Hannah Kobayashi: Police issue shock update on missing woman as new information emerges

Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old woman who was reported missing from Hawaii last month, has been spotted crossing the Mexico border as authorities share a huge update on her disappearance.

Kobayashi was reported missing when she failed to board her connecting flight to New York. She had travelled to Los Angeles Airport from Maui on 8 November.

Police said she was last spotted in CCTV footage in various parts of Los Angeles before vanishing on 12 November.

Her father Ryan Kobayashi travelled to Los Angeles to find her but was found dead at the bottom of a car park at LAX on Sunday (24 November). His cause of death was ruled a suicide.

On Monday (2 December), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) shared an update on the missing woman.

Instagram/Hannah Kobayashi

Kobayashi was seen in footage obtained by US immigration officials crossing on foot into Mexico, shortly after she landed in LA.

"We reviewed video surveillance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which clearly shows Kobayashi crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico," LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a news conference.

"She was alone with her luggage and appeared unharmed.

"Our priority is ensuring Ms. Kobayashi's safety and well-being."

They urged Kobayashi to make contact with "her family, law enforcement or personnel at the US Embassy" to inform them she is safe.

"She has the right to privacy, and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel," authorities continued.

"A simple message could reassure those who care about her."

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