Hannah Kobayashi, whose disappearance from Los Angeles in November of last year led to a statewide search and international headlines, took to social media recently to speak out about her “loss, pain and suffering.”
The Instagram Stories post over the weekend comes nearly six months after her father, Ryan Kobayashi, died by suicide during the weekslong search for Hannah, who was eventually found safe in what police called a “voluntary” disappearance into Mexico.
“Hi, everyone. I just want to come on here and take the time to say how grateful I am for everyone. Every single person who dedicated time and energy into looking for me,” Hannah said on the post, which was shared by the Daily Mail.
Still images distributed at the time of her disappearance, captured of the then 30-year-old Hawaii resident in various locations across the city. Family members and loved ones traveled to L.A. to aid in the search, with some concerned she may have been abducted and held against her will.
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Maui woman Hannah Kobayashi went missing. She was last seen in downtown Los Angeles, California. (Los Angeles Police Department) -
Hannah Kobayashi seen in this undated photography. (viewer image) -
A flyer with information on Hannah Kobayashi, currently missing, is displayed Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) -
Ryan Kobayashi is seen here at a rally on Nov. 21 held for his daughter, Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old Maui woman who vanished in Los Angeles in early November. (KTLA) -
Hannah Kobayashi seen at LAX on Nov. 8, 2024, in a surveillance photo obtained by family members. (viewer image) -
Hannah Kobayashi seen in this undated photography. (viewer image)
Ryan Kobayashi was among the family members to fly from Hawaii to Los Angeles to search for his missing daughter. His body was later found near LAX.
When she finally returned to the U.S., Hannah said she was unaware of the media firestorm her disappearance caused and had remained off social media until this weekend’s post.
“Every day is such a gift. Especially, after such loss and pain and suffering,” she said in the post. “We should all learn to be kind to one another.”
She didn’t address her father’s death directly, but SFGATE reported that Hannah plans to share more details soon.
“Given my particular situation on the other side of my experience, I understand how some people would choose to cast me in a negative light, but I know who I am, I know my truth and one day, I will share it,” Kobayashi told SFGATE over Instagram. “I do believe that we can all learn to be kinder to one another because we never really know what someone else has been through unless we’ve walked in their shoes.”
