Content warning: This article mentions suicide. Please take care while reading.
Ryan Kobayashi, father of Hannah Kobayashi, a Hawaii woman who went missing two weeks ago in Los Angeles, was found dead around 4 am Sunday from an apparent suicide, according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner. Hannah was flying from Maui to New York City when she disappeared at an LAX layover. Ryan had traveled from Hawaii to California to help find his daughter.
The Kobayashi family confirmed Ryan, 58, died by suicide in a statement released through a nonprofit group assisting in Hannah’s search. “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,” it said. The family asked the public to remain focused on “locating and recovering Hannah safely.”
A missed layover and concerning texts
On Nov. 8, Hannah, 30, flew from Maui to Los Angeles. Her final destination was New York, where she planned to spend time with her aunt. Hannah took the flight with an ex-boyfriend. Although they were no longer together, the couple agreed to keep their tickets and travel separately once they arrived in New York. Hannah’s ex-boyfriend made the connecting flight, but Hannah never boarded the plane.
Hannah remained on standby for a flight to New York. Over the next several days, she sent a series of increasingly worrisome texts to friends and family from Los Angeles, as photographs, social media activity, and video showed Hannah in Los Angeles at places like Pico Metro Station near LAX, and a Nike and LeBron James event at The Grove, a high-end shopping mall less than 20 miles away.
Between Nov. 8 and Nov. 11, Hannah’s friends and family received alarming texts from Hannah, including “Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f**k since Friday,” and “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds,” followed by one saying, “For someone I thought I loved.” Another read, “I just finished a very intense spiritual awakening,” according to Newsweek and CNN.
Hannah’s phone last pinged at LAX on Nov. 11, and has been turned off since then. Her family said all calls to Hannah before that time were unanswered, and based on language use and other details, Hannah’s friends and family say they suspect Hannah didn’t send at least some of the texts they received after she missed her connecting flight.
Another video showed Hannah at the Metro Station near the Crypto.com Arena with someone not yet identified. That image has not yet been released to the press. Hannah’s Venmo activity also shows she sent money to someone the family says they don’t know or recognize.
Ryan and Hannah were estranged
Multiple reports say Hannah and her father, Ryan, were estranged, but once Hannah was reported missing, Ryan traveled to L.A. and played an active role in the search. “I just wish I could have been there more for her. Trying to find her is everything,” Ryan said at a rally for his daughter in downtown Los Angeles, LA’s FOX 11 reported.
Since Hannah disappeared, the Kobayashi family has said the LAPD isn’t doing enough to find their relative. “We’re trying to make them take us seriously,” Hannah’s aunt, Laire Pidgeon, said, according to NBC Los Angeles. “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.”
Hannah’s LAPD missing persons case remains open. The Kobayashi family provided no further details about Ryan’s death in their statement. “The family of Hannah Kobayashi is urgently pleading with the public to maintain focus on the search for her, the statement said. “Hannah IS still actively missing and is believed to be in imminent danger. It is crucial for everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to locate Hannah,” it added.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.