Hannah Kobayashi’s family will ‘honor’ refunds for $50K GoFundMe contributions
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Hannah Kobayashi's family announced that they will gladly provide refunds to anyone who donated to the search fund for the missing woman from Hawaii.
When Kobayashi disappeared, her sister, Sydni Kobayashi, set up a GoFundMe campaign to gather money for the search efforts. By Thursday morning, the campaign had raised $47,412 toward its $50,000 goal. However, on Wednesday, a little over a month after the 30-year-old went missing, the family released a statement confirming that Kobayashi was found safe.
Although Kobayashi is safe and sound, the situation turned devastating when the family leader, Ryan Kobayashi, took his own life while searching for his daughter in Los Angeles. In a message on November 26, Sydni mentioned that the money raised would help cover the unexpected expenses for his funeral.
In a recent update, the family announced that they would no longer be accepting donations. They mentioned, “Anyone who wishes to request a refund can do so until December 18th, and we will process it accordingly,” as stated in the message on the fundraising site.
Supporters were able to contribute to the fundraiser at the beginning of December 12. However, GoFundMe has announced to The Independent that the family has now turned off the donation feature, and those who contributed can request refunds through their website.
On Wednesday, the family's lawyer, Sara Azari, released a statement indicating that Kobayashi had been found and was no longer missing. She also asked for privacy for the family during this time.
"Over the last month, our family has gone through an incredibly challenging experience. We would appreciate some privacy as we focus on healing and coming to terms with everything we've faced," the statement read. "We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has offered their support during this tough period."
Many individuals reacted to Azari's post with frustration.
"One commenter on X said that the family should take responsibility and return all the money they received."
"Why is the GoFundMe account still open and taking in donations?" asked one person. "When will they shut down the GFM and refund everyone?"
One individual commented, "They should return the money that was donated."
The Independent has reached out to Azari for a response.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Police Department concluded that Kobayashi had made her way into Mexico. They based this on surveillance videos showing her purchasing a bus ticket from Los Angeles to the border.
On Wednesday, authorities informed People magazine that they had received word from the family that Kobayashi had been located. Earlier, the police had classified her disappearance as voluntary, a decision that her family members disputed.
On November 8, Kobayashi took a flight to Los Angeles but missed her scheduled connecting flight to New York, where she was supposed to photograph a DJ event.
She informed her family that she had missed her flight and intended to spend the night at the airport in Los Angeles.
Family and friends reported that they started getting worrying messages from Kobayashi’s phone.
“Deep Hackers erased my identity, took all my money, and have been messing with my mind since Friday,” one message to a friend read, as shown in screenshots shared by her sister with CNN. “I was basically fooled into giving away all my money,” another message stated, adding, “by someone I thought I cared for.”
They started to worry that she might have been abducted or involved in human trafficking.
Just a few days after her flight, she was spotted around Los Angeles, including at the high-end Grove shopping center.
In her final Instagram update on November 10, it appeared that she was still in Los Angeles. However, her family reported losing touch with her the next day.
