Hannah Kobayashi’s family offers to refund $46,000 in donations after she’s found safe
The family of a formerly missing woman has offered to refund people who donated more than $46,000 for search efforts now that she has been found safe.
Hannah Kobayashi’s family said she reached out to them and informed them she was fine on Wednesday, ending a monthlong, nationwide hunt for her.
The 30-year-old Hawaii woman had flown to Los Angeles on November 8 and missed her connecting flight to New York. Her family said she sent a series of bizarre and concerning texts before going silent with her whereabouts unknown.
A GoFundMe page supporting the search amassed more than $46,700 as people sympathized for Hannah and her family, who have been dealing with the double tragedy of her father taking his own life while looking for her in Los Angeles.
In an update to the fundraiser on Thursday, Hannah’s sister, Sydni Kobayashi, announced they were turning donations off.
‘Any donor who would like a refund can submit a claim by December 18th, and it will be honored,’ she wrote.
Sydni added that the family was ‘incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe’.
‘This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family,’ she wrote.
‘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.’
Hannah’s family has asked for privacy.
Among Hannah’s cryptic messages was: ‘I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I loved.’
Her dad, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead at the bottom of a Los Angeles International Airport parking lot 13 days after flying there to look for her.
Earlier this month, Los Angeles police Chief Jim McDonnell said CCTV footage showed Hannah crossing the US border from California to Mexico, and classified her as a voluntary missing person.
Her family’s statement on her reappearance did not provide details on where she was found or what she was doing.
Last week, the family said they were investigating if she was involved in a possible green card marriage scam. But their lawyer said the claim had not been verified.
Her family and the Los Angeles Police Department said they will not be commenting further on the case.
Accordingly, the public may never know what really happened to Hannah, an aspiring artist, while she disappeared.
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