Dad of missing woman found dead at airport days after flying in to search for her
The father of a missing woman from Hawaii jumped to his death from a car park in Los Angeles after flying in and looking for her for 13 days.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was discovered dead at the bottom of a Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) parking lot around 4am on Sunday after helping authorities look for his daughter, Hannah Kobayashi, 31, authorities said.
Loved ones called it a ‘devastating tragedy’ that has ‘compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably’.
‘After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life,’ stated the Kobayashi family.
‘What the family needs most in this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion, and prayers…
‘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 had told the Daily Mail that ‘we will do everything we can until we have found her’.
He was seen passing out missing persons flyers in Los Angeles on Friday.
The father had said that Hannah flew from Hawaii to Los Angeles on the same plane as her ex-boyfriend, who booked tickets for them before they broke up. They did not sit together or speak during the flight.
CCTV captured Hannah getting off a plane at LAX just before 10pm on November 8. She was supposed to take a connecting flight to New York at 11pm to visit family there, but did not board.
Hannah’s ex did get on the connection and cooperated with police in the investigation.
The day after landing at LAX, Hannah was seen at Taschen Books at The Grove mall. The next day, she attended a Nike store event at the Grove. On November 11, she was spotted getting on the LAX Metro C Line at Aviation/Century Station, transferring at Rosa Parks Station and leaving the Metro Pico station shortly after 10pm with an unidentified person.
Her mother, Brandi Yee, texted her to see if she arrived in New York and she replied, ‘Not yet.’ Family members added that Hannah sent strange texts including one that she ‘had a spiritual awakening and was heading back to the airport’.
An anonymous friend said she got a text from Hannah stating: ‘I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. For someone I thought I loved.’
The search for Hannah continues, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.
Ryan had said before taking his own life: ‘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.’
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