A missing Hawaii woman returned to the United States on Sunday, and the Los Angeles Police Department closed the missing-person case that sparked global interest in her disappearance.
Hannah Kobayashi, 30, vanished amid cries of foul play by her family on Nov. 11, but what emerged was a confusing mix of marriage-for-money schemes, a lack of transparency from Kobayashi’s family and the stress of a missing child that led Kobayashi’s father to leap to his death from a parking garage.
Kobayashi issued her first public statement Monday and claimed she was unaware of media coverage regarding her disappearance.
“At daybreak on December 15th, I crossed the border back into the United States,” she said in a statement distributed to some media outlets by her aunt Larie Pidgeon, who had parted ways with Kobayashi’s mother and sister. “My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity. I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.
“I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing it all. I kindly ask for respect for myself, my family, and my loved ones as I navigate through this challenging time. Thank you for your understanding.”
Sydni Kobayashi, who made multiple national press statements and television appearances pleading for her sister’s safe return and pushing a narrative that she may have been trafficked or in danger, hired a criminal defense attorney and refused to respond to questions from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Her phone was turned off Monday, and the family refused to tell their side of why Hannah Kobayashi ditched her life in Hawaii only to return.
“The Los Angeles Police Department received notification from Customs Border Protection that Hannah Kobayashi had presented herself on December 15, 2024, for entry into the US and appeared in good health,” according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department released Monday. “This case is now closed. Hannah Kobayashi has been removed from the Missing and Unidentified Persons.”
The Daily Mail, a newspaper based in the United Kingdom, published a story Monday reporting Kobayashi, 30, was on her way to New York from her home on Maui when she decided to walk out of Los Angeles International Airport and disappear.
She was on her way to New York alongside her new green-card husband, Argentina native Alan Cacace, in a bid to “hoodwink immigration officials into believing their marriage was genuine,” according to the Daily Mail.
And, on that same flight, her ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda joined them with his own green-card wife, Marianne — who was Cacace’s girlfriend.
“This messy love square, all on one plane together, was only possible because Cacace had allegedly given Kobayashi $15,000 with the promise of a similar sum once the immigration documents that allowed him to stay in the United States were issued,” read the Daily Mail report.
“The ruse of their sham marriage was already in the works after they tied the knot in October. Pictures of the ceremony were shown to Kobayashi’s colleagues at Up ‘N Smoke, the Maui smoke shop where she worked. But Cacace believed that pictures of him with Kobayashi, perhaps in front of the Empire State Building, in Central Park, on Broadway or by the Statue of Liberty, would be enough to persuade immigration officials that their marriage was for real.”
It is not immediately clear whether the Kobayashi family will be the subject of a California state criminal investigation or a civil action.
“This was handled with LAPD as the lead,” Laura Eimiller, FBI spokesperson for the bureau’s Los Angeles field office, told the Star-Advertiser. “I would defer to LAPD and the District Attorney as far as whether any such charges are being considered. I am not aware of any such charges being considered by the federal government at this time.”
Sara Azari, a criminal defense attorney hired by the Kobayashi family, told the Star-Advertiser, “We don’t engage with Daily Mail. Nor (do) we respond to their BS,” she said.
“The family is Brandi Yee, Sydni Kobayashi, Robert Montalvo and Geordan Montalvo. They are my clients. Larie Pidgeon is NOT. The family has done nothing wrong. And therefore, the family is not concerned about any investigation into any misconduct by them. Nor is there any indication that they are investigated for any misconduct,” Azari said.
A GoFundMe set up to pay for search efforts; legal fees; the funeral of Hannah Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi; communication devices; a media campaign; and other efforts designed to find Hannah Kobayashi had raised $44,366 by Monday.
Sydni Kobayashi, in a statement posted Dec. 12 on the GoFundMe page she and her mother, Brandi Yee set up, wrote that the family is “incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe. This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us,” she wrote. “We are turning donations off, and any donor who would like a refund can submit a claim by December 18th, and it will be honored.”
