Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi was embarking on a bucket list holiday to New York. She never made it, and alarming text messages have since been sent from her phone.
Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi was embarking on a bucket list holiday to New York. She never made it, and alarming text messages have since been sent from her phone.
A 30-year-old Hawaiian woman who disappeared for a month after not making her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York was allegedly part of a “love square” immigration scam, friends have claimed, according to the Daily Mail.
After weeks of radio silence, her father travelled to Los Angeles to look for her before taking his own life.
Then investigators revealed security footage from the Mexican border near Tijuana that showed Kobayashi at the border on November 12, just days after she failed to board her flight from Los Angeles to New York.
Hannah Kobayashi was last confirmed to have been at LAX Airport on Monday, November 11.
Now bombshell claims have been made that she was never on a flight from Maui to Los Angeles alone. Instead, she was on her way to New York with her Argentinian-native Green Card husband Alan Cacace as part of an immigration scam.
Daily Mail reported that the pair’s movements were part of a plan to con immigration officials into believing their marriage was genuine.
It is claimed Hannah’s ex-boyfriend Amun Miranda was on the same flight with his Green Card wife Marianne, who is also Cacace’s girlfriend.
Originally Hannah and her ex planned their “bucket list trip” to New York together months ago for a vacation.
But that soon changed into a Green Card scam after meeting Argentinian couple Cacace and Marianne in Maui.
Hannah was allegedly given $15,000 from Cacace for her assistance, and a further $15,000 was promised once the immigration documents confirmed he could stay in the US.
Amun Muniz Miranda, Hannah Kobayashi's ex, was involved in the alleged Green Card scam.
It is claimed Hannah and Cacace got “married” in October, with photos of the sham ceremony taken to show her co-workers
Worried authorities would catch on, Cacace allegedly thought the couple needed to take more convincing images for immigration officials so planned to head to New York to take loved-up photos in front of landmarks.
It is claimed Hannah wasn’t happy with this and didn’t want the Argentinian couple on the trip.
“I do remember Hannah saying that the girlfriend had an issue with her,” her colleague Desiree told the Daily Mail.
“And Hannah was like, ‘Girl, I’m not trying to steal your man. This is an arrangement we all talked about beforehand.’”
In a press conference, police said she had crossed into Mexico alone on November 12 and did not suspect any foul play in her disappearance and movements.
Now Kobayashi’s family have revealed she is safe, sharing details in an emotional media statement, the Daily Mail reports.
“We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe,” the statement said.
Hannah Kobayashi allegedly planned to fly to New York with her alleged fake husband Alan Cacace to create proof to convince immigration officials that their marriage was real in a bid to get him a Green Card.
“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.”
After the Mexican border footage was made public, Los Angeles police said they believed she intentionally missed her flight to New York and made an “intentional decision to disconnect”, despite her family’s emphatic denials she would ever do that.
Police understand she took a train from Los Angeles to San Diego before crossing into Tijuana, Mexico, which is about 220km from Los Angeles.
“She’s an adult and she can choose to be missing,” one senior law enforcement official said at the time.
Officials in LA confirmed that Ryan Kobayashi, who was 58, has since been found dead in a car park near the airport.
Father found dead while searching for missing daughter
The Kobayashi family were dealt a second devastating blow just days after Hannah’s disappearance when her father is understood to have taken his own life while searching for her.
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