Missing woman ‘disappeared voluntarily’, police say – after dad took own life when he failed to find her
A missing woman, whose dad took his own life after failing to find her, disappeared voluntarily, police have said.
Hannah Kobayashi, 30, missed a connecting flight from Hawaii to New York in Los Angeles on 8 November and vanished days later after sending “alarming” texts to her family.
Her father Ryan retraced her footsteps with relatives and volunteers, but was found dead in a car park near a Los Angeles airport on 24 November.
Overnight, police said Hannah wanted to “step away from modern connectivity” and was last seen crossing into Mexico with her luggage.
Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said there was no evidence Hannah was trafficked or a victim of a crime and classified her disappearance as a “voluntary missing person”.
“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point. She’s left the country and is in another nation now,” he said, adding she has a right to privacy but should contact her family.
“A simple message could reassure those who care about her.”
The case will remain active until her safety is confirmed and they will be notified if she returns to the US, he said.
Pic: Missing Persons of America
Hannah had been seen around Los Angeles, police said, and had asked or her luggage to be sent back to her from New York – picking it up from the airport on 11 November and leaving without her phone.
Investigators found she “expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity”.
Officers have questioned a man Hannah was seen with on a train, describing him as “cooperative”.
Last week, detectives determined Hannah missed her connecting flight intentionally, though her sister, Sydni, disputed his statement in a social media post.
CCTV images reviewed by police showed her walking alone and unharmed through a tunnel in San Ysidro, 125 miles southwest of Los Angeles, at midday on 12 November.
Ryan Kobayashi. Pic: PA
It comes after Hannah’s family said they started to receive “strange and cryptic, just alarming” texts from her before she disappeared.
These messages referenced her being “intercepted” as she got on a train and being scared someone was trying to steal her identity.
Her aunt Larie Pidgeon said “she went dark” once the family “started pressing”.
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Sky News US partner network NBC News reported one of the texts received by Hannah’s family read: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I loved.”
Shortly after the message was sent, her father flew out to Los Angeles from Hawaii to search for her for 13 days.
The family said his loss ” compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably”.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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