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Family of woman who went missing on cross-country vacation says cryptic texts sent from phone unlike her

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Family of woman who went missing on cross-country vacation says cryptic texts sent from phone unlike her

Hannah Kobayashi’s family has gathered in Los Angeles to retrace the missing photographer’s steps after she missed her transfer flight to New York then disappeared after a series of cryptic messages and a brief appearance with an unknown man on surveillance footage near Skid Row. 

The 31-year-old Oahu, Hawaii, resident had planned a vacation to see her aunt in New York City and flew from Maui to Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 8, her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told Fox News Digital. She was elated about her first music photography gig in the city, had an involved trip itinerary and had paid thousands for her hotel room, Pidgeon said.

Kobayashi was scheduled to take a connecting flight to New York, with a 40-minute layover at 11 a.m., and planned to go to a show with her aunt, but she never got on that flight. Her family is unsure why.

Then friends and family received a flurry of bizarre text messages that didn’t match the young woman’s usual cadence. She texted a friend that she “got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds” and that she was tricked “for someone I thought I loved.”

HAWAII WOMAN’S CRYPTIC TEXT MESSAGES PROMPT CONCERN AFTER DISAPPEARANCE

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Hannah Kobayashi, 31, was last seen on surveillance footage from the Pico Metro station with an unknown man on Nov. 11. She never boarded her flight from LAX to JFK on Nov. 8. (Larie Pidgeon)

“There was not a single emoji. She’s an artist. … Instead of a … question mark, she would put a crystal ball – she’s just that cute – and there was none of that,” Pidgeon said on Thursday. “She said that someone was trying to steal her funds, not cash, not money, funds. Like, who uses that word?”

“She [wrote she] was having a spiritual awakening, that she was concerned about the matrix. It was just the most bizarre text messages. And it went from, ‘Hi, I can’t wait to see you guys. Love you. Everything’s great.’”

Before sending the messages, Kobayashi was seen talking to a ticketing agent and trying to get a direct flight to New York rather than waiting on standby, Pidgeon said.

Hannah Kobayashi is pictured on surveillance footage from LAX on Nov. 8. Her family says there is also surveillance footage from Nov. 11 showing her with an unknown man at the Pico Metro Station in downtown Los Angeles but that it has yet to be released to the public. (Missing People of America/Facebook)

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Kobayashi’s mother reported her missing on Nov. 11, Pidgeon said, the day that communications from the woman’s phone to family and friends halted. Through their own investigative work, the family viewed surveillance footage of Kobayashi from that day with an unknown man near the Pico Metro station in downtown L.A.

“The Pico station is in a very bad neighborhood, [and] it was late at night,” Pidgeon said. “That causes us even more alarm because it’s not a place that Hannah would go. There’s no reason that she would go to a neighborhood of crime. Even if she said, ‘Hey, I need to go get a hotel room because I’m tired,’ there’s 18 hotels by the airport … she would have to have two transfer stations to get to this station.”

MOM 9 MONTHS PREGNANT MISSING FOR A MONTH, LAST SEEN AT BOYFRIEND’S HOUSE, FAMILY SAYS

Hannah Kobayashi’s family traveled to Los Angeles to distribute fliers near where she was last seen. (Larie Pidgeon)

“We can’t release the footage; we would love to get it released to the public by the LAPD,” Pidgeon said on Thursday. “We’ve seen it, we know that it’s out there, and we’re like, ‘Why is it not getting released?’ At this point it’s been 10 days, I feel like it could help so much in the investigation.”

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Pidgeon said Thursday morning that the Los Angeles Police Department had yet to reach out since the family filed a missing persons report. Several hours later, Kobayashi’s family said that a detective had spoken to them.

The LAPD said on Thursday morning that it could not confirm whether they had viewed the surveillance footage or contacted the family, only that Kobayashi had been reported missing and that they had distributed a flier on their social media accounts.

Kobayashi also charged her phone with an employee within The Grove outdoor open-air mall and had filled out an application for a book club at the TASCHEN book store using her Hawaii address on Nov. 11, her aunt said. Witnesses there told the family that Kobayashi “was in good spirits” and said that “she had a little bit of time to explore in L.A.,” Pidgeon said.

SUZANNE SIMPSON’S HOME MAY BE SOLD AS MISSING REALTOR HUSBAND REMAINS BEHIND BARS IN MURDER CASE

Kobayashi sent mysterious texts to friends and family before losing contact entirely, writing that she “got tricked into pretty much giving away all [her] funds.” (Larie Pidgeon)

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“Every confirmed sighting that she has with an individual, she’s of sound mind,” Pidgeon said of her conversations with those who last spoke to her niece. “She’s happy, she’s kind. She doesn’t appear [to be] drunk or on any substances. … That is why we are here handing out fliers and flying in, because it is so unlike our character.”

Kobayashi’s family held a rally on Thursday at the Crypto.com Arena to hand out fliers and search the area near where she was last seen.

“We’re just running,” Pidgeon said. “You know, we’re just going down and up and down Skid Row.”

Pidgeon described her niece, pictured, as an outgoing person who makes those around her laugh and dabbles in fire spinning, DJing and charity work. (Larie Pidgeon)

“We want to do as many interviews as we can. The longer that we keep her name out there, the longer that she’s on the news, the better chance that her family has to get her back,” Pidgeon said. “I’ve become a press secretary, a journalist, a photographer. This is how much we love her.”

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Pidgeon said the 31-year-old “does everything” and dabbles in fire spinning, DJing and charity work. 

“She’s a pivotal person in her community, she’s a wonderful person, a great daughter, she makes everyone laugh,” Pidgeon said. “If I’m having a problem at 2 a.m., I can call Hannah because she’ll pick up.”

Hannah Kobayashi, 31, was heading to New York City to visit family. (Hannah Kobayashi via Instagram)

Friends and family have been making minute-long videos sharing memories of Kobayashi to distribute under the hashtag “#FindHannah.” Thus far, Pidgeon said, about 30 people have sent videos, a testament to “how incredible she is.”

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“I’m just grateful for all the other best wishes and support from the community and Hawaii, New York, California, everywhere,” Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, told Fox News Digital. “You know, it’s just amazing. We miss you, Hannah. We love you.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the RAD Movement hotline at 619-904-0840.

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Oregon

Keizer city councilor fined $500 by Oregon ethics commission

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Keizer city councilor fined 0 by Oregon ethics commission


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The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted March 6 to fine Keizer City Councilor Soraida Cross $500 after an investigator found she tried to use her position to avoid a criminal citation.

In a stipulated final order signed by Cross, an OGEC investigator detailed a May 14, 2025, incident in which Cross attempted to call Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter on his personal cellphone when police responded to a domestic dispute at the home Cross shared with her ex-husband.

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During the incident, first reported by Keizertimes, a woman accused Cross of pushing her off a barstool.

Salem Police responded to the 911 call in Keizer to avoid a possible conflict of interest. Video footage obtained by Keizertimes shows Cross telling the officer she is a city councilor, played golf with Keizer Police Chief Andrew Copeland and is friends with Hunter.

The body camera footage was later shared on social media by Marion County Democrats.

Paige Barton, chair for Marion County Democrats, filed a complaint against Cross with the ethics commission.

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When Cross told the officer she was a councilor, she attempted to “use her official position to avoid the financial detriment associated with a criminal citation,” according to the order.

The order said Cross “used confidential information in an attempt to obtain a personal gain” when she called Hunter on his personal cellphone to involve him in the Salem Police investigation.

“The personal phone number of Mr. Hunter is not publicly available information, such that any member of the public may contact him when dealing with law enforcement matters,” the order said.

The criminal citation for harassment was forwarded to the Polk County District Attorney’s Office due to a possible conflict of interest. The office declined to prosecute.

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Cross told OGEC that she did not willingly or intentionally violate Oregon ethics law.

“She further asserts that she is a victim of domestic violence and that the police were called to her home on May 14, 2025, by her ex-husband as a form of retaliation and that was not the only time,” officials said in the order. “Ms. Cross further contends that on the evening of May 14th, she needed to call her friends, which is why she contacted Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter whom she called for advice out of fear and there was no malicious intent.”

Commission investigator Daniel Pacheco said in a preliminary investigation that Cross appeared to try to use her position to avoid financial detriment, such as legal fees associated with a criminal charge.

The commission voted 5-0 in October to find a substantial objective basis for believing Cross violated Oregon law. A more in-depth investigation ensued.

In the order, OGEC officials said the results of the investigation pointed to a preponderance of evidence that Cross violated Oregon ethics law.

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Cross signed the stipulated final order on Feb. 17, waiving her right to a contested hearing and judicial review. She will pay a $500 civil penalty to settle the matter.

The commission approved accepting the final order in a 6-0 vote with one abstention.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on X at @wmwoodworth





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Utah

The calculus of charity: 20,000-pound LDS donation equals 15,000 meals for 9,000 people

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The calculus of charity: 20,000-pound LDS donation equals 15,000 meals for 9,000 people


Southern Utah shipment is part of the faith’s yearlong celebration of the Declaration of Independence.

(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) Movers load part of a donation of 20,000 pounds of food to Switchpoint’s St. George food pantry by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, March 5, 2026.



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Wyoming

Wyoming’s per capita personal income reaches fourth in the nation

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Wyoming’s per capita personal income reaches fourth in the nation


WYOMING — The State of Wyoming Department of Administration & Information has announced that Wyoming’s per capita personal income (PCI) is now ranked fourth highest in the United States at $86,477 per 2024 data, trailing on the District of Columbia ($111,185), Connecticut ($95,067) and Massachusetts ($93,607). The number is highly affected by Teton County, where […]



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