Missing Hawaii photographer Hannah Kobayashi has been found safe, according to her family, but many unanswered questions about her disappearance remain. The 30-year-old went missing while heading to New York City after missing a connecting flight to New York and being stranded in Los Angeles. She was later caught on camera crossing into Mexico, and was declared a voluntary missing person by police.
Hannah’s family said they are “incredibly relieved and grateful” that she has been found, but did not reveal when, where or how she was found or why she had gone missing. However, DailyMail.com has claimed that they have since found the real reason behind Hannah’s disappearance.
Why did Hannah Kobayashi go missing?
The outlet noted how Hannah’s disappearance was rooted in a green card marriage with Argentina-native Alan Cacace. During the journey, she was reportedly joined by Cacace, her former boyfriend Amun Muniz-Miranda, and Muniz-Miranda’s green card wife Marianne, who was Cacace's girlfriend.
Cacace is believed to have offered Hannah $15,000, and had promised he would give her the same amount once he received proper immigration documents to reside in the US.
In fact, Hannah, who worked at a Maui smoke shop called Up 'N Smoke, even showed her colleagues pictures of their October sham wedding. Cacace thought posing in front of the Empire State Building, in Central Park and other tourist destinations across New York would make the marriage appear real and believable. Hannah’s co-worker Desiree said that the Argentinian couple allegedly "wanted to hop on the trip at the last minute" as it would be a good photo opportunity to prove their love.
{{/usCountry}}In fact, Hannah, who worked at a Maui smoke shop called Up 'N Smoke, even showed her colleagues pictures of their October sham wedding. Cacace thought posing in front of the Empire State Building, in Central Park and other tourist destinations across New York would make the marriage appear real and believable. Hannah’s co-worker Desiree said that the Argentinian couple allegedly "wanted to hop on the trip at the last minute" as it would be a good photo opportunity to prove their love.
{{/usCountry}}Hannah’s colleagues said that while she was happy about visiting the BIg Apple, she was upset that she had to share space with her ex and that she was to be accompanied by the Argentinian couple. She was unhappy that she would have to cater to the couple’s agenda instead of enjoying her trip the way she had imagined.
A GoFundMe had previously been launched by Hannah’s family, and had taken in over $47,000 for expenses related to the search for her and the funeral costs of her father Ryan Kobayashi, who reportedly jumped to his death amid the search for his daughter. Now, an update on the page says that donations have been turned off, and donors who want a refund can place a claim by December 18.