Report Claims Hannah Kobayashi Was Secretly Married

The latest twist in the Hannah Kobayashi case: Sources say the missing Hawaii woman may have been secretly married as part of an immigration scam. Police say Kobayashi, 30, flew to Los Angeles and then intentionally missed a connecting flight to New York before walking into Mexico, alone and unharmed, days later. But they say there is no evidence of foul play or human trafficking, and no evidence Kobayashi was involved in any criminal activity, People reports. The report, in Los Angeles Magazine, claims that shortly before Kobayashi's disappearance, her mother found documents connected to her daughter's alleged marriage to an Argentine man. Per KTLA, reports are claiming the scheme may have involved getting the man US citizenship.

The magazine's sources say Kobayashi's former boyfriend, who was on the flight to LA with her but made the connection to New York without incident, may have come up with the alleged scheme, and that Kobayashi was somehow scammed out of her portion of the proceeds. (She sent strange texts before vanishing.) However, the lawyer for Kobayashi's sister and mother says that while the family is aware of the LA Magazine report, it has not confirmed any "secret marriage" and urges the public not to speculate on unverified information. The attorney says upon receiving a tip about the possibility Kobayashi was married, the family immediately turned it over to police. Meanwhile, a family rift has emerged between Kobayashi's mother and sister on one side and her aunt, who had been acting as a family spokesperson, on the other, the New York Post reports. (More missing woman stories.)