FOCUSED ON HEALING

Hannah Kobayashi Says She Was ‘Unaware’ of Massive Media Coverage Surrounding Her Disappearance

The Hawaii woman believed to have gone missing in Los Angeles is back in the U.S. and has issued her first public statement.

A Hawaii woman believed to have gone missing in Los Angeles had no idea her nearly month-long disappearance had caused a media frenzy, she said in her first public statement.

Hannah Kobayashi’s family reported her missing on Nov. 11 after she failed to catch a connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York and sent friends and family a series of cryptic text messages suggesting she might be in trouble.

Her father flew to Los Angeles to look for her and died by suicide after nearly two weeks of searching turned up nothing. Police later confirmed Kobayashi, 31, had walked across the border into Mexico and classified her as a “voluntary missing person.”

Early Sunday morning, she crossed the border back into the U.S., according to a statement shared by NBC News that was sent from her aunt’s cell phone.

“My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity,” the statement said. “I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.”

Her statement went on to say that during her time away she had been “unaware” of the intense media coverage surrounding her case, and that she was “still processing it all.”

It’s still not clear why she missed her flight to New York, where she was supposed to visit her aunt, or why she went to Mexico.

A Go Fund Me set up to help pay for search and rescue efforts netted nearly $50,000. The family has said it will give donors refunds now that Kobayashi has been found, NBC reported.

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Janna Brancolini

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