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Daphne
Foreign.
Heath
What is going on, true crime fans? I'm your host, Heath.
Daphne
And I'm your host, Daphne.
Heath
And you're listening to Going West.
Daphne
Hello, everybody. Today's episode is a major call to action because this case is happening right now in Los Angeles. So. So we're going to run through the details that we do know and piece together a timeline for everybody. You know, this story originally popped up on my phone here in LA as a citizen notification the other day, which is, by the way, a safety network app. And, you know, it was talking about her disappearance, and that just felt so huge because they have been updating it all week on her disappearance. And all week we've also gotten a ton of recommendations for this story. So many of you on socials and on email. Actually, way too many to name. So big thank you to everybody who has been following Hannah's story and sending it in to us.
Heath
Yes. And we will mention that due to this case still being an active investigation, law enforcement has decided to keep some of these details close to the vest in order to not, you know, hinder any progress that they've made thus far. But we have spoken to Hannah's family, and it is incredibly important to share this episode because they are desperate for answers. So please, if you listen to the show, you love this show, do us a massive favor. Do Hannah's family a massive favor and share, share, share.
Daphne
Yeah, that. Heath and I love covering cases like this that are happening now to help spread the word, but this one is just hitting very close to home for us. Her family is here in LA actively trying to find her. So we need to help get this story out there now. So without further ado.
Heath
All right, guys, this is episode 456 of Going West. So let's get into it.
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Daphne
Woman vanishes here in LA without a trace A woman missing from Hawaii has not been seen or heard from in nearly two weeks. Hannah Kobayashi's family says she was on her way to New York but missed her connecting flight at LAX on November.
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8 from Maui, Kobayashi had a 35 minute layover on her way to visit family in New York. Her ex boyfriend on the same pre booked trip arrives at his destination. Surveillance footage shows Kobayashi get off the plane at LAX and never get back on that second flight.
Daphne
Her family says they received text messages from her that were out of character and they also obtained new surveillance video that shows her near the Pico metro station and they say she wasn't alone in that footage. They think she was abducted or even trafficked.
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Everything that we have been telling the media, that we've been telling the police has now been confirmed. We cannot speak on it because we not want to hinder the investigation.
Daphne
What we have believed to be telling people is true.
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Hannah is in danger.
Daphne
Hannah Kobayashi was born to parents Brandy Yee and Ryan Kobayashi and has a sister named Sydney. Hannah is 30, almost 31 years old and is a resident of Maui, Hawaii. Now I know this is not super typical to how we start off Going west episodes. We usually like to dive deep into somebody's backstory, the victim's backstory. But because we are currently still waiting on a lot of information, again we are going to relay what we know and focus on what is most important which are the details regarding when Hannah was last seen because everybody is hoping that she is out there alive and that if we all work together to get the word out, she will be found. So we didn't want to waste her family's time by getting some of those back details. But we do know, according to Hannah's sister Sydney that Hannah is, quote, a free and independent spirit who liked to travel. She has also been described as creative and artistic. She's a photographer, actually, and this is all very evident when looking at her Instagram page. Her bio reads, quote, artist here to stoke your healing and creative journey. And we are going to talk about her Instagram here shortly because it does have a small role in Hannah's disappearance, or at least there's something on there that a lot of people have talked about that as a part of her timeline. But first, let's get into the days leading up to when Hannah vanished. Now, this November, Hannah had been gearing up for a very exciting trip to New York City with her boyfriend to go to some concerts and to visit family. A few months before her disappearance, Hannah was dating a young man named Ammon. And they made plans to take this trip together, spending thousands of dollars on hotel rooms and a few hundred dollars on concert tickets. And it was a trip that they were both very excited to take. They were both really looking forward to this. Hannah has an aunt who lives in New York, a woman named Loree Pigeon, who has been in the news a lot lately, just trying to spread the news on her niece's story. So the plan was to spend some time with family, attend some fun concerts, and Hannah, who is a talented and aspiring photographer, also wanted to check out the art scene, as well as do a concert photography gig in Brooklyn. But shortly before making this joint planned trip, Hannah and her boyfriend actually broke up. But they both still really wanted to take the trip. They'd already booked it. They already planned everything. They couldn't get a refund on their flights, so they decided to do this trip but do it separately, even though they would still be on the same flights and doing probably a lot of the same activities. Hannah even had a full itinerary that she had scribbled out on a notepad. And I just want to read it to you guys so you know what she was supposed to do. Here is what she wrote. So at the very top of the white notepad, it says 11924 to 1116 24. So November 9, 2024 to November 16, 2024, New York City. Notes in mind, star or asterisk? Presidential election announcement prep. I don't know what she is referring to, but that is what it says. Then under it listed in the notepad lines, it reads, November 9th, check into hotel, arrive at 7:28am JFK.
Heath
And JFK is the airport in New York.
Daphne
Yes. Thank you. Settle in and ease into the big Apple and surrounding area options Brooklyn Folk Festival 12pm to 10pm at St. Anne's Church, Brooklyn Jeff Mills Star, star, star. So maybe this is something she really wanted to do. It says Pioneer of Techno at Knockdown center, which by the way is in Queens, New York. Then under that it says Honey Dijon, who is a DJ at the Brooklyn Storehouse. November 10th a.m. open Flow Go off of vibe and bucket list items PM Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor at Webster Hall 7pm Nov. 11 time with Auntie Heart Open Flow based off our vibes bucket list Dreams become a reality November 12am p.m. tycho exclamation exclamation, exclamation at the Brooklyn Steel 7pm note reach out to see if I can get a press pass November 13 gig day am? Pm JW Francis this is a music artist by the way. Photography gig 7pm arrive at 6pm? And that is at the end of the page. She did have three more days of the trip after this photography gig on November 13th, but we don't have the rest of the itinerary. But it doesn't really matter. This just gives you guys a good idea of the type of trip that she was preparing to have. You know, lots of fun, lots of concerts and events and time with her aunt.
Heath
So on Friday, November 8th of this year, 2024, Hannah boarded a flight in Maui that was ultimately bound for New York City, but she did have a layover in Los Angeles, California. She and her boyfriend separately boarded the same flight and reportedly didn't speak or sit with each other on this flight, but they both made it to Los Angeles, though it has not been released what airline she flew with. Now, after a five hour flight, their plane landed at the Los Angeles International Airport or LAX at 10:03pm and 31 year old Hannah Kobayashi is seen on airport security cameras exiting the loading bridge from her plane into the airport. So most of you guys know that the loading bridge is that kind of indoor hallway that you have to walk through to get on and off the plane. So in this footage, Hannah is seen wearing colorful pastel tie, dye leggings, running shoes, a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, and some type of headphones. They kind of look like those bulky over the ear black type headphones. And by the way, I just want to mention that in this security camera footage, Hannah does not look like she's in any distress at all at this point. So as I just mentioned, Hannah had a connecting flight that she needed to catch in order to make her way to her final destination which again was New York City. But here's the thing, she only had about 35 minutes to do so because her next flight was scheduled to leave around 11pm that night. Now, strangely, Hannah's ex boyfriend actually did make this connecting flight to New York on time. But for whatever reason, Hannah did not.
Daphne
Yeah, and her aunt even said in an interview that she ran to her flight and then was on standby. So we have no idea yet why she didn't make it. You know, that's not the smallest window of time. It is pretty small. You know, LAX is really big. So if she needed to stop to go to the restroom or to get some food or, you know, she got off the plane later than her boyfriend. Even though I will say a lot of airlines will prioritize deboarding to anybody with a connecting flight, you know, it's not unusual at all that she missed this flight. This is a small window.
Heath
Absolutely. I totally agree. And you and I have been to LAX many times and like you said, it is a massive airport. I mean there are sometimes you have to take a bus to get to different connecting parts of the airport.
Daphne
So yeah, different terminals. Absolutely.
Heath
Exactly. So it is massive. So now it's late at night, Hannah misses her flight and ends up spending the night in the airport just waiting on standby in hopes of getting a red eye to New York City, which would have been another five hour flight or getting a flight in the morning. And again, she spent a lot of money on this trip, so getting a standby flight would have been a lot cheaper than getting a whole new flight day of. But standby flights depend on availability, of course, so there's no guarantee and they can be tough to get depending on a lot of different factors like airline ticket type, time of year, flight loads, etc.
Daphne
So due to the fact that Hannah couldn't get another connecting flight to New York right away, she decides that she's going to exit the airport and explore the city of Los Angeles for a few days before catching another flight to New York. Obviously she doesn't know how long it's going to take at this point, but basically the following day, after spending the night in the airport just waiting and resting on Saturday, November 9, 2024, all we know right now is according to her family's most recent timeline, Hannah was seen at the Grove between 12:12pm Noon and 3pm that day. That Saturday. By the way, the Grove is described online as a high end shopping mall featuring trendy retailers, restaurants and a theater amid a bustling promenade. It is A very safe, nice, you know, bougie shopping plaza here in LA that everybody loves. It's, it's very quaint. They have a lot of great stuff there. There's basically a large parking structure and then a parking lot and then all the shops are located in this almost fake town looking place. That's the best way I can describe it. We're going to post photos, but I feel like it's relevant to describe the surroundings here. It's almost like there's, you know, the parking is outside of it and the Grove is this outdoor place that has a street down the middle of it where shops face each other. There's a trolley. It's really, really cute, especially this time of year when it's decorated for the holidays.
Heath
So it kind of looks like, you know, like the back lot of like maybe an amusement park or something.
Daphne
Yeah, or like Universal Studios.
Heath
Right, right.
Daphne
Yeah, it's, it is really, really, really cute. So she goes here. She's spotted at the Grove that Saturday, specifically at Taschen Books, which is an art bookstore, boutique and gallery. Now while she's there, it has been confirmed by an employee that she was charging her phone for a publicly unknown period of time. Hannah actually sent her aunt a photo of herself at this bookstore at 2:43pm and just by the way, so everybody knows The Grove is 12 miles away from LAX. It is just south of Hollywood and east of Beverly Hills. So it's very much in the hustle and bustle of all the good LA stuff. I can absolutely see why it is kind of a tourist must go to. According to Hannah's Venmo account, for those who live outside the U.S. venmo is an American payment service app that a lot of us use to pay for different services, but usually to send money to friends and family, etcetera, you know, for like that slice of pizza or your half of the electricity bill, things like that. So on Hannah's Venmo, because profiles are public, you can go to people's Venmo. If they don't make the actual transaction private, then you can see who people pay, when they pay them and what they pay for. It's kind of like a payment social media almost. There are only two transactions from her trip on Venmo. The first is to somebody named Veronica Almendarez. And an unlisted amount of money was sent to Veronica from Hannah on November 9th at 6:25pm this is the same day she was at the Grove. And about four hours after she sent that photo of herself at Taschen books to her aunt. The description of this Venmo payment is just the emoji of a bow and arrow, so no idea what that means. I know sometimes when I send Venmo payments, I'll just do an emoji too. Sometimes you're feeling lazy or you don't want to list what the money is actually for. So not too weird, but definitely curious as to what this was and you know who this person is. Well then, 55 minutes later, at 7:19pm, Hannah sent another Venmo, but to a man named Jonathan Taylor. And the description on this transaction says reading.
Heath
Now, we actually did look up both of these people and we can't find any confirmed social profile for Veronica. And her Venmo page is pretty much empty and only includes this transaction. And there is no profile photo. But then we looked up Jonathan Taylor's username on socials, which is RolandWheels 88 wheels with a Z. And we actually found his TikTok page. Now, it seems like a bunch of other Internet sleuths found him too, because he actually made a TikTok about Hannah this week. We actually did save the video before his account went private, but we didn't note the upload date. But it was sometime around November 18th or 19th that he posted this. So we're gonna play the audio from the video now so that you guys can kind of hear Jonathan's side of the story.
Jonathan Taylor
Alright everyone, here's a scoot. I don't know this Hannah chick. And she came to this dude from South Africa asking for a reading.
Heath
And.
Jonathan Taylor
In the readings, this guy told me that he's a psychic and she came to him. The only connection is between me and her. I gave my Venmo to this guy and he gave it to him to send for payment. That's it. So if you please stop asking me where she is or and also stop asking me all these questions. It's really getting ridiculous. Someone posted that. Y'all are gonna mess this up, mess this case up. You're absolutely right, it will. So please stop.
Daphne
Yeah, so he's basically saying that the guy who did a reading for Hannah was from South Africa and he did not have Venmo because it's only available for domestic money transfers in the us but he doesn't explain how he was able to help. My personal guess is that he maybe had cash on him or some other way to pay the South African guy, and he did so after receiving payment from Hannah for the service that she was allegedly provided. Although we still do not know how much money she paid for this.
Heath
Yeah, and we absolutely, we can't confirm, you know, with 100% certainty that this is what happened, but it kind of feels like this is probably what did happen.
Daphne
Yeah, and I, I personally also don't believe that this guy has anything to do with anything. I also saw on his page that he posts a lot about his physical recovery and his life in a wheelchair. So by all accounts it seems like he was just in the same place Hannah was, which we do not know where she was at that time. But he didn't seem to know her or see her after.
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Heath
So that night after these Venmo payments were made, after she enjoyed her day at the Grove, Hannah went back to lax, likely to check on standby flight availabilities again. It's believed with the information available that she spent the night at LAX again, just waiting, possibly while she was at the grove on Saturday, November 9th. According to Hannah's friend, Hannah discovered that there was a Christina Ricci tarot reading event taking place at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore located at the Grove the next day on Sunday the 10th. So she was there on the 9th, and after staying at LAX again, she's headed back to the Grove. And for those of you guys wondering, Christina Ricci released a custom tarot deck back in October. It's called Cat Full of Spiders and it seems like something that Hannah would have loved. But there was another event at the Grove that day that we know she at least somewhat attended, and that was the LeBron James Nike event. This LeBron trial experience was to showcase his new collection of basketball sneakers with Nike. And this was being held at the Nike store at the Grove from November 8th through the 10th.
Daphne
And how do we know Hannah was there? Well, a young man made a YouTube video or a vlog just highlighting the event and its features. When Hannah can be seen passing through the frame as this guy records, it's only a few seconds that she's on camera as he showcases part of the event, but it is so wild that he was able to unknowingly capture her that day. Like, and he posted this not knowing who she was or not knowing that she was relevant to anything. And then people started commenting and reaching out and saying, hey, that girl in this clip, in this part of your video is missing right now. So he submitted it to the police. She is seen wearing glasses, black headphones, the ones that she was wearing at the airport, and a black hoodie and a backpack. And this happened at 3:40pm that day again Sunday. But to confirm this even further, that same day, Hannah posted her most recent Instagram post. It is a black and white photo of a Nike placard at the event. And the lower half of the photo under the placard or under this kind of sign about the event is someone's legs wearing a pair of Nike shoes.
Heath
Yeah, it seems like this person is kind of standing behind the placard, and Hannah took a photo of the placard, and you can kind of see the person's legs behind it.
Daphne
Yeah. And there is a song on this video, and the song that Hannah chose was A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke. Now, personally, I don't see anything strange about this post at all. A lot of people in the comments are trying to pick it apart and say that there's like, a hidden message or that the song is trying to relay something. But Hannah's an artistic person. You know, she was somewhere new at a cool event. So to us, it just seems like a regular post.
Heath
Yeah, she's just kind of highlighting part of her trip and going, hey, I was at this event.
Daphne
Yeah, this isn't a mystery novel. You know, I don't see at all how it's helpful to just assume that she is leaving breadcrumbs. You know, I don't see that at all. But this is the last post that she made to Instagram again on Sunday, November 10, 2024, after this event. We have no idea where Hannah went, but according to her family, she is believed to have returned to LAX that night. So it kind of seems like she was utilizing LAX as a place to sleep and continue to wait for standby flights, but then, you know, exploring the area in the day. And I do think this makes a lot of sense that, you know, she missed her connecting flight and she wants to explore the city she's already in for a while while she's trying to get a new flight. It just seems like she's making the most of a kind of negative situation, especially after the trip already wasn't going quite as planned without her boyfriend, who, by the way, did make it to New York. And then, of course, if Hannah can get a standby flight to New York, she would still be able to enjoy at least a few days there. So the next that we know about Hannah's whereabouts are a big focus of this case because things really seem to take an unsettling turn on Monday, November 11 that day. We do not know where Hannah was all day until later that night, but she did send a text to an aunt in New York saying, hi, loves, I just finished a very intense spiritual awakening. I'm charging my phone and heading back to the airport to get to nyc. I might need some help getting there. It's a long story. I'll keep you posted. I think I still have my hotel room. Hannah also allegedly apologizes for the craziness and says, I have definitely been intercepted. I say, apparently, because there is a screenshot of the text that I just read, but these other ones, we don't have a text of them, but this is what her family is reporting was said, but definitely concerning. You know, the first one seems kind of normal. Oh, I am still coming to New York. But then to say, I have definitely been intercepted is a little bit concerning, especially with what else was said.
Heath
Yeah, and we can't confirm when these other text messages were sent. This hasn't been released. But at some point while Hannah was in la, she texted a friend saying, I got hacked. Now. The friend responds, hacked by who? Then Hannah responds again, saying, stripped of my identity, I can't fly. The friend then says, wait, what? How did you get to LA from Maui? Hannah then replies, some weird shit, babe. The friend then asks Hannah to explain so that she can try and help. And Hannah says, I can't go to the po, likely meaning the police. Hannah's friend then says, explain it to me so I can try and be of help to you. Hannah then alarmingly says, I got tricked pretty much into giving away all of my funds for someone that I thought I loved. I've been on the streets. She also apparently Told a friend, deep hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, and have had me on a mindfuck since Friday.
Daphne
So this is really concerning. But as far as we know, she didn't say anything else to explain further what exactly she's talking about how somebody was able to take her money. If it has anything to do with the Venmo payments, if this is a separate situation.
Heath
Yeah, it kind of seems like. Obviously, her family explained that Hannah appeared to be scared. She was scared that somebody was either following her or something was going on here, that they were trying to steal her identity. But in some of the other texts, Sidney, who is Hannah's sister, actually says that she doesn't believe that some of these texts are coming from Hannah because she's using different words like hun. And she said that babe and love are pretty typical for Hannah, but that Hannah would never say the word hun. So it's interesting here, because were these texts coming from Hannah herself? We don't really know.
Daphne
Yeah. And again, at this point, because, like you're saying the police are keeping a lot of the information to themselves, the family is not able to release certain details. We don't know when a lot of these other texts were sent. And. And again, if there was other communication, if anybody talked to her on the phone and. And confirmed that she was okay and what was happening, if she had any money, if she was on the streets. What does that mean? We know she slept at the airport a lot, but how was she eating? You know, how was she getting around? We know we're going to talk about in a second that she took the Metro, but was she taking the Metro the whole time? Because to get from different parts of LA to lax, like, LAX is not in the middle of la, it's in Inglewood. It's not. It's out of the way.
Heath
Right. And Los Angeles, just as a whole, is not a walkable city. Like, you pretty much have to drive to get anywhere or take some sort of public transit.
Daphne
Absolutely.
Heath
But let's go back to Monday, November 11, after Hannah sent that text to her aunt, that she was headed back to the airport and was gonna find a flight to New York City. And this is a very important piece of this story because at 4pm that day, Hannah's phone pings for the very last time at LAX before going dark at 5pm According to her family's most recent timeline, Hannah was seen talking to a ticketing agent at lax. But that would not be the last time that she would be seen, because Hours later, at 9:04pm, Hannah is seen boarding the LAX Metro Sea Line at Aviation Sentry Station, which is the Metro station located right outside of lax. So this would obviously make sense if she couldn't get a standby flight still and decided to take public transportation to go somewhere else. But where was she going? This line travels east, but then Hannah transferred trains at the Rosa Park Station so that she could then travel north more into Los Angeles by taking the A line. According to a story shared with her family on the Help Us Find Hannah Facebook group, someone remembers being on that train with Hannah and another man. And Hannah's sister Sydney was actually the one that shared this post and this is what it said.
Daphne
Hello. I remember seeing Hannah alongside a male African American male. Hannah had a suitcase with her. The male with her offered my son and I his seat when we got to the Sea lion station at the Lenox Hawthorne entrance. We were coming back from the LA Rams game. I then began speaking to the mail about the football game and about the Sea lion access to the game shuttle. During our conversation Hannah did mention something about transportation where she's from. I asked her where she's from and she quietly said she was from Maui. She was wearing her hair down, she had glasses on and a dark colored sweater. When they got closer to their exit, the mail did tell Hannah that they were going to be getting off on Avalon exit. That is where they both got off and only the man said goodbye. He also told me thank you for the information about the transportation history we discussed and I just said no problem, make sure you look it up. I had shared that the first person that was ever fatally struck by the Metro when it first opened up years ago was mother to my aunt's husband. We also discussed information about the Metro and 105 Freeway. Hannah didn't really speak much. She seemed really tired and out of it and disassociated, lost even. They didn't seem to know each other well. I am almost 100% sure this was her. I hope the cameras can be checked on the platform of Sea Line and or inside the train. And remember Sea Line is what she was taking from LAX before switching lines at the Rosa park station. Like Heath said, this person is saying that they got off at Avalon. That is the exit right before Rosa Parks Station. Her family says she got off at Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks Station is where she would then transfer to take the A line to go into Los Angeles and not be taken further east. So I think this person is confused. It does seem to be Rosa Parks. But this is crazy. If what this person is saying is true, if they really did see Hannah, if she seemed disoriented or out of it, if she was with this chatty man.
Heath
And then on top of that, I think what, you know, is just as important is hopefully this person who potentially saw them is able to identify this male, that she was with any facial features, what he was wearing, if there's anything else that they could have noticed about this person.
Daphne
Yeah, I mean, finding that person would be really important. And of course, we're all wondering, have police looked at the train footage? Is it still available? Did they get it in time? What is shown on the footage? Is it Hannah? We do not know at this point.
Heath
Right. Yeah, those are. Those are some of those details that have not been released. That's kind of the stuff that police are still working on behind the scenes. So we don't have that information for you guys.
Daphne
Well, something that kind of disturbs me is that usually in situations like this, if police are able to access this kind of footage, they release it and say, do you know this man? Do you know this person? To help identify them. So in my head, either A, they don't have the footage, or B, they have the footage and they already know who this person is.
Heath
Yeah. And a lot of the time that's kind of the case. As we saw in the Dustin Jersum case, they already kind of knew what was going on behind the scenes, but we didn't really know. They were kind of silently working on the investigation.
Daphne
Right.
Heath
I feel like that's probably what's happening right now. And then on top of that, they probably don't want to release these details because they don't want this person to potentially flee. That's always a potential.
Daphne
Yeah. If they know who he is, they don't want him to know that they're onto him.
Heath
Exactly. Exactly. Well, at 10:03pm on Monday, November 11, Hannah is spotted for the very last known time on another surveillance camera. But this time she's seen about 17 miles northeast of the airport in downtown Los Angeles in the vicinity of the Pico Metro station.
Daphne
And this would be a stop, you know, on the A line. So this. This matches up.
Heath
Yes. And this station is a rail system located on Flower street at the intersection of Pico boulevard near the crypto.com arena, which is a massive sports and concert venue with a sporting event scheduled for that night. This footage has not been released to the public, but Hannah's family has seen it, and they described that Hannah, quote, does not appear to be in good condition and she is not alone.
Daphne
Yeah, they are staunch on the fact that Hannah is in danger, especially after seeing this footage, that she is very much in danger.
Heath
So basically on the footage, she's departing the station with an unknown individual, likely the person that was described in the post that Daphne just read. Hannah's aunt said more on her communication. Earlier that day, we started getting texts saying that she didn't feel safe, that someone was trying to steal her funds, that someone was trying to take her identity. Weird things calling us babe, things that weren't quite the normal way that she speaks. But the problem is with Hannah's phone last pinging at lax, it seems that her phone likely died. And now it's been almost two weeks since this happened with no confirmed sightings after this.
Daphne
The RAD movement, which is a non profit organization, has been assisting in the search and a spokesperson for them explained the areas that need to be really watched right now are downtown la, Skid Row, specifically Compton. Hannah's aunt Loree said in an interview this past Tuesday, quote, we try not to think the worst. We're trying to keep hope alive. But it has now been basically a week and a day since November 11th when she was last spotted with this unknown person and didn't seem to be okay. So our mind is now going to, you know, abduction, and I hate to say the word, but, you know, trafficked. She then followed up on this by saying, hannah, we love you. We are all here. Your mom's here, your sister's here, your father's here. The entire world is looking for you. If someone has Hannah, I want you to know that she is the kindest, most beautiful soul in the entire world. Please don't hurt her. Please just give her back to us. No questions asked. Just don't Hurt her, please.
Heath
31 year old Hana Kobayashi has long brown hair, hazel eyes and stands at 5 foot 10, weighing around 140 pounds. If you have any information regarding her whereabouts, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-527-3247. Those wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org.
Daphne
Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.
Heath
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I do want to mention that Hannah's family has a GoFundMe. We are going to put that in the description of this episode and we're also going to share it on all of our social media accounts. So make sure that you share it and help donate alongside us.
Daphne
Yeah, the title of the GoFundMe Also, if you want to look it up, is support the search for Hannah Kobayashi. And the description just says that, you know, they need the money to help looking for or to help look for her. Sorry to stay in LA for food and hydration for the search teams, transportation for the family, you know, communication devices, media campaigns, of course, hotels. Yeah, all that stuff. So it really, really helps. So we're going to donate. We hope you guys can too. They are. Her family is here in la. They flew here specifically to look for her. They are displaced right now and really just desperate for answers. Please make sure you share this story on your socials. We're going to post her missing poster along with the security footage that is available so you guys can see. Please share that on your Instagram stories. Share the posts on your Facebook. Share this episode with a friend. Anything can help.
Heath
All right, guys, so for everybody out.
Daphne
There in the world, don't be a stranger. Sa.
Release Date: November 23, 2024
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman
Podcast: Going West: True Crime by Dark West Productions
In this urgent episode of Going West: True Crime, hosts Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman delve into the still-active and deeply concerning disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi in Los Angeles. Emphasizing the immediacy and sensitivity of the case, the hosts highlight the community's desperate need for assistance and awareness.
Daphne begins by underlining the episode's significance:
“Today's episode is a major call to action because this case is happening right now in Los Angeles.” [00:21]
Heath reinforces the gravity of the situation, urging listeners to help spread the word:
“Do Hannah's family a massive favor and share, share, share.” [01:02]
Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old resident of Maui, Hawaii, is described by her sister Sydney as "a free and independent spirit who liked to travel." An artistic and creative individual, Hannah pursued aspirations in photography, evident from her Instagram persona:
“Artist here to stoke your healing and creative journey.” [05:29]
Despite the usual deep dives into victims' backgrounds, Daphne and Heath prioritize the pressing details surrounding Hannah's disappearance to respect the family's time and focus on actionable information.
November 8, 2024:
Hannah embarks on a planned trip to New York City with her then-boyfriend, Ammon, intending to attend concerts and visit family. Despite their breakup prior to the trip, they proceed separately with shared flights due to non-refundable tickets.
November 9, 2024:
Arriving at LAX at 10:03 PM [08:54], Hannah exits her flight calmly, as captured by security cameras. However, she misses her connecting flight to New York, leaving her with only 35 minutes to make the connection—a tight window at the sprawling LAX. Daphne notes the logistical challenges:
“LAX is really big. So if she needed to stop to go to the restroom or to get some food... missing this flight is not unusual.” [12:20]
Unable to secure a standby flight immediately, Hannah opts to explore Los Angeles, staying overnight at LAX and visiting The Grove—a high-end shopping and entertainment complex—where she was last seen charging her phone at Taschen Books at 2:43 PM [04:19].
November 10, 2024:
Hannah attends events at The Grove, including a Christina Ricci tarot reading and a LeBron James Nike event. A fleeting video captures her presence at the Nike store, sparking initial concerns from social media users who recognize her absence [23:52].
Later that day, Hannah posts her final Instagram update featuring a Nike placard set to Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" [25:07]. Concurrently, her Venmo activity reveals two transactions—one to Veronica Almendarez and another to Jonathan Taylor, raising questions about her interactions [16:00].
November 11, 2024:
An unsettling turn occurs when Hannah sends a series of distressing texts suggesting she was being hacked and stripped of her identity:
“I got tricked pretty much into giving away all of my funds for someone that I thought I loved.” [28:08]
Her last known movements include boarding the Metro Sea Line at Aviation Sentry Station at 9:04 PM [36:16], transitioning to the A Line at Rosa Parks Station. A witness accounts seeing Hannah with an unidentified African American man, describing her as disoriented and withdrawn—details that heighten fears of abduction or trafficking [32:32].
The hosts discuss the limited yet critical pieces of evidence:
Surveillance Footage: Hannah’s last confirmed sighting is at the Pico Metro Station, with her appearing in poor condition and accompanied by another individual [36:43].
Venmo Transactions: The payments to Veronica Almendarez and Jonathan Taylor, whose connections remain unclear, suggest possible interactions that could be pivotal.
Distressing Texts: The alarming messages about hacking and financial deceit introduce theories of identity theft or coercion, though the authenticity and origin of these texts are under scrutiny—Hannah's sister suggests discrepancies in language use [29:14].
Witness Testimony: The encounter with the man on the Metro offers a potential lead, albeit with limited information currently available [32:32].
Heath speculates:
"It kind of feels like this is probably what did happen." [20:36]
Daphne adds skepticism regarding the involvement of individuals like Jonathan Taylor, emphasizing the need for concrete evidence before drawing conclusions [20:46].
Hannah’s family remains actively involved, maintaining hope while dealing with the uncertainty and fear surrounding her disappearance. They have initiated a GoFundMe campaign titled "Support the Search for Hannah Kobayashi," aimed at funding search efforts, transportation, and related expenses [40:06]. The hosts strongly advocate for community support:
“Please make sure you share this story on your socials.” [40:23]
The RAD movement, a nonprofit, is also assisting by pinpointing critical areas such as downtown LA and Skid Row where Hannah might be located [38:08]. Hannah’s aunt, Loree Pigeon, passionately appeals:
“If someone has Hannah, I want you to know that she is the kindest, most beautiful soul in the entire world. Please don't hurt her.” [38:08]
Daphne and Heath explore several possibilities regarding Hannah's disappearance:
Abduction or Trafficking: Given the last sightings and suspected association with an unknown individual, this remains a primary concern.
Identity Theft or Fraud: The unsettling texts hint at potential financial manipulation or coercion, possibly indicating a scam or deeper cyber involvement.
Voluntary Disappearance: Although unlikely due to the distressing circumstances, this theory is discussed to cover all bases.
Heath remarks on the complexity of the case:
"We do not know where Hannah went, but according to her family, she is believed to have returned to LAX that night." [25:50]
Daphne questions the authenticity of the texts, highlighting inconsistencies in language, which introduces uncertainty about whether the messages were genuinely from Hannah [29:14].
The hosts emphasize the critical role of listeners in the search for Hannah. They provide contact information for the Los Angeles Police Department and encourage anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers. The community is urged to remain vigilant and share any relevant information that could aid in locating her.
Heath underscores the importance of collective action:
"So make sure you share it and help donate alongside us." [40:06]
As the episode concludes, Daphne and Heath reiterate their commitment to keeping Hannah’s case in the public eye, hoping that increased awareness will expedite her safe return. They express gratitude to the listeners and urge continued support for the family's ongoing search efforts.
Daphne closes with heartfelt thanks:
"Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West." [40:02]
Heath adds a final push for community involvement:
"We are going to donate. We hope you guys can too." [40:06]
Episode 456 of Going West: True Crime serves not only as an in-depth exploration of Hannah Kobayashi's troubling disappearance but also as a rallying cry for community support. Through meticulous timeline reconstruction, analysis of suspicious activities, and heartfelt appeals, Daphne and Heath effectively engage their audience in the urgent quest to find Hannah. By combining factual reporting with emotional resonance, this episode exemplifies the critical role true crime podcasts play in real-world investigations and victim support.
If you have any information about Hannah Kobayashi's whereabouts, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-527-3247 or remain anonymous by calling Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
Support the search for Hannah Kobayashi: GoFundMe - Support the Search for Hannah Kobayashi