THE family of Hannah Kobayashi is offering refunds to the hundreds of donors who raised more than $47,000 for their search efforts.
Kobayashi was safely located after going missing for over a month when she vanished from Los Angeles after landing in the city on November 8 on a flight from Maui, Hawaii.
Hannah Kobayashi’s family announced the 30-year-old was found safe after going missing for a monthCredit: Instagram/midorieve
Hannah Kobayashi arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from a flight that originated from Hawaii on November 8Credit: facebook/Roamandconquer1
Kobayashi’s father, Ryan, center, is pictured surrounded by friends and family outside Crypto.com Arena on November 21 in Los AngelesCredit: AP
The 30-year-old had a layover in Los Angeles and was expected to catch a connecting flight to New York City but missed her 42-minute window to board.
A desperate search began as Kobayashi’s family flew into Los Angeles and reported her missing to police.
Dozens of volunteers pounded the city streets hunting for clues in the case, while hundreds more raised over $47,000 for the family’s GoFundMe fundraiser for their search effort.
On Wednesday, the family announced she was found safe following an “unimaginable ordeal.”
The family updated their GoFundMe page and said they’re offering donors refunds for the money they help raise.
“We are turning donations off, and any donor who would like a refund can submit a claim by December 18th, and it will be honored,” Kobayashi’s sister, Sydni, wrote.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
But despite Kobayashi’s sudden reemergence, there are many unanswered questions about why the aspiring photographer went missing in the first place.
Family members described Kobayashi’s travel to the Big Apple as one of her “bucket list trips.”
Kobayashi, an art fan, had an itinerary planned out for her stay in New York, including stops at the Museum of Moder Art, absorbing Manhattan’s art scene, and visiting her aunt, Geordan Montalvo.
In the days after she stopped contacting her loved ones, Kobayashi was caught on surveillance footage strolling around Los Angeles, including making stops at a bookshop at The Grove, a shopping mall about an hour from Los Angeles International Airport.
On November 11, she uploaded a picture from a Nike event to her Instagram account before shutting off her cell phone.
Then, on November 12, unbeknownst to her family, Kobayashi boards a bus from Union Station to San Ysidro, San Diego, where she crosses the border into Tijuana, Mexico, by foot, alone and carrying luggage.
CCTV captured Hannah Kobayashi buying a bus ticket to San Ysidro, San Diego, on November 12Credit: KKTV
The attorney for the Kobayashi family confirmed the 30-year-old traveled to MexicoCredit: facebook/Roamandconquer1WHY DID SHE GO TO MEXICO?
Los Angeles police paused their search investigation on December 2 after learning that Kobayashi voluntarily crossed into Mexico from the US on November 12.
Sara Azari, the family’s attorney, previously confirmed to The U.S. Sun that Kobayashi did, in fact, travel to Mexico.
However, neither Azari nor her family revealed where Kobayashi was when they announced she had been located.
Azari did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The U.S. Sun.
The case took a tragic turn when Kobayashi’s dad, Ryan, died by suicide at a Los Angeles parking garage on November 24 after weeks of searching for his daughter.
It’s unclear if Kobayashi has learned of her father’s death.
‘GREEN CARD’ SCAM?
Kobayashi’s stepping out of US soil and into Mexico fueled theories that she was involved in a green card marriage scam.
A green card marriage scam typically involves a non-American person marrying a United States citizen to obtain legal residency via a green card.
The theory first gained traction after a picture of Kobayashi surfaced online that appeared to show her marrying an Argentinian man before her trip to Los Angeles.
Despite the online claims, Azari previously told The U.S. Sun that the family is completely in the dark about any supposed arranged marriage.
