The father of a missing 31-year-old woman has been found dead after flying into Los Angeles to assist the search.
Ryan Kobayashi, whose daughter Hannah Kobayashi disappeared after missing her connecting flight to New York from LAX, was meant to meet with family on November 8.
In a horrific double-tragedy for the family, Ryan, 58, jumped from a parking structure at the international airport at around 4am on Sunday and died, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The Kobayashi family, originally from Hawaii, said in a statement: ‘The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today. 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.
‘What the family needs most in this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion, and prayers. Please be considerate with your comments and posts.
‘The trauma they are enduring is profound, and they now face the additional burden of grieving the loss of their family’s pillar and navigating next steps.’
A coroner has confirmed his death, but has not yet specified a cause.
The tragic death comes amid a weeks-long search for the missing woman, who disappeared after missing her connecting flight in LA from Maui, Hawaii, to New York.
Hannah Kobayashi (pictured) went missing after she missed her connecting flight to New York
Her father, Ryan, was tragically found dead in Los Angeles, after he flew out to assist in the search
Ryan’s body was found by a parking structure at LAX (File image)
In a short clip, the young traveler was captured by a security camera disembarking the plane.
In a separate YouTube video outside of an event in Los Angeles, Hannah can be seen wearing the same clothing that same day.
It remains unclear why she left LA’s LAX airport and ventured out into the city 15 miles away but she sent a text to a friend saying she had had a ‘spiritual awakening’, and was later seen in the company of a mystery man.
Her family has also revealed that Hannah’s ex-boyfriend was also traveling on the same flight from Maui to LAX.
But the duo did not sit together or speak on the flight after the former pair bought tickets before they broke up.
Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, said prior to his death that her former partner had boarded the connecting flight and reached New York.
He also assured that the her ex-boyfriend has been extremely responsive and cooperative with the investigation.
‘A lot of worrying, a lot of confusion. Everything is just a blur it seems because I haven’t slept well since I’ve heard the news, and I really don’t know … it’s just really concerning.
‘We’re just trying to get us as much information as we can,’ he said.
While mother Brandi Yee and sister Sydni Kobayashi think Hannah left the airport and attended an event based on a series of texts suggesting she ‘had a spiritual awakening and was heading back to the airport’, a friend believes otherwise.
The anonymous concerned companion said she received strange texts from Kobayashi’s phone – indicating that she may be in trouble.
Hannah Kobayashi (pictured) went missing after missing her connecting flight to New York from LAX on November 8
‘Please help her, if you can. If you know where she’s at, or you have the chance to just help her, please. We just want to bring her home,’ the mother said
Hannah claimed to have had a spiritual awakening after missing her flight
The concerned companion said she received strange texts from Kobayashi’s phone – indicating that she may be in trouble
Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, said before his death: ‘A lot of worrying, a lot of confusion. Everything is just a blur it seems because I haven’t slept well since I’ve heard the news, and I really don’t know … it’s just really concerning’
‘I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. For someone I thought I loved,’ the messages read.
The family also noted that the young artist’s phone has been off since November 11 and her last pinned location was at the Los Angeles Airport.
‘She heard from Hannah. She was at LAX, and she said that she was scared,’ Yee said.
Sydni further added: ‘She texted her that she was scared and that she couldn’t come back home or something. It was just really weird texts.’
Both Hannah’s mother and sister also believe that the messages ‘did not sound like her’ and wonder if it was Hannah who sent them.
Yee remarked, ‘Yeah, we share location’ to which Sydni added: ‘And we know her phone’s off because it goes straight to voicemail.
‘We’ve been trying to call and call and call, text.
‘None of the texts are getting delivered. We can’t locate her phone.’
Parts of the video also show Hannah outside of an event in Los Angeles
In a short clip obtained by HawaiiNewsNow, a photograph of the young traveler clicked on a security camera can be seen
The family has filed a missing person’s report with the Los Angeles Police Department, but have since revealed their frustrations with the investigation.
‘As of today the police have reached out to family members who last spoke with Hannah,’ her aunt Larie Pidgeon told DailyMail.com on Thursday.
‘We want them to take it a bit more seriously.
‘We think they realize we’re not going away and we’re going to be really loud. We’re going to do something until they do something.
‘I think now they are beginning the process of what we began six days ago.
‘The entire world is looking for you (Hannah) because that’s how special you are.
‘We are not going to stop until we find you. We love you.’
