Missing Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi disappeared at an LAX layover after sending ‘alarming’ texts

On 8th November, Hannah Kobayashi, a Hawaii native, took a flight from Maui to New York with a connecting layover at LAX in Los Angeles. Kobayashi ended up missing the flight and hung around Los Angeles for another flight on 11th November 2024, which she also didn’t end up taking. Hannah Kobayashi has been missing since then.

Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi’s aunt, was the first person to alert others that there may have been foul play involved in Kobayashi’s disappearance. Pidgeon told USA Today, “On (Nov. 11), we started getting texts saying that she didn’t feel safe, that someone was trying to steal her funds, that someone was trying to take her identity.” Pidgeon also shared that in the texts, Kobayashi was acting out of character by calling her pet names she usually doesn’t use, which led the family to believe Kobayashi was deeply troubled by something she’s not sharing.

Pidgeon informed KTLA that when Kobayashi first arrived at LAX on 8th November 2024, she told her family that she had been stripped of her identity and therefore couldn’t fly. Security footage recorded Kobayashi leaving LAX. She was later spotted at The Grove shopping center, first at a bookstore on 9th November, and then at a LeBron James-themed Nike event on 10th November. At the latter event, Kobayashi posted a photo on Instagram of her Nike shoes.

On the final day of contact, Kobayashi turned up at LAX but never boarded a flight. Furthermore, that is the last place her phone pinged. On 12th November, Kobayashi’s family filed a missing persons report with the LAPD. The family then promptly traveled to Los Angeles to aid in the search for Kobayashi and set up a GoFundMe page where well-wishers can help the family in their own way.

As time goes on, Kobayashi’s search is understandably taking its toll on family members. A video of her aunt is already doing rounds on TikTok, where her aunt is trying to directly address Kobayashi, telling her that her family loves her and is looking for her. As of this moment, Kobayashi’s mental state doesn’t seem to be quite stable — her aunt informed the media that Kobayashi was sending her alarming texts about being in the matrix, and according to her aunt, that was also out of character for Kobayashi.

Hopefully, Kobayashi will be found sooner now that more people are aware of the situation. The photos of the missing person are all over social media by now, and included in them is her height of around 5’10” and her age of 31 years. As of this moment, Pidgeon is mostly scared of the possibility of human trafficking.

The LAPD still hasn’t responded to various media houses’ inquiries for comments on the matter. We remain optimistic that Kobayashi will be found safe and sound, and if any of our readers have any leads to her whereabouts, they should reach out. Persons with information on Kobayashi’s whereabouts are asked to call LAPD at 1-877-527-3247 or The Rad Movement at 619-904-0840.