Father of missing Hannah Kobayashi found dead after flying into LA

by · Mail Online

The distraught father of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi has been found dead after he jumped to his death from a parking garage in Los Angeles.

The 31-year-old aspiring photographer disappeared from the streets of downtown Los Angeles after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en-route to New York City on November 8.

Kobayashi's stricken father Ryan Kobayashi, 58, had traveled to California to help authorities search for her, but in a horrific double-tragedy for the family, he was found dead at the bottom of a parking structure in LAX airport at around 4am on Sunday, according to NBC Los Angeles. 

The Kobayashi family, from Hawaii, said in a statement: 'The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today. 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 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.' 

Ryan, who has been searching for his daughter for 13 days, was seen as recently as Friday handing out flyers to passers-by in Los Angeles, pleading for information that could help find his daughter. 

DailyMail.com spoke to him as his family gathered to spread the message about the disappearance and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have.

Hannah Kobayashi (pictured) went missing after she missed her connecting flight to New York 
Her father, Ryan, was tragically found dead in Los Angeles, after he flew out to assist in the search 
This is the last known image of her leaving LAX, after she missed her connecting flight to New York to visit family 

Ryan DailyMail.com: ‘We will do everything we can until we have found her. We just need to get the word out there about her.

‘She’s a wonderful person who brings joy to so many people.’

Ryan's death comes as the search for Hannah continues. She sent a series of eerie texts to her loved ones, claiming she had recently undergone a 'spiritual awakening, after she was due to meet family in New York. 

Kobayashi had flown from Hawaii to LAX on the same flight as her ex-boyfriend, who had booked tickets for the two of them before they split up. 

He continued to New York, and is 'cooperating with police', after a mystery final text was sent from Hannah's phone, talking about her having a 'spiritual awakening.' 

The young traveler was captured by a security camera disembarking the plane just before 10pm on November 8.

The aspiring photographer was seen wearing a black hoodie and colorful sweatpants as she walked through LAX while wearing a pair of headphones. 

She was due to take a connecting flight at 11pm, however she never made it. 

'Please help her, if you can. If you know where she's at, or you have the chance to just help her, please. We just want to bring her home,' the mother said
Hannah Kobayashi (pictured) went missing after missing her connecting flight to New York from LAX on November 8 

Kobayashi was spotted at The Grove shopping mall between midday and 3pm the following day, on November 9.

She spent a considerable amount of time at Taschen Books, where she stopped to charge her phone.

At 2:43 she snapped a picture and sent it to her aunt, before returning to the airport where she is believed to have spent the night.

Timeline of  disappearance

November 8 - Kobayashi was spotted at The Grove shopping mall between midday and 3pm.

November 9 -  Kobayashi was spotted at The Grove shopping mall between midday and 3pm

November 10 - She appeared in the background of a video outside a Nike event featuring LeBron James at 3:30pm

November 11 - Kobayashi was spotted boarding an LAX Metro C line at Aviation/Century Station

From there, she once again called Montalvo to tell her she was still trying to get to New York. 

In a separate YouTube video outside of an event in Los Angeles on November 10, Hannah can be seen wearing the same clothing. She was spotted at a Nike event featuring LeBron James in LA, where she was wearing the same dark hoodie and headphones she wore at the airport, at around 3:30pm. 

Kobayashi also shared a post on her Instagram from the event with an eye emoji as the caption.

She was next spotted talking to a ticketing agent at LAX at around 5pm.

That same day, a missing-persons report was filed by her family amid what they described as uncharacteristic correspondence from Kobayashi. 

One of her text messages read: 'Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f**k since Friday.'

Kobayashi's mother, Brandi Yee, also sent her a text message asking if she made it to New York.

She responded simply: 'Not yet.' Another early-morning text mentioned how she was in the midst of a 'spiritual awakening.'

On a missing-persons poster sent out immediately after, police wrote: 'Prior to going missing, [Kobayashi] sent a message on November 10, mentioning feeling scared, and that someone might be trying to steal her money and identity. She hasn't been heard from since.'

The next day, November 11, Kobayashi was spotted boarding an LAX Metro C line at Aviation/Century Station.

She got on board at 9:02pm, before transferring to a different train at the Rosa Parks Station. 

Kobayashi was finally seen leaving the Metro Pico Station with the unidentified person at 10:03pm 

Her family received strange texts from her phone number, leading them to believe they had not been sent by Hanna 
One of Hannah's friends received strange texts from Kobayashi's phone - indicating that she may be in trouble

Read More

EXCLUSIVE
Family of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi reveal shocking police detail

While mother Brandi Yee and sister Sydni Kobayashi think Hannah left the airport and attended an event based on a series of texts suggesting she 'had a spiritual awakening and was heading back to the airport', a friend believes otherwise.

The anonymous concerned companion said she received strange texts from Kobayashi's phone - indicating that she may be in trouble.

'I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. For someone I thought I loved,' the messages read.

The family also noted that the young artist's phone has been off since November 11 and her last pinned location was at the Los Angeles Airport.

'She heard from Hannah. She was at LAX, and she said that she was scared,' Yee said.

Sydni further added: 'She texted her that she was scared and that she couldn't come back home or something. It was just really weird texts.'

Both Hannah's mother and sister also believe that the messages 'did not sound like her' and wonder if it was Hannah who sent them. 

Yee remarked, 'Yeah, we share location' to which Sydni added: 'And we know her phone's off because it goes straight to voicemail.

Missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi's sister has shared details of every last known sighting as her family continue their agonizing search
Her final post was shared on November 11. It is understood she was attending an event in Los Angeles at the time

Read More

Missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi's last known movements

'We've been trying to call and call and call, text.

'None of the texts are getting delivered. We can't locate her phone.'

The family has filed a missing person's report with the Los Angeles Police Department, but have since revealed their frustrations with the investigation.  

'As of today the police have reached out to family members who last spoke with Hannah,' her aunt Larie Pidgeon told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

'We want them to take it a bit more seriously.

'We think they realize we're not going away and we're going to be really loud. We're going to do something until they do something.

'I think now they are beginning the process of what we began six days ago. 

'The entire world is looking for you (Hannah) because that's how special you are.

Parts of the video also show Hannah outside of an event in Los Angeles

'We are not going to stop until we find you. We love you.'   

It remains unclear why she left LA's LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away but she sent a text to a friend saying she had had a 'spiritual awakening', and was later seen in the company of a mystery man. 

Her family has also revealed that Hannah's ex-boyfriend was also traveling on the same flight from Maui to LAX.

But the duo did not sit together or speak on the flight after the former pair bought tickets before they broke up.

Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, said prior to his death that her former partner had boarded the connecting flight and reached New York.

He also assured that her ex-boyfriend has been extremely responsive and cooperative with the investigation.

'A lot of worrying, a lot of confusion. Everything is just a blur it seems because I haven't slept well since I've heard the news, and I really don't know … it's just really concerning.

'We're just trying to get us as much information as we can,' he said.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255