Dad who flew to LAX to find missing daughter Hannah Kobayashi dies by suicide near airport
A Hawaii woman's father who flew to Los Angeles looking for her after she was reported missing has been found dead near Los Angeles International Airport.
The body of Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found in a parking lot on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. Los Angeles Police Department officials said they responded to reports of a body in the 6100 block of Century Boulevard about 4 a.m. Sunday and discovered someone dead of an apparent suicide.
Kobayashi was in Los Angeles looking for his daughter, Hannah Kobayashi, 30, who was last seen at LAX on Nov. 8 and last contacted her family by phone Nov. 9, according to an LAPD news release.
Relatives confirmed Ryan Kobayashi's death in a Sunday statement, saying they had "endured a devastating tragedy."
"After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life," according to the statement. "This loss has compounded the family's suffering immeasurably."
The family has urged the public to "maintain focus on the search for her. Hannah IS still actively missing and is believed to be in imminent danger. It is crucial for everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to locate Hannah."
Kobayashi boarded a flight in Maui on Nov. 8 headed to New York City with a stop at LAX but never made it to New York, her family told USA Today.
She landed at LAX but missed her next flight, appearing instead to visit the Grove shopping center, where she went to a Nike event Nov. 10, her family told USA Today. The next day, Kobayashi apparently went back to LAX but didn’t board a flight. Later that day, she sent what her family called “strange” text messages.
LAPD spokesperson Charles Miller confirmed that the department is investigating Kobayashi's disappearance as an "active missing person case" but declined to specify details about the investigation. No updates were available Monday morning.
Kobayashi's sister, Sydni, told The Times that her sister's friend has reached out to the family about "strange" text messages Kobayashi reportedly sent.
Kobayashi texted her friend about her ID being stolen and expressed concern that someone she thought she loved was trying to take her money.
"She seemed like it was someone else or she was just totally out of it," Sydni said. "It just didn’t seem right because it’s not how she normally texts."
Kobayashi was supposed to meet up with her aunt and spend time with family in upstate New York, according to her sister.
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