Missing Hannah Kobayashi may have been caught up in a suspected green card marriage scam with an Argentinian man in the lead up to her disappearance, according to a shocking report. Kobayashi, 30, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 8 accompanied by her alleged husband, Alan Cacace, an Argentinian national, and his girlfriend, Marianna.
Just days later, she was reportedly seen crossing the border into Mexico, sources told Los Angeles Magazine on Wednesday. The publication’s sources believe that the aspiring photographer from Hawaii may have been defrauded out of money after allegedly entering into a sham marriage as part of a green card visa scheme that went awry.
Could Be Victim of Marriage Scam
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The outlet reports that Kobayashi and her then boyfriend arrived at LAX planning to catch a connecting flight, accompanied by her legal husband and his girlfriend. According to LA Mag, the alleged scam came to light when Kobayashi’s mother, Brandi Yee, uncovered documents listing an attorney involved in her daughter’s marriage.
She then provided these documents to law enforcement.
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In a statement, family attorney Sara Azari said that the family did not have “the facts or necessary documents” to confirm what they described as the “alleged marriage.”
“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 also urged the public to “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.
Prior to severing communication with her loved ones, Kobayashi sent cryptic text messages to friends. One message mentioned she had a “very spiritual awakening,” while another said she had been “got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds.”
In a follow-up message, Kobayashi told a friend she had been deceived “for someone I believed I loved.”
Mystery Deepens
The news of the alleged marriage scam emerged shortly after surveillance footage showed Kobayashi buying a ticket to the border and walking into Mexico. The 30-year-old photographer from Maui was reported missing by her family on Nov. 11 after she failed to catch a connecting flight at LAX a few days earlier and then lost contact.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said that investigators had reviewed several surveillance videos and spoken with multiple witnesses, who confirmed Kobayashi’s movements from her arrival in California on Nov. 8 to the last sighting of her crossing into Mexico through the Baja California border tunnel on Nov. 12.
The Los Angeles police classified the 30-year-old as a “voluntary missing person,” saying that she intentionally crossed into Mexico to “disconnect 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.”
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McDonnell said that the investigation by his department found no evidence suggesting Kobayashi was trafficked or involved in any criminal activities.
The Los Angeles Police Chief also said that the LAPD would not be extending its investigation into Mexico, but he encouraged the public to provide any credible information regarding her whereabouts.
Although the LAPD believes she voluntarily left the U.S., her family maintained that the search is “far from over,” despite the official declaration on Tuesday that she is considered voluntarily missing.
