The father of missing Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi was found dead in Los Angeles after traveling there to search for his daughter, who went missing earlier this month.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found around 4 a.m. Sunday in a parking lot near Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said. He apparently committed suicide by jumping from a parking lot, police confirmed to KNBC and other media outlets after a nonprofit organization believed to be helping in the search said so in a statement.
“The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today. After searching tirelessly across Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life,” the organization said, according to KABC-TV. “This loss has greatly compounded the suffering of the family.”
Hannah Kobayashi, 31, disappeared while traveling to New York from her hometown of Maui on Friday, November 8. She was supposed to catch a connecting flight at LAX and land in New York the next day, but she never arrived.
A few days later, family members back home received disturbing, rambling text messages from Kobayashi’s phone, including one saying someone was trying to steal her identity and that she was “really scared.” Around the same time, surveillance video surfaced of her at the Pico Metro station near the Crypto.com Arena on November 11. She wasn’t alone, and that was the last time anyone saw her. His phone goes straight to voicemail.
Ryan Kobayashi immediately went to Los Angeles to look for his daughter and had been there for about two weeks.
“Tragically, Ryan is no longer with us, leaving us heartbroken and speechless,” wrote the organizer of an online fundraising campaign to support Ryan Kobayashi’s fiancée, Li Jaena.
“He is living his worst nightmare since Hannah disappeared, and now, with her passing, our family is dealing with unimaginable grief. Ryan’s love for his family knew no bounds and he would do anything to protect and care for his daughters.
