Hannah Kobayashi speaks out 6 months after disappearance, father’s death
By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow
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MAUI, Hawaii (KITV) — The Maui woman who went missing nearly six months ago and made national headlines broke her silence on her widely publicized, weeks-long disappearance.
31-year-old Hannah Kobayashi posted a video on Instagram earlier this month thanking those who looked for her and seemingly alluded to the death of her father, Ryan Kobayashi, who reportedly died by suicide amid search efforts.
“I just wanna come on here and take the time to say how grateful I am for every one, every single person, who dedicated time and energy into looking for me,” Kobayashi stated in a brief video shared on her Instagram story.
“Every day is such a gift, especially after such loss and pain, suffering.”
Kobayashi mysteriously vanished after traveling to Los Angeles in November and her disappearance quickly gained global attention.
Family members initially believed Kobayashi was taken after receiving unusual text messages from her, as one of them mentioned she feared someone was trying to steal her identity and money.
Los Angeles police later located Kobayashi in Mexico after seeing her cross the border alone on surveillance video.
A slew of commenters criticized Kobayashi on a picture she recently posted on her Instagram page.
One profile questioned why Kobayashi did not attend her father’s funeral, to which she replied in part, “…you don’t know the whole story. My intention in this post is to acknowledge that I am going to speak about my experience and to stand up against all the hate that was cast upon me.”
Kobayashi’s much anticipated remarks in her video ended with, “we should all learn to be kind to one another.”
Island News reached out to Kobayashi and her family members for an interview.
Kobayashi’s aunt Larie Pidgeon, a self-proclaimed spokesperson for Kobayashi’s search efforts, declined to comment.
A GoFundMe page raised nearly $50,000 to aid in the search for Kobayashi. Her family members have been offering refunds to the hundreds of people who donated to it.
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