Hawaii
Missing Hawaii woman’s family responds to claims she was in a secret marriage
The family of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi has responded to claims that she was involved in a secret marriage scam.
Almost a month since Kobayashi went missing, police now believe she voluntarily disappeared, pointing to surveillance footage of her buying a bus ticket from Los Angeles to the Mexico border after she missed a flight to New York on November 8.
Earlier this week, a report suggested the 30-year-old may have been involved in a green card marriage “scam” before she disappeared, which was reportedly unearthed by her mother when she discovered immigration documents at her daughter’s home.
The Los Angeles Magazine reported that Kobayashi may have been scammed out of money which involved her marrying an Argentinian man, citing sources.
The family didn’t go public with their findings because they “did not have the facts or the necessary documents” to verify the information, they said in a statement.
“The family has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage,” the statement shared by their lawyer Sara Azari said. “This is one of many leads we are actively investigating with the help of our attorney and investigative team.”
The family said they turned over any information to police immediately and urged against the spreading of “unverified claims.”
“It is especially important not to perpetuate speculation that anyone is involved in a scam, as this only hinders our efforts to find Hannah and bring clarity and closure to the nightmare we are living because of her disappearance,” the statement said.
Police are no longer investigating Kobayashi’s case as a potential crime but it will remain open until law enforcement can confirm her safety.
At a news conference on Monday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters his department believes Kobayashi crossed into Mexico on November 12 at San Ysidro.
He cited footage of Kobayashi walking into Mexico obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. His department has now declared the woman a “voluntary missing person.”
“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point,” he said. “She’s left the country and is in another nation now.”
Kobayashi’s family previously said they were not shown footage of their loved one entering Mexico. “We’re just as confused and just as frustrated more than anything now,” her sister Sydni Kobayashi said.
Azari said the LAPD reached their conclusion “without showing [Kobayashi’s family] any footage.”
“It takes a lot more digging and investigation to be able to say it’s voluntary,” she said.
The family has hired a private investigator to search for Kobayashi.
Mexican authorities told the outlet they’ve been alerted to the case but have not received an official request to search for the missing woman.
Hawaii
Hawaii County Surf Forecast for March 04, 2026 | Big Island Now
Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast
| Shores | Tonight | Wednesday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| North Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 |
| East Facing | 3-5 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 5-7 |
| South Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy. Numerous showers. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||
| Winds | East winds 5 to 10 mph. | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Weather | Partly sunny. Numerous showers. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the upper 70s. | |||||
| Winds | East winds 10 to 15 mph. | |||||
|
||||||
| Sunrise | 6:37 AM HST. | |||||
| Sunset | 6:27 PM HST. | |||||
Forecast for Big Island Leeward
| Shores | Tonight | Wednesday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| West Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 1-3 |
| South Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Weather | Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly cloudy. Hazy. |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||||||
| Winds | West winds around 5 mph early in the afternoon, becoming light and variable. |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Weather | Partly sunny. Hazy. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the mid 80s. | ||||||||
| Winds | Light and variable winds, becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. |
||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Sunrise | 6:41 AM HST. | ||||||||
| Sunset | 6:31 PM HST. | ||||||||
The current moderate northwest swell will continue a gradual decline through Thursday. A small west-northwest swell will arrive on Friday and hold through the weekend, followed by a small north-northwest swell early next week. Choppy east shore surf will build to near seasonal average by Wednesday as trade winds strengthen over and east of the islands. Little change is expected along east facing shores through the weekend, followed by a possible decline early next week if winds veer southerly. Surf along south facing shores will remain small to tiny through the weekend, and some islands may an increase in choppy surf if southerly winds develop early next week.
NORTH EAST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.
NORTH WEST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Clean in the early morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions move in during the morning hours with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.
WEST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi glassy in the morning with N winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting WNW 5-10mph.
SOUTH EAST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NE winds 10-15mph. This becomes Sideshore texture/chop for the afternoon.
Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com
Hawaii
Hawaii delegation continues to blast U.S. attack on Iran | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hawaii
Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight
We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which
enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.
For any issues, contact news@kitv.com or call 808-535-0400 .
-
World7 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts7 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO7 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Oregon5 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Florida3 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Maryland3 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Wisconsin2 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin