Her father ‘died of a broken heart’

On November 27, 2024By Pranco

Hannah Kobayashi, 31, has been missing from Los Angeles since November 11.
Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead near LAX on November 24.
Hannah was last seen on surveillance footage at LAX and later at a subway station with an unidentified person.

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 search for a missing Hawaiian woman in Los Angeles took a tragic turn Sunday when her father was found dead near the airport, one of the last places she was seen before her mysterious disappearance.

Hannah Kobayashi31, missed a connecting flight from Maui to New York City at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on November 8. She was later captured on surveillance video at various locations in Los Angeles, but was last heard from on November 11. Since then, her family has experienced pure fear and grief, which somehow became even more unbearable after the death of Kobayashi’s father during the week. .

Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found dead around 4 a.m. on Nov. 24 in a parking lot next to LAX, Los Angeles police said. The family later confirmed on Facebook that he had done so died by suicide.

Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told USA TODAY on Monday that the past two weeks had already been incredibly difficult before she learned about her brother-in-law’s sudden and unexpected death.

“He just died of a broken heart,” Pidgeon said. “Being on the streets and seeing the possibilities of where his daughter could be. No sleep. The speculative rumors going around. It just took a toll on him.”

Family needs support, not speculation, says Pidgeon

Ryan and several other family members flew to California after Hannah’s disappearance, Pidgeon said. On Saturday, he gathered on the streets of LA with various volunteer groups to spread awareness.

Pidgeon, who called her brother-in-law the “most compassionate, sensitive man,” dismissed unfounded rumors that Ryan had been involved in any “foul play.”

“This is a man who just had a nervous breakdown from sleep depression,” Pidgeon said. “Suicide is not something that is even talked about. It was not even a concept that we thought would happen. And now we have experienced two tragedies. We are hanging on by a thread and all we need is the search to continue because there is still hope for Hannah.”

Now more than ever, Pidgeon said she wants the public to show the family kindness and grace, instead of fueling pain through speculation and “becoming investigators.”

“Hannah is still missing and we have hope and we need to make sure Ryan’s death is not in vain,” she said.

Hannah was last seen with an unknown person

The LAPD continues to investigate Hannah’s disappearance. She was last seen on Nov. 11, when surveillance cameras showed her at LAX but not aboard a flight, the family said, citing airport officials. Pidgeon said Hannah spoke with an American Airlines ticket agent for about 40 minutes.

Surveillance footage showed her hours later near the Pico Metro station in downtown Los Angeles next to an unknown person, who Pidgeon said she believed was “misleading” her.

“We believe she simply trusted the wrong person,” she added.

The family also received unusual text messages from Hannah, which Pidgeon said contained strange phrases and an unusual lack of emojis.

Hannah is described as 6 feet tall, weighs about 140 pounds and has brown hair and eyes, and fair skin with freckles.

“She’s just incredible, she’s loving, she’s kind, she’s compassionate, she’s funny,” Pidgeon said. “We just want to focus on finding her, and we still believe she’s alive, and we still believe we have hope of bringing her home.”

Contributions: Max Hauptman