Hannah Kobayashi's family offers to refund GoFundMe donations after she is found safe

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Friday, December 13, 2024 2:49PM
Hannah Kobayashi's family offers refunds to GoFundMe donors
The family of Hannah Kobayashi is offering refunds to the hundreds of people who helped raise nearly $50,000 during their search effort.

LOS ANGELES -- The family of Hannah Kobayashi is offering refunds to the hundreds of people who helped raise nearly $50,000 during their search effort.

The family updated their GoFundMe campaign with an entry thanking everyone for their support.

"We are incredibly relieved and grateful that Hannah has been found safe. This past month has been an unimaginable ordeal for our family," the statement said. "We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us during this difficult time. Your kindness and concern have meant the world to us."

Donations have been turned off and donors can submit a claim by Dec. 18 to get a refund, the family said.

Kobayashi mysteriously vanished last month after traveling from Hawaii to Los Angeles, sparking a weeks-long search that culminated this week when her family reported she was found safe.

The Los Angeles Police Department last week said Kobayashi entered Mexico on her own Nov. 12, four days after she landed at LAX. She was alone and there was no indication she was under duress or the victim of a crime, police said.

Kobayashi's father, Ryan Kobayashi, died last month at a parking garage near LAX, after traveling from Hawaii to search for his daughter in Los Angeles. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be suicide.

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