LAPD: Hannah Kobayashi Has Been Found Safe

Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaii woman whose disappearance prompted a massive search, has been found safe, the Los Angeles Police Department said Wednesday. Kobayashi vanished last month in Los Angeles, and her disappearance prompted a massive search and a missing persons investigation. Other details about her disappearance, as well as where and how she was found, were not immediately available, but police previously said she had voluntarily crossed the border into Mexico, the AP reports. "We are happy to learn that Hannah has been found safe," the LAPD said in a statement. "Now that we have this new information, this has become a private matter and we will wrap up our investigation."

Kobayashi's mother and sister, in a statement through their lawyer, were the first to announce the development Wednesday. "We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe," Brandi Yee and Sydni Kobayashi wrote. "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."

Kobayashi was heading to New York City on Nov. 8 when she missed a connecting flight during a stop at Los Angeles International Airport. Her family reported her missing to law enforcement on Nov. 11 after relatives received "strange and cryptic, just alarming" text messages, according to her aunt Larie Pidgeon. Family members, friends, and local volunteers searched for Hannah in Los Angeles. Her father died in an apparent suicide near the airport on Nov. 24.

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Police said Kobayashi walked into Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing on Nov. 12, the day after her family reported her missing. Kobayashi disappeared voluntarily as she sought to "step away from modern connectivity," Jim McDonnell, the LA police chief, previously said. Lt. Doug Oldfield with the LAPD's missing persons unit tells People that Kobayashi's family didn't share her current location, but authorities have not been notified that she's crossed back into the US. (More missing woman stories.)