Photographer Hannah Kobayashi’s disappearance and her subsequent appearance in Mexico have baffled investigators, with recent revelations shedding light on her final hours in Los Angeles.
According to the New York Post, she spent nine hours with an unidentified man before vanishing.
The pair reportedly met on November 11 near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and quickly formed a bond. Walking together through downtown LA, they eventually reached Union Station, where they shared dinner and fell asleep in a waiting area.
The man, later tracked down by authorities, claimed he awoke the next morning to find Kobayashi gone, as reported by The Mirror.
Police clear the mystery man of wrongdoing
Law enforcement initially focused on the man, who appeared to be the last person to see Kobayashi before her disappearance.
Lieutenant Doug Oldfield of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit told the People, “For a while, he was the last person to have seen her when we didn’t know where she was. So we did have to spend a few days on this to ensure that nothing bad happened.”
After analysing security footage, police corroborated his account and found no signs of foul play.
Detective Omar Franco described the man as a “listener,” explaining that Kobayashi spoke about her life in Maui, her personal struggles, and her missed plans to visit New York.
“She just spoke about her life … and he just listened,” People quotes Franco.
Sudden departure to Mexico
Police confirmed that Kobayashi left Union Station alone, purchased a bus ticket at 6.10 am (local time) on November 12, and crossed the border into Tijuana by noon. Her phone was left behind at LAX for reasons still unclear.
Authorities revealed no evidence of a crime and have suspended their investigation since Kobayashi’s journey to Mexico was voluntary, according to The Mirror.
Family tensions and a possible green card scam
Speculation about Kobayashi’s disappearance deepened with reports of a possible marriage scam.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, Kobayashi allegedly married an Argentinian man, Alan Cacace, in what might have been a green card scheme. Her mother, Brandi Yee, reportedly found immigration documents in Kobayashi’s Hawaii home, suggesting she was working with an immigration attorney.
Amid these revelations, family tensions have erupted. Kobayashi’s sister Sydni accused their aunt Larie Pidgeon of overstepping in providing public updates about the case.
In response, Pidgeon told The Post: “Sydni is throwing me under the bus because she wants the limelight of national TV interviews.”
The mystery surrounding Kobayashi’s disappearance and the strain within her family remain unresolved, even as her journey to Mexico raises more questions than answers.
