Hannah Kobayashi returns to US from Mexico weeks after 'voluntary disappearance' in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - Hannah Kobayashi, who was found safe about one month after police say she voluntarily disappeared, is back in the U.S., the Los Angeles Police Department announced Monday. 

Kobayashi went through Customs and Border Protection on Dec. 15 and appeared to be in good health, the LAPD said. 

"This case is now closed. Hannah Kobayashi has been removed from the Missing and Unidentified Persons System," authorities said.

On Wednesday, Dec. 11, Kobayashi's family announced that she had been found.

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"We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe," her family wrote in a statement obtained by FOX 11. "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."

"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."

Kobayashi was reported missing by her family on Nov. 12 after she did not board a connecting flight from Maui to New York City.

Her phone last pinged at LAX on Nov. 11, where she was seen talking to an American Airlines agent but did not board a flight.

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During a press conference on Dec. 2, LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said they had determined Kobayashi voluntarily crossed the border into Mexico on Nov. 12 based on surveillance footage, and urged her to contact family.

"For unknown reasons, she decided not to board her pre scheduled flight to New York," the LAPD said in a statement. "While she did check her bag through to New York, she requested her bag be sent back to her at LAX where we have surveillance footage of her retrieving it from the baggage carousel on November 11th."

"She was alone, with her luggage and appeared unharmed," McDonnell added.

Authorities said based on their investigation, Kobayashi left LAX and went to Union Station, where she was also seen on surveillance camera. There, she bought a bus ticket to Mexico.

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Relatives said they were investigating the possibility that Kobayashi may have been involved in a green card marriage scam after her mother reportedly found immigration documents at her Maui home. It's unclear if this claim is valid. 

The case took a tragic turn when Kobayashi's father died by suicide a little over two weeks after she was reported missing.

Investigators said Kobayashi apparently jumped to his death from a parking structure.

Last week, Kobayashi's family announced that she had contacted them and assured she was fine.

Her family has since turned off donations to the GoFundMe page that raised nearly $50,000 for search efforts and for her father's funeral. They are also offering refunds to anyone who donated. 

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