Sister of woman who went missing while on vacation says family are 'devastated and betrayed' after learning her whereabouts

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

The sister of a 30-year-old woman who went missing as she traveled from Hawaii to New York has said the family are overwhelmed by feelings of 'exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal' after learning of her whereabouts.

Hannah Kobayashi seemingly disappeared in early November, when she boarded a flight from Maui to Los Angeles with plans to travel on to New York City to visit her aunt.

When Hannah failed to catch the connecting flight, her family put out a plea for help finding her; they held a rally in Los Angeles where they detailed the timeline of her disappearance, and posted flyers in areas across the city.

And as the search for Hannah went on, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life.

Police investigating the case ultimately determined that Hannah had missed the connecting flight to New York intentionally, and her family were left surprised when, a couple of weeks later, she was declared 'safe and well' in Mexico.

Hannah's sister, Sydni, has now spoken out in a statement shared on Facebook in which she said she and her mother have still not seen Hannah in person since before her disappearance, and that she is instead with her aunt, Larie Pidgeon.

"It has been one month since our family was thrust into the spotlight, and the pain inflicted upon us was laid bare for the entire world to see," Sydni began the post.

Hannah Kobayashi did not board her flight to New York (ABC10)

She went on to state that her immediate family was 'unaware of Hannah's whereabouts' from the 'beginning', and that they had requested Larie, a 'self-proclaimed social media influencer', dial down her posts and interviews as the search for Hannah continued. Sydni added that she no longer considers Larie as family.

The sister described the time since Hannah went missing as 'absolute hell', writing: "Each day brought the unbearable uncertainty of whether my sister was alive or dead. Losing my father to suicide during this ordeal was more than my soul and heart could bear. I am human. Despite the differences any family has — and we all do — my son, family, and I loved him immensely."

Sydni told followers her family have 'not once lied', and that they have kept receipts of a GoFundMe page to prove that funds have been used for the search for her sister and funeral expenses for her father. The family have since stopped collecting donations.

Ryan Kobayashi tragically died as the search for his daughter continued (KCAL News)

"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 continued. "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.

"As you can imagine, we are all extremely relieved and glad that my sister is alive and seemingly okay, but we also have mixed and overwhelming feelings of exhaustion, devastation, and betrayal. We are kindly asking the public to respect our privacy and offer us grace for a moment as we are still grieving. There is still so much unknown, and so much that still needs to be navigated."

After police determined Hannah had intentionally missed her flight, the case was officially re-classified to describe Hannah as a voluntary missing person.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

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