(NewsNation) — The family of a woman who has been missing for over a week says they fear she may have been trafficked.
Hannah Kobayashi was on her way to New York from Hawaii but missed her connecting flight in Los Angeles on Nov. 8, 2024.
Her family says they received suspicious texts from the missing 31-year-old and says she was spotted on surveillance video in downtown LA near a Metro stop about a block from where the Los Angeles Lakers play. She was accompanied by an unidentified person.
A rally is planned for Thursday afternoon outside the Crypto.com Arena as her family searches for Kobayashi.
Her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, said the unreleased surveillance footage showed Kobayashi was not alone and that she did not look well in the video. Kobayashi was wearing the same clothing she had worn when she arrived from Maui.
Earlier sightings included one at the Grove Shopping Center, where Kobayashi posted to Instagram from a Nike event on Nov. 10.
In a video obtained by the family, Kobayashi is seen strolling through the event that day wearing headphones.
Her relatives are especially concerned about text messages from Kobayashi’s phone on Nov. 11. One stated, “I got hacked, stripped of my identity, I can’t fly.”
Another said, “I got tricked pretty much into giving away my funds for someone I thought I loved. I’ve been on the streets.”
According to Pidgeon, the wording in the text is suspicious, and the phone has been turned off since Nov. 11.
“Time is of the essence, and it’s dwindling, so we are terrified,” Pidgeon said. “We’re thinking of things like, was she abducted? I hate to say it, but the word ‘trafficked.'”
Posters and flyers are plastered throughout the area.
Another question focuses on the Metros top, which does not connect to LAX. You have to make a connection from another line, which has left the family wondering if someone brought her to the area by the stadium.
The family filed a formal missing persons report on Nov. 12, and police confirmed there is an investigation underway.
Since there is no hard evidence of a crime or foul play, the family fears her case is not a priority to officers.
Her family is focusing their search in the area around the arena and are hoping the rally, right before a Lakers game, will lead to new leads.
