Police Search for Missing Photographer Who ‘Vanished’ at LAX
A police search is underway for photographer Hannah Kobayashi who vanished on her way to New York City where she had a photo job planned.
30-year-old photographer Hannah Kobayashi, who lives in Maui, Hawaii, has been missing for over two weeks.
On November 8, Kobayashi flew from Maui to Los Angeles and vanished shortly after landing.
Kobayashi was supposed to get on a connecting flight to New York for a trip where she planned to visit her aunt and do a photography job, according to an itinerary she posted online.
Surveillance footage shows Kobayashi getting off the flight at the Los Angeles airport. The photographer then had 42 minutes to make her flight to New York but it appears she missed her connection.
Kobayashi’s family initially thought she would catch another flight but she told them she had begun to explore Los Angeles.
Surveillance footage showed Kobayashi at the Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District, about 12 miles north of LAX, on November 9 and 10. There is also CCTV videos showing the photographer returning to LAX but not getting on a flight on November 11 before she was seen near a downtown metro station.
On November 10, the photographer’s family says they started receiving “strange and cryptic” text messages from her phone. The messages referenced her being “intercepted” as she got on a train and being scared someone was trying to steal her identity.
However, since November 11, Kobayashi’s family says her phone has been off.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) launched an investigation into Kobayashi’s disappearance with assistance from the FBI.
The photographer’s father Ryan Kobayashi flew out to Los Angeles to find his daughter. However, tragically, he was found dead near LAX in the early hours of Sunday.
He died in an apparent suicide and was found in a parking lot near the airport, according to the LAPD.
In a statement to AP News, the family asked for privacy as it grieves Ryan’s death. They urge the public to “maintain focus on the search for her. Hannah is still actively missing and is believed to be in imminent danger. It is crucial for everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to locate Hannah.”
Kobayashi is 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and is fair-skinned with freckles.
Anyone who has seen or has any information regarding the whereabouts of Hannah Kobayashi should contact the LAPD at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247)
