Hannah Kobayashi said she returned to the United States at daybreak on December 15, 2024, and asked for privacy as she focused on “my healing, my peace and my creativity.” The Los Angeles Times reported her first public statement on December 17, saying it was provided by her aunt, Larie Pidgeon.
What Hannah Kobayashi said
In the statement reported by the Los Angeles Times on December 17, 2024, Kobayashi wrote: “At daybreak on December 15th, I crossed the border back into the United States.”
She described what she wanted to focus on next: “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.”
Kobayashi said she had not known about the media coverage while she was away and was still processing it. She asked people to respect her, her family and her loved ones as she navigated what she called a challenging time.
When she returned and when the statement was reported
Kobayashi placed her return at daybreak on December 15, 2024. The Associated Press reported that police were notified by Customs and Border Protection that she had presented herself for entry that day and appeared to be in good health. The Los Angeles Police Department then closed its missing-person case, according to AP’s December 2024 report. Her statement became public through the Los Angeles Times two days later.
How the disappearance unfolded
The timeline reported by police and the family began in Los Angeles. Kobayashi was traveling from Maui to New York when she missed a connecting flight at Los Angeles International Airport on November 8, 2024. Her family reported her missing on November 11 after receiving alarming messages, according to ABC News.
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Police said surveillance video showed Kobayashi crossing into Mexico at San Ysidro on November 12. Authorities classified her as a voluntary missing person and reported no evidence of criminal activity, trafficking or foul play, as covered by the Los Angeles Times and AP. Those are the police account and official classification; they do not establish a complete account of Kobayashi’s private experience or reasons for leaving.
Police account and family disagreement
The family disputed the police narrative that Kobayashi had gone off on her own. That disagreement is important context: police described the case as voluntary based on their investigation, while her relatives challenged that characterization. The available reporting does not resolve the disagreement or establish her motives.
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Before she was located, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told AP, “She has a right to her privacy,” while urging Kobayashi to contact her family or law enforcement. The reported return and her request for respect are consistent with the privacy she asked for; they do not answer every question about what happened while she was away.
Her father’s death in the public timeline
Ryan Kobayashi traveled to Los Angeles to help search for his daughter and died by suicide on November 24, 2024, according to ABC News. His death was a profound part of the family’s ordeal, but the reporting does not establish a cause-and-effect link between it and any action by Hannah Kobayashi.
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Keep the 2024 statement separate from later coverage
The statement about healing, peace and creativity was reported in December 2024. ABC News later covered a separate Instagram post in May 2025, describing comments about gratitude and criticism; that later post should not be confused with the December statement. ABC News said at the time that Kobayashi had not publicly answered questions about her father’s death. That report does not establish whether she has commented since.
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