Father of missing woman found dead after flying into airport where she disappeared to help find her

Tuesday, November 26, 2024 -The heartbroken father of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi has been found de@d after he jumped to his death from a parking garage in Los Angeles.

 The 31-year-old aspiring photographer disappeared from the streets of downtown Los Angeles after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui in Hawaii en route to New York City on November 8.

Kobayashi's father Ryan Kobayashi, 58, had travelled to California to help authorities search for her, but he was found dead at the bottom of a parking structure in LAX airport at around 4am on Sunday, according to NBC Los Angeles.

The Kobayashi family, 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 the next steps.' 

Ryan, who has been searching for his daughter for 13 days, was seen as recently as Friday handing flyers to passers-by in Los Angeles, pleading for information that could help find his daughter. 

Ryan's de@th comes as the search for Hannah continues. She sent a series of eerie texts to her loved ones, claiming she had recently undergone a 'spiritual awakening after she was due to meet family in New York. 

Kobayashi had flown from Hawaii to LAX on the same flight as her ex-boyfriend, who had booked tickets for the two of them before they split up. 

He continued to New York, and is 'cooperating with police', after a mystery final text was sent from Hannah's phone, talking about her having a 'spiritual awakening.' 

 The young traveller was captured by a security camera disembarking the plane just before 10pm on November 8.

The aspiring photographer was seen wearing a black hoodie and colourful sweatpants as she walked through LAX while wearing a pair of headphones. 

She was due to take a connecting flight at 11pm, however she never made it. 

Kobayashi was spotted at The Grove shopping mall between midday and 3pm the following day, on November 9.

She spent a considerable amount of time at Taschen Books, where she stopped to charge her phone.