Missing woman disappeared after missed LAX flight

On By Littum

LOS ANGELES – A Hawaii woman who missed a connecting flight in Los Angeles is missing after she was spotted on camera at the airport and a major shopping mall, according to her family and police.

Hannah Kobayashi, 31, was last heard from Nov. 11, her family said, after she missed a connecting flight from Maui to New York City at Los Angeles International Airport days earlier on Nov. 8.

Kobayashi is described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds, and has brown hair and eyes and fair skin with freckles. The family filed a missing person report with the Los Angeles Police Department on November 12.

Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi’s aunt, told USA TODAY on Sunday that the family received text messages from Kobayashi that were out of character just before her disappearance.

“On (Nov. 11), we started getting texts saying she didn’t feel safe, that someone was trying to steal her money, that someone was trying to take her identity,” Pidgeon said. “Weird things, calling us honey, things that weren’t quite the normal way she talks.”

USA TODAY has reached out to the LAPD for more information.

Timeline of Kobayashi’s disappearance

The family has obtained security footage showing Kobayashi leaving the airport on November 8 wearing a black hoodie, tie-dye leggings and a dark green backpack.

Pidgeon said Kobayashi had been seen twice at The Grove mall, about 10 miles northeast of LAX. She was seen once around noon by employees at the mall’s Taschen bookstore on Nov. 9 and was seen on video at a Nike event around 9 p.m. 15.40 on 10 November. A photo from the two-day Nike and LeBron James event was posted to her Instagram same day.

Kobayashi returned to LAX on Nov. 11 but did not board a flight, according to the family, citing airport staff. Kobayashi’s phone, which has an Audrey Hepburn case, last pinged at LAX on Nov. 11 but has not been found.

The family released a statement Sunday evening saying they had obtained surveillance footage showing Kobayashi near the Pico Metro station near the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

“In the footage, it is clear that Hannah does not appear to be in good health, and she is not alone,” the statement read.

The statement did not say when the footage was taken, citing the ongoing investigation, but asked those searching for Kobayashi to focus on the area near the arena and “remain vigilant when using the subway anywhere in the city.”

Search with a focus on trains near the airport

Kobayashi’s family has arrived in Los Angeles to look for her. Pidgeon said the search has focused on the area near LAX, a bus line, and the C and K-Line trains of the Los Angeles Metro.

The family started a GoFundMe page to offset costs associated with the search. Pidgeon said the family hopes to find Kobayashi, but recognizes that time is of the essence.

“It is seven days ago, but in the year of the dog,” said Pidgeon. “With human trafficking, with kidnapping, it can be three months.”

This story has been updated with new information.

Anyone with information on Kobayashi’s whereabouts is asked to call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247 or The Rad movement at 619-904-0840.