Hannah Kobayashi’s family says she has been “found safe” about a month after she walked into Mexico and vanished in what police have called a voluntary disappearance.
The curious case made headlines around the country — in large part because of her relatives’ insistence that something horrible may have happened.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” her sister and mother, Sydni Kobayashi and Brandi Yee, said in a statement to PEOPLE through their attorney, Sara Azari, on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
“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,” the family continued.
“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,” Hannah’s sister and mother added.
“We have not seen her and at this point we have no reason to compel her to see us,” Oldfield says.
Still, he notes, “It’s a big news story so she may decide to come with a lawyer, but she is not obligated to speak to us. We’ll see what happens next.”
He says the Hannah’s family did not share her current location and “we have not received notification that she’s had contact with CBP [Customs and Border Protection] or crossed back into the U.S.”
“When she crosses back, she’ll show as a missing person,” Oldfield says. “We usually want law enforcement to determine a person is safe and make contact — in this case CBP could provide us with that info to take her out of the system.”
Hannah, a 30-year-old photographer living in Hawaii, had been reported missing on Nov. 11 after failing to make a connecting flight in Los Angeles bound for New York City.
Police believe that, for whatever reason, her phone was left behind on Nov. 11. at the Los Angeles International Airport. Hannah’s family said that beforehand, they received strange and concerning texts from her, fueling their unease.
Since then, her relatives drew a national spotlight to her disappearance and said they worried she was the victim of a kidnapping or human trafficking.
“We are terrified,” her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, previously told PEOPLE. “We’re really afraid.”
Syndi, Hannah’s sister, echoed: “I can’t stress enough how loved you are, how supported you are,” she said. “We’re really worried about you. No matter what situation you’re in, you always have a home to come to.”
“I think the thing that we fear the most is you hear all of these stories of trafficking and women that travel alone, they get drugged or — just some random person can come up and take advantage of them, so that’s our biggest fear,” Sydni said, adding, “We can’t discount anything at this point.”
Both Sydni and Azari, the family attorney, said she has no history of mental illness or addiction.
Amid the widespread interest in Hannah, claims about her personal life and motivations also flourished, as thousands of people gathered in various corners of the internet to dissect and discuss their own theories.
As the family looked for her, they faced another loss: Her dad, Ryan Kobayashi, died by suicide in L.A. on Nov. 24.
Ryan flew from Hawaii and was one of a number of people aiding in the search, telling CNN before he died that he “wasn’t too close with [Hannah] … growing up. We hadn’t had contact for a while. I’m just trying to make up. I’m trying to get her back. That’s my main focus.”
Pidgeon, Hannah’s aunt, told that Ryan “died of a broken heart.”
Azari did not provide details about when, where or how Hannah made contact with her family and said there would be no further statements at this time.
Lt. Doug Oldfield, with the L.A. police’s missing persons unit, tells that authorities were separately notified by Azari just “a few hours ago” that Hannah was located. He also confirmed that police are not aware of when, where or Hannah Hannah made contact with her family.
