The last person to see photographer Hannah Kobayashi before she vanished described her as a “free spirit,” yet perfectly normal during the nine hours they spent together. The unidentified man told investigators they bonded after an unexpected encounter outside LAX, just one day before Kobayashi crossed into Mexico.
Kobayashi, 30, reportedly approached the man at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 11, asking for directions to the train station. The two struck up a conversation and wandered through downtown LA, talking and smiling before arriving at Union Station. They shared dinner and fell asleep together in a waiting area.
When the man woke up the next morning, Kobayashi was gone.
Piecing Together Her Final Movements
Police tracked the pair on surveillance footage, initially focusing on the man as he was the last known person to see Kobayashi. However, after reviewing hours of video, authorities ruled him out as a suspect, noting Kobayashi had plenty of opportunities to signal for help.
“She just spoke about her life—her personal life, her love life—and he listened,” said Detective Omar Franco.
The footage showed Kobayashi gathering her belongings and leaving Union Station alone around 6:10 a.m. on Nov. 12. She purchased a bus ticket and crossed the border into Tijuana by noon.
Her phone, mysteriously left behind at LAX, remains a key puzzle piece in the investigation.
A Troubling Backstory
As police cleared the “gentleman” of wrongdoing, other theories about Kobayashi’s disappearance have emerged. Reports suggest she may have been caught up in a marriage scam involving an Argentinian national.
Kobayashi allegedly married Alan Cacace, a man linked to a green card visa scheme, and traveled to LA with him and his girlfriend, Marianna. Immigration documents later found at Kobayashi’s Hawaii home hint at her involvement with an immigration attorney, raising questions about her role in the alleged scam.
The family has since been rocked by tragedy, including the suicide of Kobayashi’s father, who jumped from a parking garage at LAX while searching for his daughter.
Family Rift Adds to Drama
Kobayashi’s disappearance has also divided her family, with tensions spilling into the public. Her sister, Sydni, accused their aunt, Larie Pidgeon, of misrepresenting the family’s efforts to locate Kobayashi.
“It’s really unfortunate when you have to question family,” Sydni told News Nation.
Pidgeon fired back, claiming Sydni was vying for the spotlight.
The ongoing search for Kobayashi remains fraught with heartbreak and unanswered questions. For now, her whereabouts—and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance—remain an unsettling mystery.
