LAPD Has NOT Seen Proof Hannah Kobayashi Is Safe Despite Family Making Contact, However...

Hannah Kobayashi‘s whereabouts may have been discovered by her family, but the Los Angeles Police Department still hasn’t seen ANY trace of her.

On Wednesday, news broke that the Hawaii woman, whose case was recently reclassified as that of a “voluntary missing person” after she was spotted crossing the US-Mexico border, finally made contact with her family one month after vanishing. In a statement via attorney Sara Azari, the family said:

“This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family, and we kindly ask for privacy as we take the time to heal and process everything we have been through. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us.”

But investigators still haven’t seen or heard from Hannah! Shortly after the update, Lieutenant Doug Oldfield told People that th LAPD learned “Ms. Kobayashi was found” from the family’s attorney just hours before they released their statement:

“We have not seen her and at this point we have no reason to compel her to see us. It’s a big news story so she may decide to come with a lawyer, but she is not obligated to speak to us. We’ll see what happens next. We don’t have a lot of details.”

Inneresting. And she HAS been off the radar for a month. Maybe telling her family was all she had in her? At least for the time being.

Oldfield added that Hannah was indeed found in Mexico, but that the Kobayashi family lawyer did not specify when or where exactly, or how the family managed to get in contact with her. However, if and when she decides to re-enter the US, she’ll “show as a missing person.” Oldfield noted:

“We usually want law enforcement to determine a person is safe and make contact.”

However, he added that “as of now” they’ll await indication from Customs and Border Protection to “make sure she’s okay” if and when she crosses. Then, Oldfield stated, they will “take her out of the system unless something else happens.” He did, however, note that he feels “optimistic … that she’s okay.” The law enforcement official added:

“The whole unit spent weeks on this and then we get invested as well. So, ultimately we wanted to see an outcome that had her being safe and unharmed. We were always hoping for the best for that young woman.”

The whole country was invested. And still is!

BTW, as for Hannah’s mom Brandi Yee and sister Sydni Kobayashi, they’re returning all the donations made to their GoFundMe fundraiser. In a new update on the money-raising platform this week, Sydni wrote:

“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe. This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us. We are turning donations off, and any donor who would like a refund can submit a claim by December 18th, and it will be honored.”

Nearly $50,000 in donations were raised. Originally, it was intended to be used for search and rescue purposes, as well as an awareness campaign in addition to other things. And now, the saga continues — especially in light of all of last week’s aforementioned reporting on the apparent marriage visa scam.

Wow. So much to digest. Reactions, y’all?

[Images via Hannah Kobayashi/Instagram]