Hannah Kobayashi gives astonishing update just six months after her father killed himself while searching for her

Daily Mail​

20-05-2025

Hannah Kobayashi has finally spoken out about her father's untimely passing - six months after he killed himself while searching for her.
The 31-year-old aspiring photographer disappeared at the end of last year while on her way to visit family in New York from her native Hawaii.
She had stopped for a layover at Los Angeles International Airport, where she was caught on surveillance footage exiting the airport.
As the search efforts continued, Kobayashi's father Ryan Kobayashi, took his own life by reportedly jumping from a building structure near Los Angeles International Airport after traveling to California to help authorities look for her.
It later emerged that she had voluntarily crossed into Mexico from California, and when she finally returned to the US, she said she was completely 'unaware' of the media coverage surrounding her disappearance and her father's death.
Kobayashi has remained off social media in the months since - but recently took to Instagram to share a video about 'loss.'
She said that life is 'such a precious gift... especially after such loss and pain and suffering.
'We should all learn to be kind to one another and cherish every single moment that we can because we are all connected.'
In another video, Kobayashi told how 'grateful' she was for everyone who dedicated their 'time and energy' into looking for her in the international search.
'It means the world to me,' Kobayashi said. 'Thank you so much... from the bottom of my heart.'
The videos come just weeks after the photographer returned to social media, sharing a black and white photo of her at the base of a redwood tree alongside some poetic words about love and resilience.
Many of the comments on the post were supportive of the 31 year old, as users expressed their relief that she was back home safely.
But others accused Kobayashi of being selfish - with one user even asking her why she did not attend her father's funeral.
'You don't know the whole story,' Kobayashi replied.
'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,' she said.
'I hope that in your darkest hours, you are shown compassion and love versus hate and judgment,' the photographer shot back.
Kobayashi was reported missing by her mother and sister after she mysteriously left LAX on November 8 while en route to New York.
She had been on a flight from Maui to Los Angeles with her alleged Green Card husband Argentina-native Alan Cacace, in an apparent bid to hoodwink immigration officials into believing their marriage was genuine, DailyMail.com previously revealed.
Her ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda also joined them with his own alleged Green Card wife Marianne – who just happened to be 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.
Sources have claimed 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.
'There was no secret,' Desiree, a co-worker, told DailyMail.com. 'She told us about her plans.'
'The Argentinian couple wanted to hop on the trip at the last minute because it presented an opportunity for photos of their "romantic vacation,"' Desiree explained.
But the dynamics of the group quickly got complicated.
Kobayashi's colleagues told DailyMail.com she had mixed feelings about going on the trip – feeling both excited by checking off a location on her bucket list where she could see relatives, but also frustrated she'd have to share her flight with ex-boyfriend Miranda.
Her coworkers also divulged that Cacace and his girlfriend were a point of contention for the formerly missing woman, who didn't want either of them coming on this trip.
Kobayashi supposedly told them she didn't want to waste time taking photos, but would reluctantly sacrifice one day of her weekly planned vacation to satisfy their wishes.
And then there was Marianne, who Kobayashi had a fight with over her jealousy of marrying her boyfriend Cacace.
'I do remember Hannah saying that the girlfriend had an issue with her,' Desiree said. 'And Hannah was like "Girl, I'm not trying to steal your man. This is an arrangement we all talked about beforehand".'
Once Kobayashi decided to leave LAX and not continue on with her flight to the Big Apple, her family said they started to receive some cryptic texts.
In one, she claimed she had undergone a 'spiritual awakening,' and in another she said that 'hackers wiped my identity [and] stole all of my funds.'
She had also texted a friend, saying she was 'tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I love.'
Meanwhile, her coworkers decided to do some digging of their own since they knew the backstory of what was going down on the trip to New York City.
Desiree, who had known Miranda since high school texted him telling him they were actively looking for his ex, going as far as to ask for the Argentinian couple's name and if they made it to New York.
'All seems very sus and you should have told her family she didn't get on the flight,' Desiree texted Miranda. 'Actually no you should've got off that flight when you realized she wasn't on it.. Explain.'
Miranda shot back at the questioning coworker saying it wasn't his job to look after her.
'She's an adult and I'd heard she'd also possibly had plans in Cali,' he texted.
'I have no reason to get off a plane and miss time on my own trip for something I thought was as simple as just missing one flight and catching the next available one,' he sniped.
'I shouldn't have to do anything because her and I had split up 3-4 months ago and agreed to no contact.'
Miranda and Kobayashi's plan got messy when he discovered she had met up with an ex-boyfriend – a DJ she'd dated for years – which led to them breaking up.
Kobayashi's ex-boyfriend also vehemently defended her alleged Green Card husband Cacace.
'Her husband is sweet and just a lil guy and wouldn't hurt a fly,' he wrote. 'He has nothing to do with any of this.'
Miranda said his best guess was that Kobayashi was off taking drugs, or having a mental health crisis.
'To be honest,' he wrote, 'from what her friends and her mom have told me from the things she said to them leading up to this it's very possible to be having some kind of a mental breakdown from lack of sleep, too much psychedelics, or coke. I don't know.'
In her hometown, sources say Kobayashi was known to use psychedelics, cocaine and whippets – or nitrous oxide.
A person close to Miranda's family told DailyMail.com that Kobayashi had a 'heavy drug problem' and that it was a factor in her breakup with him.
'Amun really didn't like her drug habit,' said Anita Lopez, who lives on his mother's property. 'He was just disgusted by it.'
'There's a difference between recreational use and abusing,' she said.
After weeks of searching for Kobayashi, the LAPD announced it had determined that she had crossed voluntarily into Mexico.
It shared surveillance footage showing her walking across the border, and said the case was closed.
They noted that Kobayashi spoke with Customs and Border Protection agents and 'did not appear to be under any distress.'
Following the announcement, Kobayashi finally made contact with her relatives to tell them that she was fine.
At that point, Kobayashi's sister and mother, Sydni Kobayashi and Brandi Yee, released a statement through their attorney saying they were 'incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe.'
'This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through,' they said.
'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.'