Missing US woman Hannah Kobayashi found safe after month-long ...
A missing US woman whose disappearance prompted a missing persons investigation and huge online interest in her case has been found safe, US police say.
Hannah Kobayashi vanished after failing to board a connecting flight in Los Angeles in November, which prompted a massive search by US authorities.
Other details about her disappearance, as well as where and how she was found, were not immediately available on Wednesday, but police previously said she was "voluntarily missing" and had gone on her own will across the border into Mexico.
Ms Kobyashi is from Hawaii, and was travelling to New York but disappeared after leaving the Los Angeles airport on November 8.
Subsequent text messages to her family — and an inability to then reach her — alarmed them so much that they later reported her missing.
"We are happy to learn that Hannah has been found safe," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
"Now that we have this new information, this has become a private matter and we will wrap up our investigation."
Ms Kobayashi's mother and sister, in a statement through their lawyer, were the first to announce on Wednesday that she had been found.
"We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe," Brandi Yee and Sydni Kobayashi wrote.
"This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through.
An LAPD missing person poster for Hannah Kobayashi during the investigation into her disappearance. (Supplied: LAPD)
"We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us."
Her family reported her missing to law enforcement on November 11 after relatives received "strange and cryptic, just alarming" text messages, according to her aunt Larie Pidgeon.
A CCTV image released by the Attorney General of California shows Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi in LAX airport on November 8, 2024. (Supplied: Attorney General of California)
"Once the family started pressing, she went dark," Ms Pidgeon told The Associated Press late last month.
After the texts, her phone "just went dead," Ms Pidgeon said.
Family members, friends and local volunteers searched for Hannah in Los Angeles.
Hannah's father, Ryan Kobayashi, was among those who flew in from Hawaii to help in the search.
He was found dead on November 24 in a parking lot near LA International Airport, according to the county medical examiner.
The Kobayashi family confirmed Ryan Kobayashi's death in a statement the same day, saying they "endured a devastating tragedy" and that he died by suicide.
Police said Hannah Kobayashi walked into Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing about 201 kilometres south-east of Los Angeles on November 12, the day after her family reported her missing, after reviewing CCTV footage from the border.
Ms Kobayashi disappeared voluntarily as she sought to "step away from modern connectivity," Jim McDonnell, the LA police chief, previously said.
AP
