Father of Missing Woman Commits Suicide after Traveling to Los Angeles in Search of Her: Ryan Kobayashi’s Tragic Story | US News
The father of a missing Hawaiian woman tragically took his own life after flying to LA in search of her.
Ryan Kobayashi traveled from Hawaii to LA to retrace the steps of his daughter Hannah Kobayashi, who went missing earlier this month.
On November 8th, 31-year-old Ms. Kobayashi flew from Hawaii to LA en route to New York but missed her connecting flight.
Hannah Kobayashi. Pic: Instagram/Hannah Kobayashi
The 30-year-old budding photographer. Pic: Missing Persons of America
Initially, her family believed she would catch another flight, but she informed them that she was exploring the area.
Subsequently, on November 11th, the family started receiving concerning text messages from her phone, hinting at a distressing situation.
The messages mentioned being “intercepted” while boarding a train and fearing someone was trying to steal her identity.
Her aunt Larie Pidgeon stated, “Once the family started pressing, she went dark.”
Sky News US partner network NBC News reported one of the texts from Ms. Kobayashi’s phone saying, “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I loved.”
Mr. Kobayashi went to LA to assist in locating her, along with other family members and volunteers.
Tragically, he was found deceased on Sunday in a car park near the LA International Airport, having taken his own life, as per the police and his family.
In a statement, the family expressed, “After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life.
This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”
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The family requested privacy during their grieving process and urged the public to focus on finding Hannah. She is still missing and believed to be in imminent danger.
Ms. Kobayashi, a budding photographer from Maui, was heading to New York for a new job and to visit relatives.
The RAD Movement, a network assisting missing and exploited individuals, mentioned in an appeal that in video footage, Ms. Kobayashi “does not appear to be in good condition and she is not alone.”
Ms. Pidgeon noted that the search efforts have been concentrated in downtown LA.
For emotional distress or suicidal thoughts, reach out to Samaritans at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, contact the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
