(NewsNation) — The sister of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi, Sydni, said Wednesday that the cryptic text messages Hannah’s family received may have been sent by someone else, adding that it “feels like someone was controlling her.”
“Intuitively knowing her and being so close to her my entire life, I just know this is absolutely not like her,” Sydni Kobayashi told NewsNation’s “CUOMO.”
The family continues to search for Hannah, who was last seen in Los Angeles on Nov. 11 after missing a connecting flight from Maui to New York.
Sydni Kobayashi pleaded for compassion and continued support, describing her family’s anguish as they search for Hannah while mourning the suicide of their father, Ryan Kobayashi.
She said family members are receiving thousands of tips and remain hopeful about finding her, though they are cautious about releasing details to protect the ongoing investigation.
Sydni told NewsNation that her sister is “an amazing and beautiful person” who would never intentionally cause her family distress.
Ryan Kobayashi had been searching for his daughter in Los Angeles for nearly two weeks before taking his own life. Sydni described her father as a “loving, caring, kind-hearted individual” who “fought until his last breath” to find his daughter.
“We ask that you just give our family some grace,” Sydni said. “Imagine if it was your loved one.”
The disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
Kobayashi was last seen Nov. 11 after missing a connecting flight from Maui to New York, where she was planning to visit her aunt.
She was reportedly seen at the Grove shopping mall and at a LeBron James event before sending cryptic text messages claiming she had been “tricked” and that “Deep State hackers” had stolen her funds.
The family said they found the texts suspicious and her phone appeared to have been turned off after sending them. Kobayashi was then seen the following day at Los Angeles International Airport, speaking to a ticket agent.
Kobayashi made two Venmo payments Nov. 9 — one with a bow-and-arrow emoji and another with the word “reading.”
Later that day, Kobayashi was captured on surveillance exiting the subway system near the stadium where the LA Lakers play. That metro stop is not on the same line that goes to LAX, meaning she would have had to change lines to get to that area.
Searching for Hannah Kobayashi
Kobayashi was in areas with significant video surveillance that police could be reviewing to find her.
The search has been further complicated by the death of Kobayashi’s father, Ryan, who took his own life after spending 13 days searching for his daughter.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit, Hannah Kobayashi is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes and fair skin with freckles, as well as a tattoo that says “knife” on her forearm.
Authorities continue to investigate the disappearance. Anyone with information is urged to contact local law enforcement.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz contributed to this report.
