By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-25 14:57:13 | Updated at 2024-11-26 19:41:30
1 day ago
The father of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi died from an apparent suicide in Los Angeles, where he had been searching for his daughter.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, jumped to his death from a parking garage near LAX, one of the last known locations visited by his 31-year-old daughter before she vanished, as first reported by NBC News.
While a coroner has not yet revealed an official cause of death for Ryan, his family revealed he died by suicide.
'The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today,' the Kobayashi family said in a statement:
'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.'
Hannah, an 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.
Ryan Kobayashi, the father of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi, died from an apparent suicide in Los Angeles , where he had been searching for his daughter
Hannah Kobayashi, 31, 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
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.
The trip began in Maui on November 8 which she described in a hand-written itinerary as a ‘bucket list dreams become reality.’
Hannah had been flying to meet another aunt in New York when she missed her connecting flight in LA.
Family members and a friend received a series of cryptic texts from Hannah’s phone, causing them to fear she may have been abducted or trafficked.
On November 9 Hannah is believed to have gone to a bookstore before going back to LAX that evening. She told an aunt that trying to get another flight to New York was proving a 'nightmare' but she was still trying to get there.
Hannah's family said they have confirmed sightings of her the next day, and they started to receive concerning messages on November 11, when her phone last registered her location - at LAX.
On Thursday, frantic friends and family, including her devastated dad Ryan Kobayashi (pictured) gathered in downtown LA, a block from where she was last seen, to spread the message and encourage the public to report any sightings and information they may have
This is the last known image of her leaving LAX, after she missed her connecting flight to New York to visit family
'I think someone’s trying to steal my identity. I’m really scared,' read one of the texts.
The same day the family said they confirmed a sighting of Hannah with an unidentified person getting on a train and exiting at Pico Station.
That was the last time she was seen.
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.
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.’
A GoFundMe has been created to support Ryan's fiancée Li Jaena.
'Ryan was my uncle—a truly remarkable person who lit up every room with his positivity and kind heart,' the page description reads.
'He has been living his absolute worst nightmare, since Hannah’s disappearance, and now, with his passing, our family is grappling with unimaginable grief.
'Ryan’s love for his family was boundless, and he would do anything to protect and care for his daughters.'
