Missing photographer Hannah Kobayashi may have been intertwined in an alleged marriage scam with an Argentinian national before her disappearance, according to a shocking report.
Kobayashi, 30, landed at Los Angeles International Aiport on Nov. 8 with her alleged new husband, Alan Cacace, an Argentinian man, and his girlfriend, Marianna, just days before she was seen crossing the border into Mexico, sources told Los Angeles Magazine Wednesday.
The outlet reported that its sources believe the aspiring photographer may have been scammed out of money after allegedly marrying the man in a green card visa scheme gone wrong.
Kobayashi’s mother, Brandi Yee, allegedly discovered immigration documents at her daughter’s home in Hawaii that showed she was working with or in contact with an immigration attorney.
Yee allegedly tried to contact the lawyer, but “that attorney was not cooperative,” one source told the outlet.
The source shared that Yee allegedly gave the documents to the FBI and LAPD for investigation.
The family’s attorney, Sara Azari, said in a statement Wednesday that the concerned mother 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 asked that the 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.
Before she cut contact with loved ones, Kobayashi sent cryptic text messages to friends, including one saying she’d had a “very intense spiritual awakening” and another claiming she “got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds.”
In a second message, Kobayashi told the friend that she was supposedly hoodwinked “for someone I thought I loved.”
News of the alleged marriage scam came days after surveillance footage showed Kobayashi buying a ticket to the border and crossing into Mexico on foot.
The 30-year-old brunette beauty from Maui was reported missing by her family on Nov. 11 after she missed a connecting flight at LAX a few days earlier and then went dark.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said investigators reviewed various surveillance footage and interviewed multiple witnesses, who confirmed Kobayashi’s movements from when she landed in the Golden State on Nov. 8 to when she was last seen crossing into Mexico through the border crossing tunnel in Baja California on Nov. 12.
The Los Angeles police declared the 30-year-old a “voluntary missing person” and said she willfully crossed into Mexico to “step away from modern connectivity.”
“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point,” McDonnell said. “She’s left the country and in another nation now.”
McDonnell revealed that his department’s investigation found no evidence that Kobayashi was being trafficked or involved in any criminal activity.
The Los Angeles Police Chief said the LAPD’s investigation would not continue into Mexico but urged the public to come forward with any credible information on her whereabouts.
Baja is a tourist destination for surfers, solo travelers and psychedelic retreats.
However, the city is also swarming with organized crime, violence, drugs, kidnappings, and murders, particularly in Tijuana, the biggest border city in Mexico.
While the LAPD shared they believe she voluntarily left the US, her family insisted the search is “far from over” despite the declaration on Tuesday that she was considered voluntarily missing.
“Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe, and urges everyone to continue the search,” the family said in a statement.
