Hawaii photographer Hannah Kobayashi claimed she was “unaware” of the extensive media coverage and vast public interest in her mysterious disappearance in her first statement since the strange saga unfolded.
Kobayashi broke her silence on Monday, a day after arriving back in the US from Mexico – where she had reportedly been traveling alone for more than a month.
“I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing it all,” the 30-year-old wrote in a statement shared by her aunt, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Kobayashi flew from Maui to Los Angeles last month and then sparked a massive manhunt when she was reported missing by family on Nov. 11, three days after failing to board a connecting flight from LAX to New York.
She had planned to travel to the Big Apple to visit a relative and sightsee with an ex-boyfriend – but investigators later learned she instead crossed into Mexico via bus on Nov. 12.
Los Angeles police eventually classified Kobayashi as a “voluntary missing person.”
But before traveling across the southern border, Kobayash’s friends and family received cryptic and worrying texts from her phone.
The missing person case took a tragic twist when Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, jumped to his own death from an LAX parking garage after arriving in Los Angeles to help search for his daughter.
“I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time,” Hannah wrote in her Monday statement.
“I kindly ask for respect for myself, my family, and my loved ones as I navigate through this challenging time. Thank you for your understanding,” she concluded.
