By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-26 11:51:46 | Updated at 2024-11-26 14:22:52
2 hours ago
The heartbroken father of Hannah Kobayashi who went missing two weeks ago revealed he and his daughter had been estranged 'for a while' before he took his life.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found dead after jumping from a parking garage at Los Angeles Airport at around 4am on Sunday after his daughter, 30, was last heard from on November 11.
Kobayashi had traveled to California to assist in the search for the missing woman where he handed out 'Find Hannah' flyers over a 13 day period.
But before his tragic suicide, Kobayashi had spoken to the media on behalf of his concerned family and pleaded for help from the public, though he admitted he and his daughter 'hadn't had contact for a while'.
Speaking to CNN last week, the devastated father said: 'Hannah loved to travel. She loved photography, art, music. I wasn't too close with her … growing up. We hadn't had contact for a while.
'I'm just trying to make up. I'm trying to get her back. That's my main focus'.
Although Kobayashi and his missing daughter - who he said brought 'joy to so many' - were estranged for some period of time, Hannah's aunt Larie Pidgeon told DailyMail.com yesterday that nothing would have stopped him joining in the search.
'He was estranged from his daughter,' she said, 'They didn't have the best relationship and he wasn't there for her growing up but (in the end) he was there for her when it mattered. He came here when it mattered'.
Ryan, 58, took his own life early Sunday morning at a building near LAX, one of the last places Hannah was seen, after admitting he and his daughter had been estranged for some time
Hannah Kobayashi, 31, disappeared three days after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en-route to New York City on November 8
This is the last known image of her leaving LAX, after she missed her connecting flight to New York to visit family
Ryan Kobayashi, center, holds a picture of his missing daughter Hannah Kobayashi outside Crypto.com Arena, on November 21
Hannah Kobayashi disappeared three days after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en-route to New York City on November 8.
She had been on the same plane as her ex-boyfriend who had booked the tickets for each of them before they broke up.
But the pair did not sit together or speak during the flight, it has been reported.
The boyfriend had continued the journey on to New York and is 'cooperating with the police' after a series of chilling texts about how she had undergone a 'spiritual awakening' were sent from Hannah's phone before she vanished.
Hannah was seen in security camera footage disembarking her flight at LAX at around 10pm, and the next day was seen at a Taschen bookstore at The Grove shopping mall where she charged her phone.
According to her sister Sydni Kobayashi, Hannah sent a Venmo payment to two people whose names the family did not recognize.
Hannah is then believed to have spent the night at the airport where she called her aunt to tell her she was still trying to reach New York.
A video was later posted on YouTube on November 10, showing Hannah at a Nike event featuring LeBron James in the same shopping mall, and wearing the same clothing as the night before.
An image of the event was also posted on her Instagram account, captioned with an eye emoji.
Missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi's sister has shared details of every last known sighting as her family continue their agonizing search
Parts of the video also show Hannah outside of an event in Los Angeles
Her final post was shared on November 11. It is understood she was attending an event in Los Angeles at the time
Her family received strange texts from her phone number, leading them to believe they had not been sent by Hanna
The next time Hannah was seen was at around 5pm the same day, talking to a ticketing agent at LAX.
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
Her family then filed a missing persons report during 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.'
Her 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.'
The following day, on November 11, Hannah 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.
Hannah was finally seen leaving the Metro Pico Station with the unidentified person at 10:03pm.
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.
'None of the texts are getting delivered. We can't locate her phone.'
She also sent messages to a friend saying she didn't feel safe, and that someone was trying to steal her identity and funds.
One of Hannah's friends received strange texts from Kobayashi's phone - indicating that she may be in trouble
'Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f**k since Friday,' one message to a friend said.
Another message said, 'I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds,' followed by one saying, 'For someone I thought I loved.'
On November 15, the LAPD missing persons unit created a poster about Hannah's disappearance, saying she was last seen at the airport, has freckles on her face, and a tattoo on her forearm.
As the search for Hannah continues following the tragic death of her father, the Kobayashi family 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.'
