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How finding a skeleton in a Hawaii cave changed this man’s life

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How finding a skeleton in a Hawaii cave changed this man’s life


Native Hawaiian Keoni Alvarez has devoted his life to protecting his ohana burial cave and advocating for more Native Hawaiian burial rights.

Keoni Alvarez

Keoni Alvarez was just an 8-year-old boy when his Native Hawaiian family made a startling discovery 35 years ago. Deep in the forests of the Big Island of Hawaii, his brothers found a hidden cave when they were playing near their home in Puna — and inside the cave, they found iwi, or human skeletal remains.

Their mother called the police, and with the help of a state archaeologist, they determined that it wasn’t a missing person or homicide but part of an ancient Hawaiian burial.

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Now knowing that it was there, Alvarez developed a strong sense of responsibility to the iwi. His family acted as guardians over the cave, keeping it a secret, until encroaching development made that impossible.

In the early 2000s, the affordable land around them was parceled and sold, including the burial ground. When Alvarez and his mom saw the landowner and a bulldozer leveling the land, they confronted them, yelling and demanding that they stop.

“He wanted to bulldoze the burial cave to build over it,” the now-43-year-old Alvarez told SFGATE. “I was heartbroken and sad that foreigners would ever do such a thing.”

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Keoni Alvarez and his mom confronted a bulldozer that was leveling the land near the burial cave.

Keoni Alvarez and his mom confronted a bulldozer that was leveling the land near the burial cave.

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Keoni Alvarez

Alvarez thought the state would have intervened, knowing that his family had documented the find years ago. He called the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division, a department entrusted with protecting Hawaii’s historic places, and Alvarez learned that it had lost the file.

In Hawaii, construction must stop if human remains are found, and developers must inform the state about it so it can investigate. Whether or not the developer does that, however, is based on an honor code system. Even if a burial is there, the state still allows purchasing of the property, and if the developer follows a government burial process, it can even be built over.

In this case, Alvarez said the landowner knew there was a burial site, but since the state had lost the record and didn’t provide any mandatory procedure, the landowner claimed ignorance.

“An archaeologist retired, and they lost the records,” said Alvarez, “so I had to actually play catch-up before the burial was going to get desecrated.” 

In disbelief of the problems he was facing, Alavarez, a filmmaker, picked up a camera to document his fight to save the burial cave that lasted 23 years. 

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When Keoni Alvarez learned the burial cave his family was protecting was threatened by development, he started filming his journey to save it from being destroyed. The resulting documentary film, “Kapu: Sacred Hawaiian Burials,” can be streamed on PBS.

When Keoni Alvarez learned the burial cave his family was protecting was threatened by development, he started filming his journey to save it from being destroyed. The resulting documentary film, “Kapu: Sacred Hawaiian Burials,” can be streamed on PBS.

Keoni Alvarez

“I thought there were laws that protected these kinds of places,” he said. “And realizing that it was a problem, I decided to start to document and interview people, you know, different elders.” His completed documentary film “Kapu: Sacred Hawaiian Burials” premiered at the Maui Film Festival last year and can be streamed on PBS.

Through the years, he has become an expert in sacred Hawaiian burials. He studied the different processes of traditional burials, how to care for them and the laws governing their protection. He went on TV news and talk shows to raise awareness of the loopholes developers use to desecrate them and how much the laws differ from the belief of Native Hawaiians.

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“Because the state only protects from the top down, they don’t protect like the integrity of the cave. And throughout history, in our culture, when you put one burial within a cave, the whole cave is considered a burial site,” said Alvarez. “That was part of their eternal life, and how and where they believe that their souls and their spirits have gone.”

During his 23-year journey to protect his ohana burial site, Alvarez visited other graves, including the burial place of the Kamehameha royal dynasty.

During his 23-year journey to protect his ohana burial site, Alvarez visited other graves, including the burial place of the Kamehameha royal dynasty.

Keoni Alvarez

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“I found out that my family actually came from this area,” Alvarez said. “That’s the Kaui lineage, and that is my family name and my great-great-grandmother was actually from Hawaii Island, which I didn’t know.”

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Alvarez' family watched over the burial cave for many years, and kept it a secret, until development made that impossible.

Alvarez’ family watched over the burial cave for many years, and kept it a secret, until development made that impossible.

Keoni Alvarez

This new realization allowed Alvarez to be recognized officially by the state as a descendant of the iwi. The new status required the government body overseeing the burial to duly consider and give “appropriate weight” to Alvarez’s wishes when determining what to do with the burial on the landowners’ property, whether that means moving it or not, or building over it.

As he was campaigning for the protection of the cave, he received a text from the owner saying that he would sell him the property for $50,000. Alvarez started fundraising to purchase the land, but then something else unexpected happened: He received a letter in the mail from a real estate agent, who said the landowner had died.

“There were three developers on that property and they all passed away,” Alvarez said. “There was a Realtor who was trying to sell it. She passed away under weird circumstances. The landowner passed away within like two or three months of what he was wanting to do.”

During his 23 year journey to protect his ohana burial site, Alvarez took part in protests to prevent desecration of iwi kupuna (ancestral skeletal remains).

During his 23 year journey to protect his ohana burial site, Alvarez took part in protests to prevent desecration of iwi kupuna (ancestral skeletal remains).

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Keoni Alvarez

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Alvarez ultimately bought the land from the beneficiaries so he could control what’s done to the property. “But for me, that’s not how we’re supposed to be doing it and there should be laws that already gives a mandatory buffer zone around these places to protect it, and we shouldn’t be saying that, ‘Oh, well, we got to try and raise the money to protect it,’” said Alvarez, who’s also become a teacher and author of a book on traditional Hawaiian burial practices. 

He has since bought two other burial properties to watch over and protect from development while he advocates for a separate Hawaiian board not governed by the state that can ensure Hawaiian burials are not destroyed. 

“People are still developing on burials. There’s no real law to stop them,” Alvarez said. 

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Editor’s note: SFGATE recognizes the importance of diacritical marks in the Hawaiian language. We are unable to use them due to the limitations of our publishing platform.

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Hannah Kobayashi’s last known movements as her family takes the search into their own hands

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Hannah Kobayashi’s last known movements as her family takes the search into their own hands


The search for missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi continued on Friday as her distraught family scoured Los Angeles for clues that could lead to her being found. 

Kobayashi, 30, vanished after she missed a connecting flight between her home in Maui and New York where she was due to visit an aunt.

The missing woman landed in Los Angeles and was seen leaving LAX Airport and heading downtown on November 8. 

Her family say they received cryptic messages from her before she stopped contacting them altogether – behavior they describe as highly unusual. 

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The family are frustrated with the pace of the official police investigation. 

They say the LAPD didn’t contact them for 10 days after they initially reported her missing, and that they are the ones having to drive the search. 

Their desperation has driven them to Hollywood mediums and internet web sleuth groups. 

Last night, the family passed out flyers at a L.A. Lakers Game. 

 

November 8

 Now, Hannah’s sister Sydni is sharing a list of every sighting they have on record. 

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Kobayashi landed at LAX airport at 9:53pm and was seen on airport surveillance footage disembarking the aircraft.

She was due to take a connecting flight at 11pm, however she never made it.

The family of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi, 30, have slammed the police for failing to find her and revealed they have turned to psychics for help

Missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi’s sister has shared details of every last known sighting as her family continue their agonizing search

She called her aunt Geordan Montalvo to explain she had missed the connection and promised to meet her in New York. 

She is then believed to have stayed the night at the airport before being spotted at various locations across LA.

November 9

Kobayashi was spotted at The Grove shopping mall between midday and 3pm.

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She spent a considerable amount of time at Taschen Books, where she stopped to charge her phone.

At 2:43 she snapped a picture and sent it to her aunt, before returning to the airport where she is believed to have spent the night.

From there, she once again called Montalvo to tell her she was still trying to get to New York.

November 10

On Sunday, two days after she landed, Kobayashi went back to The Grove.

She appeared in the background of a video outside a Nike event featuring LeBron James at 3:30pm

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Kobayashi also shared a post on her Instagram from the event with an eye emoji as the caption.

She was next spotted talking to a ticketing agent at LAX at around 5pm.

Kobayashi, 30, vanished during a layover in Los Angeles while traveling from her home in Maui to New York and was spotted getting off her flight at LAX

Kobayashi, 30, vanished during a layover in Los Angeles while traveling from her home in Maui to New York and was spotted getting off her flight at LAX 

In a YouTube video, Hannah was seen in the background at an event in The Grove bookstore for Lakers player Lebron James

In a YouTube video, Hannah was seen in the background at an event in The Grove bookstore for Lakers player Lebron James

Her final post was shared on November 11. It is understood she was attending an event in Los Angeles at the time

Her final post was shared on November 11. It is understood she was attending an event in Los Angeles at the time

A missing-persons report was filed by her family the same day amid what they described as uncharacteristic correspondence from Kobayashi.

One of the messages reportedly said: ‘Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f**k since Friday.’

Kobayashi’s mother, Brandi Yee, also reported sending her a text message asking if she made it to New York.

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She responded simply: ‘Not yet.’ Another early-morning text mentioned how she was in the midst of a ‘spiritual awakening.’

On a missing-persons poster sent out immediately after, police wrote: ‘Prior to going missing, [Kobayashi] sent a message on November 10, mentioning feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity. She hasn’t been hard from since.’

November 11

The next day, Kobayashi was spotted boarding an LAX Metro C line at Aviation/Century Station.

She got on board at 9:02pm, before transferring to a different train at the Rosa Parks Station.

Sydni said that it has been confirmed her sister was accompanied by someone for the duration of the journey.

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Kobayashi made several trips to The Grove shopping mall, including to this book store the say after she landed

Kobayashi made several trips to The Grove shopping mall, including to this book store the say after she landed

The missing woman's family have taken matters into their own hands and have been handing out flyers in the area where Kobayashi was last seen

The missing woman’s family have taken matters into their own hands and have been handing out flyers in the area where Kobayashi was last seen

Kobayashi was finally seen leaving the Metro Pico Station with the unidentified person at 10:03pm.

Latest update

As of Thursday, the LAPD was yet to declare that Kobayashi has been abducted.

The investigation is still being treated as a missing-persons case, a spokesperson confirmed. 

DailyMail.com revealed yesterday that detectives waited ten days before contacting the family for an interview. 

Sydni also slammed the lack of action and revealed her relatives were appealing to psychic mediums for help. 

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In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, her aunt Larie Pidgeon said they are now fearing the worst.

‘Our mind is now going to, you know, abduction and, I hate to say the word, but, you know, trafficked,’ she said.

They  held a rally before the Lakers game Thursday afternoon, just a block from the station where Kobayashi was last seen

They  held a rally before the Lakers game Thursday afternoon, just a block from the station where Kobayashi was last seen

Kobayashi was last seen in the company of an unidentified person but has not been declared as abducted by police

Kobayashi was last seen in the company of an unidentified person but has not been declared as abducted by police

‘We’re doing the best that we can, but the family at this point is having to come to the reality that those things could be a possibility.’

The LAPD, meanwhile, is still spearheading the probe, but is now being aided by the FBI, field office agents in the city told KHON Honolulu Wednesday.

Statements given to the station by Pidgeon appeared to indicate Kobayashi is still with the person in the footage, whom has yet to be physically described.

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‘She’s not alone, she’s with an unidentified person,’ said Pidgeon. ‘And she also got off and at a, at a station that is,’ she continued, before trailing off.

‘It’s not good and it terrified us, it brought her father to tears,’ she concluded.

She and others attended held a rally to pass out fliers before the Lakers game Thursday afternoon, just a block from the station where Kobayashi was last seen. 

Prior to her disappearance, a friend of Kobayashi’s said she received bizarre messages talking about being scammed.

‘I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. For someone I thought I loved,’ the messages read.

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They were seen at Metro Pico Station on November 11, before Kobayashi's phone was switched off

They were seen at Metro Pico Station on November 11, before Kobayashi’s phone was switched off

Kobayashi, a photographer, is a resident of Haiku in Maui. She had been on her way to New York to photograph a DJ when she suddenly vanished

Kobayashi, a photographer, is a resident of Haiku in Maui. She had been on her way to New York to photograph a DJ when she suddenly vanished

The family also noted that the young artist’s phone has been off since November 11.

‘She texted her that she was scared and that she couldn’t come back home or something. It was just really weird texts,’ Sydni said.

She added that the messages ‘did not sound like her’ and wonders if it was Hannah who sent them.

Kobayashi was on the same flight as her ex-boyfriend as the two had booked the trip before breaking up.

However, they did not sit together during the journey and he has since been aiding police with the search. 

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Family of Hawaii photographer Hannah Kobayashi, who vanished on ‘bucket list’ NYC trip, didn’t hear from detectives for 10 days

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Family of Hawaii photographer Hannah Kobayashi, who vanished on ‘bucket list’ NYC trip, didn’t hear from detectives for 10 days


The family of Hannah Kobayashi — the Hawaiian photographer who vanished while heading on a “bucket list” vacation to New York — say they did not hear from detectives for 10 days, and only after holding a rally demanding action.

Kobayashi missed a connecting flight to New York and was left stranded in Los Angeles after leaving the confines of LAX on Nov. 8, with her family last hearing from her three days later when she sent a series of alarming text messages.

The 30-year-old’s family filed a missing persons report the next day — but say they hadn’t heard anything from officials until they held a rally in the streets of LA on Thursday.

Hannah Kobayashi has been missing since flying from Hawaii to Los Angeles on Nov. 8, 2024. Facebook

“As of today the police have reached out to family members who last spoke with Hannah,” Kobayashi’s aunt Larie Pidgeon told the Daily Mail during the gathering. “We want them to take it a bit more seriously.

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“We think they realize we’re not going away and we’re going to be really loud. We’re going to do something until they do something,” she added. “I think now they are beginning the process of what we began six days ago.”

The Thursday rally was held in downtown LA, a block from Kobayashi’s last known location, the outlet reported.

Pidgeon said the family wasn’t giving up their search for Kobayashi.

Her father shared the same sentiment after his daughter went on a trip that was a “bucket list dream that became reality.”

“We will do everything we can until we have found her,” Ryan Kobayashi told the outlet. “We just need to get the word out there about her.”

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Volunteers put up missing person flyers for Kobayashi in Los Angeles on Nov. 21, 2024. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Volunteers hand out the flyers near Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

“She’s a wonderful person who brings joy to so many people,” he added

Kobayashi, of Haiku, flew from Maui to Los Angeles on Nov. 8, and was meant to make a connecting flight to New York, where she would be staying with another aunt.

Surveillance footage shows her arriving in LA, but she missed her connecting flight 42 minutes later.

After missing her flight, Kobyashi sent odd texts to her family and friends before she vanished, including messaging a friend that she “got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds.”

A missing person poster for Kobayashi shared by family members on Facebook. Facebook / Sydni Kobayashi

In another message, she claimed she was supposedly fooled by “someone I thought I loved.”

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“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f–k since Friday,” another message read.

Family previously said the texts supposedly from Kobayashi are not like her.

Kobayashi was seen arriving at LAX on Nov. 8, 2024. Missing People In America/Facebook

Other footage showed Kobayashi at the Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District of LA on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, as well as video of her returning to LAX, but not getting on a flight on Nov. 11 before she was seen near the metro station, USA Today reported.

Her phone has been off since Nov. 11, the family previously said.

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Family of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi reveal shocking police detail after she mysteriously vanished on trip of a lifetime

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Family of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi reveal shocking police detail after she mysteriously vanished on trip of a lifetime


Detectives waited ten days from when she was last heard from to interview the family of missing Hannah Kobayashi, her worried family has revealed.

The 30-year-old aspiring photographer disappeared from the streets of downtown Los Angeles after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en-route to New York City.

It remains unclear why she left LA’s LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away but she sent a text to a friend saying she had had a ‘spiritual awakening’, and was later seen in the company of a mystery man.

On Thursday, frantic friends and family gathered in downtown LA, a block from where she was last seen, to spread the message and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have.

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‘As of today the police have reached out to family members who last spoke with Hannah,’ her aunt Larie Pidgeon told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

‘We want them to take it a bit more seriously.

‘We think they realize we’re not going away and we’re going to be really loud. We’re going to do something until they do something.

‘I think now they are beginning the process of what we began six days ago.

Hannah Kobayashi, 30, disappeared from the streets of downtown Los Angeles after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en route to New York City

On Thursday, frantic friends and family, including her devastated dad Ryan Kobayashi (pictured) gathered in downtown LA, a block from where she was last seen, to spread the message and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have

On Thursday, frantic friends and family, including her devastated dad Ryan Kobayashi (pictured) gathered in downtown LA, a block from where she was last seen, to spread the message and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have

Hannah had been flying to meet another aunt in New York when she missed her connecting flight in Los Angeles

Hannah had been flying to meet another aunt in New York when she missed her connecting flight in Los Angeles 

‘The entire world is looking for you (Hannah) because that’s how special you are.

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‘We are not going to stop until we find you. We love you.’

Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was handing out missing person flyers to passers-by and told DailyMail.com: ‘We will do everything we can until we have found her. We just need to get the word out there about her.

‘She’s a wonderful person who brings joy to so many people.’

The trip began in Maui on November 8 which she described in a hand-written itinerary as a ‘bucket list dreams become reality.’ 

Hannah had been flying to meet another aunt in New York when she missed her connecting flight in LA. 

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Family members and a friend received a series of cryptic texts from Hannah’s phone, causing them to fear she may have been abducted or trafficked. 

Another aunt, Geordan Montalvo and her husband Bob, both 51, were scheduled to see Hannah when she arrived in New York.

‘She’s really amazing,’ he tells DailyMail.com of Hannah. ‘She’s got a great spirit. She’s artistic and loving.’

The trio were scheduled to attend a DJ Scott Hansen – aka Tycho – concert at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn on November 12. 

They had planned the trip with a former boyfriend who was on the flight from Maui with her, says her mother Brandi Yee, although the former couple would not be together in New York after landing at JFK airport.

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Bob Montalvo and Geordan Montalvo, the uncle and aunt of Hannah Kobayashi , who has been missing for 11 days gathers with the rest of the family in downtown Los Angeles to speak to the media and pass out flyers to raise awareness for their missing loved one

Bob Montalvo and Geordan Montalvo, the uncle and aunt of Hannah Kobayashi , who has been missing for 11 days gathers with the rest of the family in downtown Los Angeles to speak to the media and pass out flyers to raise awareness for their missing loved one

Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was handing out missing person flyers to passers-by and told DailyMail.com: ‘We will do everything we can until we have found her. We just need to get the word out there about her'

Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, was handing out missing person flyers to passers-by and told DailyMail.com: ‘We will do everything we can until we have found her. We just need to get the word out there about her’ 

It remains unclear why the 30-year-old aspiring photographer left LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away

It remains unclear why the 30-year-old aspiring photographer left LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away 

She said the ex-boyfriend, who had continued on to New York, is being helpful with the hunt for Hannah.

Hannah was spotted out in Los Angeles on November 9 at the Tashen bookstore located at The Grove shopping center.

Her sister Sydni Kobayashi has previously stated that Hannah sent a Venmo payment to two people whose names the family does not recognize. A photo of the event also appeared to have been posted on her Instagram account.

That day, family and friends received ‘weird’ texts from Kobayashi, but they did not hear from her again.

However, a day later on November 11, surveillance video around a downtown Los Angeles Metro train station near the Crypto.com arena showed her with an unknown person. Her family said she “does not appear to be in good condition” in the footage.

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‘She didn’t look her normal self,’ Pigeon told DailyMail.com ‘She was with someone but we don’t know it was at this point. She didn’t look like she was safe.’

On November 11, Hannah sent a string of strange texts to a friend.

The missing Maui native vanished during a layover in Los Angeles while traveling from her home in Hawaii to New York and was spotted getting off her flight at LAX

The missing Maui native vanished during a layover in Los Angeles while traveling from her home in Hawaii to New York and was spotted getting off her flight at LAX

A series of texts have led the family to believe Kobayashi was not alone when she disappeared. They say diction in the texts indicates they were written by someone else

A series of texts have led the family to believe Kobayashi was not alone when she disappeared. They say diction in the texts indicates they were written by someone else

She wrote ‘Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f*** since Friday.’

Another text said ‘I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds, followed by one saying, ‘For someone I thought I loved.’

Pidgeon added: ‘We’re not sure if Hannah actually wrote the texts or if someone else did.’

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