Hannah Kobayashi returns to US from Mexico after going missing for over a month
The family of missing Hawaiian photographer Hannah Kobayashi have confirmed that she is now back in the US after being found in Mexico.
30-year-old Kobayashi became the subject of an national missing persons case last month after missing her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York on 8 November, where she was supposed to visit her aunt in the city.
However, she never boarded the flight and was later seen on camera leaving the airport.
An update from the Los Angeles police department would later confirm that she had crossed the border into Mexico.
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A dramatic update in the case would later see the LAPD reveal they believed that Kobayashi had crossed the border into Mexico at her own free will and was subsequently considered a voluntary missing person, prompting an end to the official search for her.
The photographer's father, Ryan Kobayashi, also passed away last month after falling from a parking garage in LA while searching for his daughter. The city's medical examiner would later rule his death to be a suicide.
However, the latest update in the case has seen Kobayashi's family confirm to ABC News via a representative that Hannah had now returned to the States over the weekend.
The news had initially been broken by TMZ, who claimed that she appeared 'healthy' and not under any 'duress'. The report also claimed that she had been greeted by her lawyer after crossing back into the US.
It also is understood she returned to the country on her own, according to her family.
Kobayashi's decision to return may come as a surprise to many, as a previous statement from her family revealed that she didn't want to leave Mexico.
Hannah's sister Sydni confirmed via social media that she had been in contact with the 30-year-old over the phone and hadn't 'physically seen' her since the 8 November disappearance.
"We've only spoken to her over the phone," Sydni revealed. "She was found safe with Larie [her aunt], but she doesn't wish to return to us. At this time, my mother and I have not physically seen Hannah.
"We don't have actual proof of where she is, other than that she's somewhere in Mexico."
Sydni went on to ask for 'privacy' in her update, adding: "The past 31 days have been absolute hell for us, and I feel they will continue to be for a while, even as we try to transition back to some semblance of normalcy.
"As you can imagine, we are all extremely relieved and glad that my sister is alive and seemingly okay, but we also have mixed and overwhelming feelings of exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal.
"We are kindly asking the public to respect our privacy and offer us grace for a moment as we are still grieving.
"There is still so much unknown, and so much that still needs to be navigated."
Topics: US News
Brenna Cooper