Family of woman who went missing on cross-country trip says cryptic texts unlike her

Hannah Kobayashi's family gathered in Los Angeles to retrace the missing photographer's steps after she missed her transfer flight to New York, then disappeared after a series of cryptic messages and a brief appearance with a stranger on surveillance footage near Skid Row.

The 31-year-old Oahu, Hawaii, resident had planned a vacation to see her aunt in New York and flew from Maui to Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 8, said her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, at Fox News Digital. She was excited about her first music photography gig in the city, had a complex travel itinerary and had paid thousands of dollars for her hotel room, Pidgeon said.

Kobayashi was scheduled to take a connecting flight to New York, with a 40-minute layover at 11 a.m., and was planning to go to a show with her aunt, but she never made that flight. His family doesn't know why.

Then friends and family received a flurry of bizarre text messages that didn't match the young woman's usual cadence. She texted a friend saying she “was tricked into giving away almost all of my funds” and was cheated on “for someone I thought I loved.”

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Hannah Kobayashi, 31, was last seen on surveillance footage from the Pico subway station with an unknown man on November 11. She never boarded her flight from LAX to JFK on November 8. (Larie Pigeon)

“There wasn't a single emoji. She's an artist. … Instead of a… question mark, she put a crystal ball – she's just so cute – and there was nothing all of that,” Pidgeon said Thursday. “She said someone was trying to steal her funds, not money, not money, funds. Like, who uses that word?”

“She [wrote she] was experiencing a spiritual awakening, that she was preoccupied with the matrix. They were just the weirdest text messages. And it went from, “Hey, I can’t wait to see you guys.” I love you. Everything is fine.'”

Before sending the messages, Kobayashi was seen talking to a ticket agent and trying to get a direct flight to New York rather than waiting, Pidgeon said.

Hannah Kobayashi is pictured in surveillance footage from LAX on November 8. Her family says there is also surveillance footage from Nov. 11 showing her with an unknown man at the Pico subway station in downtown Los Angeles, but it has not yet been released. the public. (Missing People of America/Facebook)

Kobayashi's mother reported her missing on Nov. 11, Pidgeon said, the day the woman's phone's communications with family and friends were cut off. Through their own investigative work, the family viewed surveillance footage of Kobayashi from that day with an unknown man near the Pico subway station in downtown Los Angeles.

“Pico station is in a very bad area, [and] It was late at night,” Pidgeon said. “That worries us even more because it's not a place Hannah would go. There's no reason for her to go to a crime-ridden neighborhood. Even if she said, “Hey, I need to go find a hotel room because I'm tired,” there are 18 hotels near the airport…she would have to have two transfer stations to get to that station. »

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Hannah Kobayashi's family traveled to Los Angeles to hand out flyers near where she was last seen. (Larie Pigeon)

Although Kobayashi's mother, Brandi Yee, filed a missing person's report with the department, Pidgeon said detectives “didn't even call [her] to tell him about the last conversations we had with Hannah.

“We can't release the footage; we would like it to be made public by the LAPD,” ​​Pidgeon said Thursday. “We've seen it, we know it exists and we wonder, 'Why isn't it published?' At this point, it’s been 10 days, I feel like this could help a lot in the investigation.”

The Los Angeles Police Department's press office could not confirm whether they had viewed the footage or contacted the family, only that Kobayashi had been reported missing and that they had distributed a flyer on their network accounts social.

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Kobayashi sent mysterious text messages to friends and family before losing contact completely, writing that she “was tricked into revealing everything.” [her] funds.” (Larie Pigeon)

Kobayashi also charged his phone from an employee at The Grove outdoor mall and filled out a book club application at the TASCHEN bookstore using his Hawaii address on Nov. 11, his aunt said . Witnesses told the family that Kobayashi “was in good spirits” and said “she had some time to explore Los Angeles,” Pidgeon said.

“Every confirmed sighting she has with an individual, she's of sound mind,” Pidgeon said of her conversations with those who last spoke to her niece. “She's happy, she's nice. She doesn't seem [to be] drunk or taking any other substance. …That's why we're here handing out flyers and flying, because it's so out of character.

Kobayashi's family held a gathering Thursday at Crypto.com Arena to hand out flyers and search the area near where she was last seen.

“We’re just running,” Pidgeon said. “You know, we go down and down Skid Row.”

Pidgeon described her niece, pictured, as an outgoing person who makes those around her laugh and dabbles in fire-making, DJing and charity work. (Larie Pigeon)

“We want to do as many interviews as possible. The longer we keep her name, the longer she's in the news, the more likely her family is to get her back,” Pidgeon said. “I became a press officer, a journalist, a photographer. That's how much we love it.”

Pidgeon said the 31-year-old “does it all” and dabbles in fire spinning, DJing and charity work.

“She's an essential person in her community, she's a wonderful person, a wonderful girl, she makes everyone laugh,” Pidgeon said. “If I have a problem at 2 a.m., I can call Hannah because she will pick up.”

Hannah Kobayashi, 31, was traveling to New York to visit family. (Hannah Kobayashi via Instagram)

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Friends and family made one-minute videos sharing memories of Kobayashi and circulating them under the hashtag “#FindHannah.” So far, Pidgeon said, about 30 people have sent videos, which is a testament to “how amazing she is.”

“I'm just grateful for all the other best wishes and support from the community and Hawaii, New York, California, everywhere,” Kobayashi's father, Ryan Kobayashi, told Fox News Digital. “You know, it's just amazing. We miss you, Hannah. We love you. There's just one word anywhere. I'll start.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the family at 845-750-3006.