A tragic turn in the ongoing missing persons case of a 30-year-old Hawaiian woman who went missing after a stopover in Los Angeles as she traveled from Hawaii to New York City on November 8.
Hannah Kobayashi’s father Ryan, 58, had traveled to Los Angeles to help in the search for his missing daughter. On Sunday, his body was found in a parking lot near LAX.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his death in a report seen by KABC. His body was found around 4 a.m. in the parking lot of a business near LAX. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed he died after jumping from a parking structure, according to KNBC.
A statement released by a nonprofit organization believed to be working with the family in the search for Hannah, per KABC, also stated that Ryan had taken his own life.
“The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today,” the statement read in part. “After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”
“What the family needs most in this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion, and prayers. Please be considerate with your comments and posts,” the statement continued.
“The trauma they are enduring is profound, and they now face the additional burden of grieving the loss of their family’s pillar and navigating next steps.”
According to KABC, the statement urged the public to keep their focus on the search for Hannah, while giving the family their privacy.
A GoFundMe has been set up on behalf of Ryan’s fiancée, Li Jaena, stating, “Ryan Kobayashi flew to Los Angeles immediately after learning of Hannah’s disappearance. Tragically, Ryan is no longer with us, leaving us all heartbroken and at a loss for words.”
“He has been living his absolute worst nightmare, since Hannah’s disappearance, and now, with his passing, our family is grappling with unimaginable grief,” the message continued. “Ryan’s love for his family was boundless, and he would do anything to protect and care for his daughters.”
A missing persons report was filed with the Los Angeles Police Department on November 10 after Hannah missed her connecting flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on November 8.
The family shared with The New York Post that they had seen surveillance footage of Kobayashi in downtown Los Angeles that shows she was with an unidentified individual near the Pico Metro station on Nov. 11.
Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon,’ said this footage has caused “major alarm, and kind of solidified the family’s suspicion that something has been awry. It has made us extremely worried.” The family is calling on the LAPD to do more in the ongoing search.
Hannah’s sister, Sydni Kobayashi, wrote online last week that the LAPD has not been much help. She said police “are not taking this as seriously as we would hope because my sister is considered an adult who can make her own choices.”
Kobayashi went missing after flying from Maui to Los Angeles on Nov. 8, where she was supposed to hop on a connecting flight to New York to visit her aunt. She missed that flight, even though surveillance footage indicates she landed at LAX.
She also sent some strange texts to her family before she vanished, including messaging a friend that she “got tricked into pretty much giving away all my funds.”
In another message, she claimed she was supposedly fooled by “someone I thought I loved,” while another saw her state, “I think someone’s trying to steal my identity. I’m really scared.”
“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f–k since Friday,” another message read, with her family telling the outlet that the texts supposedly from Kobayashi are not like her. Her phone has been off since Nov. 11, per the family.
Other footage showed Kobayashi at the Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District of LA on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, as well as video of her returning to LAX, but not getting on a flight on Nov. 11 before she was seen near the metro station, USA Today reported.
Hannah Kobayashi is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and is fair-skinned with freckles.
Anyone with information regarding her disappearance is encouraged to contact the LAPD and/or her family at 845-750-3006.
