Ryan Kobayashi, the father of a Hawaiian woman who went missing in Los Angeles earlier this month, has officially died of “multiple blunt force traumatic injuries,” family has confirmed, as the search for his daughter Hannah intensifies.
His family said he jumped from a parking lot after the stress of not knowing where his daughter was caused a mental health emergency. He had traveled to Los Angeles from Hawaii two weeks earlier to help with the search.
“He died of a broken heart,” Hannah Kobayashi’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, said Monday. “We searched tirelessly. I think it became so overwhelming for him to walk the streets and go to Skid Row and see where his daughter could have ended up.
Hannah’s sister, Sydni Kobayashi, posted an update on their father on Tuesday.
“We are heartbroken to announce that my father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically passed away during the search for Hannah,” she wrote on Facebook. “As we continue to search for Hannah, we are also faced with the unexpected costs of Ryan’s funeral. Donations will now support both the search for Hannah and honoring Ryan’s memory. My mother, Brandi, will be handling donations and helping me coordinate my father’s search and funeral. Your support matters to us during this unimaginable time. Thank you for standing by our family.
The family also tried to quell rumors that Ryan Kobayashi had anything to do with Hannah’s disappearance, and Pidgeon noted that they didn’t believe he was lured to her death.
Meanwhile, the desperate search for Hannah continues, as the family released a statement aimed at keeping the spotlight on the missing woman.
“Hannah Kobayashi’s family urgently implores the public to remain focused on her search,” the family said through RAD Movement, a nonprofit organization that helps search for missing people. “Hannah IS still actively missing and is believed to be in imminent danger. It is crucial that everyone remains vigilant in their efforts to find Hannah.
The 31-year-old woman went missing more than two weeks ago after traveling from Maui and missing her connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York. She was later seen on surveillance video with an unknown man. Disturbing text messages were sent to family and friends from his phone before it was switched off or turned off.
With news feed services
