Los Angeles police have classified Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old who vanished after arriving from Maui, as a voluntary missing person.

New video evidence shows Kobayashi entering Mexico on foot at the San Ysidro port of entry on November 12th.

“As the family is aware, late yesterday after traveling to the US-Mexico border we reviewed video surveillance from US Customs and Border Protection which clearly shows Kobayashi crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell during a press conference.

“She was alone with her luggage and appeared unharmed,” he added.

Kobayashi’s family reported her missing on November 11th after she failed to board her connecting flight to New York from Los Angeles.

Security footage captured her at various locations in LA between November 8th and 11th.  Investigators also determined she retrieved her luggage at LAX and used public transportation to reach the border.

“To date the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play. She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity,” McDonnell emphasised. “We respect her right to privacy but understand her family’s concern.”

Prior to leaving Maui, Kobayashi expressed a desire to disconnect from technology, according to police.

Authorities interviewed individuals Kobayashi interacted with in LA, including someone who met her at LAX. Their statements corroborated with the new video evidence.

The LAPD is urging Kobayashi to contact her family, law enforcement, or a US embassy to confirm her well-being.

“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point, she’s left the country, and in another nation now,” Chief McDonnell said. He also added that the investigation will not be carried forward to Mexico. If Kobayashi returns to the U.S., law enforcement will be notified, he said.

The announcement comes after the tragic passing of Kobayashi’s father, Ryan, who died by suicide on November 24th while searching for his daughter. He was found dead because of multiple blunt force traumatic injuries according to the LA medical examiner.

A GoFundMe established by the family has raised nearly $47,000 to support search efforts and funeral expenses.
 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are investigating one of the largest cash heists in the city’s history after as much as $30 million was stolen from a money storage facility. According to CBS News, the break-in took place on Easter Sunday at the Gardaworld facility in Sylmar where cash from businesses across the region is handled and stored. The robbery somehow went undetected until the next morning, with no sign on the outside of the safe that anything was amiss. 

As per CBS, the thieves gained access to the building and entered the vault without setting off the alarms. Officials said that very few people would have known about the cash being stored at the facility, therefore, they are investigating whether the group had inside knowledge of the facility. 

“The LAPD and the FBI have a joint investigation into an alleged burglary that occurred on Sunday evening, March 31, 2024. No additional information related to the incident is being released,” the agencies said in a joint statement. 

Separately, according to The Independent, an employee who works at the facility said that there were multiple questions surrounding the mysterious break-in. “It’s just mind blowing that you would never suspect it. $30 million in the Valley, gone. How? Why? I’m still trying to process it,” the employee said. 

“Was it an inside job? Was it just one person? Was it a group? You know, there’s a lot of questions,” he added. 

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Officers from the LAPD and the FBI are investigating the robbery. No arrests have been made yet and a manhunt is underway for those responsible.

Meanwhile, previously the largest cash heist in Los Angeles happened on September 12, 1997, when $18.9 million was stolen from the former site of the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo Street. Those suspects were eventually caught.

In 2022, around $100 million worth of jewels was also stolen from a truck at a stop off The Grapevine highway. This case remains unsolved.