Hannah Kobayashi’s father found dead in LA; woman is still missing

On By Littum

Editor’s note: This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat on 988lifeline.org.

The father of a Hawaii woman who disappeared in Los Angeles two weeks ago was found dead Sunday.

Los Angeles police confirmed that the body of Ryan Kobayashi, the 58-year-old father of Hannah Kobayashi, was found around 4 a.m. on November 24 at an address next to Los Angeles International Airport.

Ryan Kobayashi’s death was listed as an open case by the Los Angeles County Coroner with no cause of death listed and the location of his death listed as a parking lot. The LAPD also did not provide additional information on a possible cause of death.

Kobayashi’s family issued a statement through The Rad movement on Sunday that Ryan Kobayashi had died by suicide.

“This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably,” the statement read. “The trauma they are experiencing is profound, and they now face the added burden of grieving the loss of their family pillar and navigating the next steps.”

Hannah Kobayashi, 31, was traveling from Maui to New York when she missed a connecting flight at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 8, USA TODAY previously reported. She was last heard from on November 11.

The family is asking that the focus remain on the Hannah Kobayashi search

The family said in the statement that they want the public’s focus to remain on the search for Hannah.

“Hannah IS still actively missing and believed to be in imminent danger. It is critical for everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to locate Hannah,” the statement read.

The family held a vigil for Hannah Thursday night in the area where she was last seen.

More: The search continues for Hannah Kobayashi, missing in Los Angeles for a week: Timeline

Kobayashi was last heard from on November 11 after being seen the previous two days at The Grove shopping centre.

Kobayashi was seen on surveillance cameras near the Pico Metro station in downtown Los Angeles that same day around 10 p.m., Larie Pidgeon, Kobayashi’s aunt, told USA TODAY. The subway station is located near the Crypto.com Arena and serves the A and E lines of the Los Angeles Metro.

Pidgeon previously told USA TODAY that the family was disturbed when they received texts from Kobayashi that were out of character. Pidgeon elaborated in an interview that strange phrases and a lack of emojis in the messages set off alarm bells.

The 31-year-old is described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds and has brown hair and eyes and fair skin with freckles.

Anyone with information on Kobayashi’s whereabouts is asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-527-3247 or The Rad movement at 619-904-0840.