Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaii woman who went missing after failing to make a connected cross-country flight last month, said she was "unaware" of the media coverage her search received while issuing her first public statement.

Kobayashi, who was reported to be in Mexico upon being found safe last Thursday (December 12), said she returned to the U.S. on Saturday (December 15) in a statement shared by her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, to NBC Los Angeles on Monday (December 16).

"At daybreak on December 15th, I crossed the border back into the United States," Kobayashi said. "My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity. I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.

"I was unaware of everything that was happening in the media while I was away, and I am still processing it all. 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."

Sydni Kobayashi said her family was experiencing “mixed and overwhelming feelings of exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal” after her 30-year-old sister confirmed she was safe during a phone call last Thursday.

“At this time, my mother and I have not physically seen Hannah. We do not have actual proof of where she is, other than that she is somewhere in Mexico,” Sydni said in a Facebook post. “We have only spoken to her over the phone, and she was allegedly found safe with Larie, but at this time, she does not wish to return to us.”

Kobayashi flew from Maui to Los Angeles on November 8 and was scheduled to take a connected flight to New York, but missed the second flight despite surveillance footage confirming she'd landed at LAX. Relatives initially became worried after she sent strange texts before vanishing, which included messaging a friend that she "got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds" and another claiming she'd been fooled by "someone I thought I loved."

“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f**k since Friday,” another message stated.

Kobayashi's family said the texts were unlike ones she would send.

“She mentioned feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity,” Pidgeon told the New York Post. “Strange, cryptic messages — things about the matrix, it was so unlike her. And then all of a sudden, no more communication.”

Koboyashi was reportedly spotted at the Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles on November 10 and at a downtown Metro train station with an unknown person on November 11, which was the last time she was heard from in text messages, according to her family. Several conspiracy theories launched in connection with the search for Kobayashi are suspected to have led to her father's death.

Ryan Kobayashi, 58, died by suicide after jumping off a parking structure near Los Angeles International Airport at around 4:00 a.m. local time on November 24. Pidgeon, whom Hannah was set to visit for her 'bucket list' trip to New York before going missing, claims that online conspiracy theories, which include Hannah potentially being brainwashed by a cult or blackmailed by African hackers, possibly contributed to Ryan's death.

“It’s bulls**t! It’s such bulls**t!” Pidgeon told the New York Post on November 25. “If Ryan is looking at all this s–t, imagine that weighing on him?”

“He broke,” she added. “He died of a broken heart. We were tirelessly searching, and Ryan was a big, giant teddy bear. He’s sensitive. Imagine looking in places like Skid Row, picturing his daughter being sex-trafficked, not getting sleep. He just broke.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Aviation Blog - Jay Ratliff