Father of missing Hawaii woman dies by suicide in LA

The father of a missing Hawaii woman has died by suicide, Los Angeles police say.

At 4 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to the 6100 block of West Century Boulevard near Los Angeles International Airport for a death investigation, a police spokesman said.

The investigation revealed that Ryan Kobayashi, 58, the father of Hannah Kobayashi, had died by suicide, police said.

Ryan Kobayashi, who lived in Honolulu, and other members of his family were in Los Angeles looking for Hannah Kobayashi, who had taken a flight from Hawaii, where she lived, to Los Angeles on November 8. She was on her way to New York City but had less than an hour to get to her departure terminal and missed a connecting flight, her aunt Larie Pidgeon said. Her family said Hannah Kobayashi decided to explore the area while waiting for another flight.

On Nov. 10, Hannah Kobayashi was picked up at a Nike event at The Grove mall, about 12 miles north of Los Angeles International Airport, but her family said they received concerning text messages from her phone in the coming days.

In the last message on Nov. 11, Hannah Kobayashi mentioned that she felt scared and worried that someone might try to steal her money and identity, Pidgeon said.

Family members quoted one of the lyrics, according to a video report from the NBC affiliate KHNL of Honolulu: “I was tricked pretty much into giving away all my money to someone I thought I loved.”

A November 15 Facebook post of the RAD Movement — a San Diego County, California, missing persons nonprofit group — said security video in the area of ​​Pico Boulevard and Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles shows Kobayashi with someone and has sparked concern.

“In the footage, it is clear that Hannah does not appear to be in good health, and she is not alone,” the post said. “Due to the ongoing and active nature of this investigation, we are unable to share additional details at this time.”

It is not clear when the video was recorded.

“There is reason to believe through video surveillance that Hannah is not OK,” Pidgeon said a week ago, adding that the family did not want to talk about the details because they did not want to hinder the investigation.

A Los Angeles police spokesman said Monday that no further information was available and that the investigation is ongoing.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. You can also call the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, on 800-273-8255text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.