The case of missing Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi just gets stranger by the day. Now, law enforcement has labeled her as a "voluntary missing person." They say they found security footage of Kobayashi crossing into Mexico on foot.
According to investigators, Kobayashi crossed the border near Tijuana between November 12 and 13. It was a day after she disappeared. This comes after investigators said the missing woman intentionally left LAX and missed her flight. Upon leaving the airport, she went to Union Station and bought a bus ticket to the border.
She took the bus to San Ysidro, California. According to authorities, they do not believe that there's any human trafficking at play. Instead, Kobayashi seems to be traveling freely.
Hannah Kobayashi Flees Country
"The investigators noted that before departing Maui, Kobayashi expressed a desire to step away from modern connectivity," the police department said in a statement. "The LAPD remains mindful of privacy concerns while ensuring all investigative actions are conducted within the bounds of legal and ethical standards."
Police won't further investigate the matter in Mexico. However, they encouraged Kobayashi to contact the American Embassy to let her family know how she's doing.
"She's an adult and she can choose to be missing," one investigator said. LAPD recently confirmed that Kobayashi intentionally didn't get on her flight to New York City. Her sister has blasted authorities for not keeping the family involved in the updates on the case. She also claimed that certain details were inaccurate.
"These alleged findings have yet to be relayed to my mother and I directly from the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department or any detective involved in Hannah's case," she said. "Specific facts contained in that report were inaccurate, such as Hannah's age. Hannah is 30 years old, not 23. Also, Hannah was reported missing to law enforcement on November 11th, not November 13th, as stated by the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. The lack of communication surrounding some important details has left us feeling excluded from potentially crucial developments."
She also said, "However, we do remain hopeful and optimistic that the Los Angeles Police Department is doing everything in their power to assist us in locating Hannah."
