Sunday the messages the family received from her were uncharacteristic, including “weird things, calling us babe, things that weren't quite the normal way that she speaks.”
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Relatives have traveled to Los Angeles to search for her, focusing their efforts on the airport area. They have also established a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for the search.
