Lacking photographer Hannah Kobayashi might have been intertwined in an alleged marriage rip-off with an Argentinian nationwide earlier than her disappearance, in response to a surprising report.
Kobayashi, 30, landed at Los Angeles Worldwide Aiport on Nov. 8 together with her alleged new husband, Alan Cacace, an Argentinian man, and his girlfriend, Marianna, simply days earlier than she was seen crossing the border into Mexico, sources instructed Los Angeles Journal Wednesday.
The outlet reported that its sources imagine the aspiring photographer might have been scammed out of cash after allegedly marrying the person in a inexperienced card visa scheme gone incorrect.
Kobayashi’s mom, Brandi Yee, allegedly found immigration paperwork at her daughter’s house in Hawaii that confirmed she was working with or involved with an immigration legal professional.
Yee allegedly tried to contact the lawyer, however “that attorney was not cooperative,” one supply instructed the outlet.
The supply shared that Yee allegedly gave the paperwork to the FBI and LAPD for investigation.
The household’s legal professional, Sara Azari, mentioned in an announcement Wednesday that the involved mom turned over “the alleged information to law enforcement immediately upon receipt.”
“We want to stress that the family has not publicly announced any information regarding an alleged marriage because we did not have the facts or the necessary documents to verify the legitimacy of this information,” Azari wrote on X.
“The family has not confirmed the authenticity of the images or the accuracy of the information provided about a possible secret marriage.”
Azari requested that the general public “avoid jumping to conclusions or spreading 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,” Azari added.
Earlier than she reduce contact with family members, Kobayashi despatched cryptic textual content messages to associates, together with one saying she’d had a “very intense spiritual awakening” and one other claiming she “got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds.”
In a second message, Kobayashi instructed the buddy that she was supposedly hoodwinked “for someone I thought I loved.”
Information of the alleged marriage rip-off got here days after surveillance footage confirmed Kobayashi shopping for a ticket to the border and crossing into Mexico on foot.
The 30-year-old brunette magnificence from Maui was reported lacking by her household on Nov. 11 after she missed a connecting flight at LAX a number of days earlier after which went darkish.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell mentioned investigators reviewed numerous surveillance footage and interviewed a number of witnesses, who confirmed Kobayashi’s actions from when she landed within the Golden State on Nov. 8 to when she was final seen crossing into Mexico by way of the border crossing tunnel in Baja California on Nov. 12.
The Los Angeles police declared the 30-year-old a “voluntary missing person” and mentioned she willfully crossed into Mexico to “step away from modern connectivity.”
“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point,” McDonnell mentioned. “She’s left the country and in another nation now.”
McDonnell revealed that his division’s investigation discovered no proof that Kobayashi was being trafficked or concerned in any prison exercise.
The Los Angeles Police Chief mentioned the LAPD’s investigation wouldn’t proceed into Mexico however urged the general public to come back ahead with any credible data on her whereabouts.
Baja is a vacationer vacation spot for surfers, solo vacationers and psychedelic retreats.
Nevertheless, town can also be swarming with organized crime, violence, medicine, kidnappings, and murders, notably in Tijuana, the largest border metropolis in Mexico.
Whereas the LAPD shared they imagine she voluntarily left the US, her household insisted the search is “far from over” regardless of the declaration on Tuesday that she was thought of voluntarily lacking.
“Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe, and urges everyone to continue the search,” the household mentioned in an announcement.
