Hannah Kobayashi’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, dies amid search for missing daughter

The Kobayashi family has been rocked by another devastating blow as Ryan Kobayashi, the father of 30-year-old Hannah Kobayashi, was found dead early Sunday morning from what authorities are calling an apparent suicide. Ryan, 58, had traveled from Hawaii to California to assist in the search for his daughter, who disappeared two weeks ago while in Los Angeles during a layover on her way to New York City.

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Ryan’s body was discovered around 4 am on Sunday. The Kobayashi family confirmed the tragic news through a statement shared by a nonprofit organization supporting their efforts to locate Hannah. “The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today,” the statement read. “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.” Despite their profound grief, the family is calling on the public to stay focused on the critical mission of locating Hannah safely.

Hannah Kobayashi, a resident of Hawaii, was last heard from on November 11, after she missed her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York City. She had originally flown from Maui to Los Angeles on November 8, with plans to continue to New York to visit family. Hannah was traveling with her ex-boyfriend, and although they were no longer in a relationship, they had decided to keep their separate flights to New York. Her ex-boyfriend successfully boarded the flight, but Hannah was left behind, staying on standby for a later flight.

Over the next few days, concerned family members received a series of increasingly disturbing text messages from Hannah. In these texts, she described alarming situations, claiming her identity had been “wiped” and her funds “stolen” by hackers. Some of the messages mentioned feeling tricked by someone she had trusted and experiencing a “spiritual awakening.” These unsettling texts were followed by silence, with her phone last pinging at LAX on November 11. Since then, her phone has been turned off, and her whereabouts remain unknown.

Hannah’s family has expressed concerns that some of the messages might not have been sent by her, citing the strange language and tone of some texts. Additionally, video footage showed her at the Pico Metro Station near LAX, as well as a Nike and LeBron James event at The Grove shopping center. One video captured her with an unidentified person near the Crypto.com Arena, but the identity of the individual remains unknown.

Although Hannah and her father had been estranged for some time, Ryan Kobayashi was deeply committed to finding his daughter. Upon learning of her disappearance, he traveled to Los Angeles to help with the search efforts. At a rally for his daughter in downtown Los Angeles, Ryan shared his anguish, saying, “I just wish I could have been there more for her. Trying to find her is everything.”

Sadly, despite Ryan’s relentless efforts, he was found dead early on Sunday morning. His passing has left the Kobayashi family devastated, compounding the pain of already losing Hannah. Despite this tragedy, the family remains focused on finding Hannah and urges the public to stay vigilant in their search. “Hannah is still actively missing and is believed to be in imminent danger,” the family’s statement emphasized. “It is crucial for everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to locate Hannah.”

The Los Angeles Police Department has opened a missing persons case for Hannah Kobayashi, and the search continues. However, Hannah’s family has expressed frustration with the LAPD’s handling of the case, stating that they believe the department is not taking the situation seriously enough. “Just because she doesn’t have a mental illness and just because she is not elderly doesn’t mean something didn’t happen to her,” said Laire Pidgeon, Hannah’s aunt, speaking to NBC Los Angeles.

The family remains hopeful that new information will surface that could lead to Hannah’s safe recovery. In the meantime, they continue to ask for the public’s help and attention in locating her, hoping that the increasing media coverage will lead to breakthroughs in the case.

As the investigation into Hannah’s disappearance continues, her family and friends remain committed to finding her, and they are asking for the public’s continued support and focus.