The family of a Hawaii woman who disappeared while traveling to New York expressed their concerns after receiving unsettling text messages from her phone. These messages have led them to suspect that she may have fallen victim to human trafficking.
Hannah Kobayashi had planned to travel from Maui, Hawaii to New York City on November 8th. However, her journey took an unexpected turn when she had a layover at LAX in Los Angeles and missed her connecting flight.
Traveling with an ex-boyfriend, Kobayashi agreed they would split ways when she arrived in New York, her sister, Sydni Kobayashi, told CNN.
Loved ones were sent alarming texts days later.
“I got hacked, stripped of my identity, I can’t fly,” a message sent to loved ones from Kobayashi’s phone three days later Nov. 11 read, her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told NewsNation.
“I was deceived into giving away my money by someone I truly believed I loved,” read a subsequent text message, just moments before her phone was abruptly cut off. “Now I find myself living on the streets.”
According to Pidgeon, downtown LA surveillance footage reportedly captured Kobayashi appearing unwell with an unidentified person between the time she landed and when her family received the suspicious messages.
She was also caught on camera at The Grove, a popular shopping spot.
“Time is of the essence, and it’s dwindling, so we are terrified,” Pidgeon told the network. “We’re thinking of things like, was she abducted? I hate to say it, but the word ‘trafficked.'”
In an interview with CNN, Pidgeon expressed the same concerns as the family regarding the possibility that her niece may be held captive in an undisclosed location.
“She’s the kindest, most beautiful soul in the world,” she pleaded. “If someone has Hannah, please don’t hurt her.”
“Please return her to us without any inquiries. Our only request is that you do not cause her any harm. We beg you.”
According to the Los Angeles Police Department’s missing persons poster, Kobayashi stands at 5-foot-10, weighs 140 lbs., and has brown hair and hazel eyes. She is also described as having freckles on her face and a knife tattooed on her forearm.