Surveillance footage has captured Hannah Kobayashi purchasing a bus ticket to the southern border the day before she is believed to have crossed into Mexico via a tunnel. The video, obtained by Fox 11 Los Angeles, shows Kobayashi donning a sweatsuit and paying for her ticket in cash at LA Union Station on November 11. She is also seen carrying her passport and luggage at the ticket counter.

According to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, Kobayashi is thought to have reached the San Ysidro border crossing on November 12, where she entered Mexico. This revelation came during a press conference on Monday, as the aspiring photographer's disappearance took an intriguing turn. The LAPD declared the 30-year-old a 'voluntary missing person,' suggesting she intentionally crossed into Mexico to 'step away from modern connectivity.'

McDonnell stated that investigators had reviewed various surveillance footage and interviewed multiple witnesses, confirming Kobayashi's movements from her arrival in California on November 8 to her last sighting at the Mexico border on November 12. 'We've done everything we can at this point,' McDonnell said, referencing US Customs and Border Protection footage showing Kobayashi crossing the border on November 12. 'She's left the country and is now in another nation.'

The LAPD's investigation will not extend into Mexico, but McDonnell urged the public to provide any credible information about her whereabouts. Kobayashi went missing on November 8 after flying from Hawaii to Los Angeles, with plans to connect to a flight to New York to visit relatives. After landing at LAX, she sent cryptic messages to friends, including one about a 'very intense spiritual awakening' and another claiming 'deep hackers wiped my identity, stole all my funds.'

However, McDonnell noted that video evidence clearly showed Kobayashi at LAX, appearing unharmed after arriving from Maui on November 8. 'For unknown reasons, she decided not to board her prescheduled flight to New York,' he said. The investigation found no evidence that Kobayashi was being trafficked or involved in any criminal activity. 'She has a right to her privacy,' McDonnell continued. 'And we respect her choices. But we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her. A simple message could reassure those who care about her.'

Lt. Douglas Oldfield, from the department's Missing Persons Unit, said Kobayashi's social media activity indicated she 'wanted to disconnect' from the modern world. 'By looking at her past social media, we saw indications that there were some desires or posts consistent with someone who would want to disconnect from their phone,' Oldfield said. The video also showed her at San Ysidro, entering Mexico through the border crossing tunnel in Baja California.

Despite the declaration that Kobayashi was considered voluntarily missing, her family insisted the search is 'far from over.' 'We are deeply grateful for the urgency and dedication law enforcement has shown in investigating Hannah's disappearance,' the family said in a statement. 'Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe, and urges everyone to continue the search.'

Adding to the family's distress, Hannah's father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead in a parking lot near LAX on November 24. Officials ruled his death a suicide.

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