Missing Hannah Kobayashi’s dad Ryan, 58, found dead in parking lot as search for daughter takes tragic turn
Hannah's family claimed they saw footage of her days after she arrived in Los Angeles
THE dad of missing traveler Hannah Kobayashi has been found dead, cops have said.
Officers in Los Angeles revealed Ryan Kobayashi’s body was found in a parking lot early on Sunday morning – weeks after his daughter was reported missing.
Police told the ABC affiliate that his remains were discovered in a parking lot at a business near Los Angeles International Airport.
Ryan’s death comes weeks after Hannah, 30, left her native Hawaii to embark upon a bucket-list trip to New York.
Ryan had recently traveled to Los Angeles to help look for her, KTLA reported.
A family statement, seen by The U.S. Sun, has been shared on a group set up in a bid to find Hannah.
“The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today,” it said.
“This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”
Cops have not released an official cause of death, but the family statement said Ryan “took his own life.”
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told The U.S. Sun that Ryan’s next of kin has been informed.
“The LAPD has notified the Mayor’s crisis response team and is providing resources and support as needed,” the statement continued.
“The Los Angeles Police Department sends its deepest sympathies for the family during this tragic time.”
Ryan’s body was found two weeks after Hannah left Hawaii.
Surveillance footage showed Hannah arriving in Los Angeles on the night of November 8, but she missed her connecting flight to New York.
She was supposed to land on the morning of November 9 but never made it.
This was despite Hannah planning a schedule outlining the activities she wanted to do while on the trip.
The disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
HANNAH Kobayashi, 31, has been missing since she missed her connecting flight to New York.
Friday, November 8: Kobayashi leaves her home in Maui and arrives in Los Angeles for her connecting flight to New York City. She has 42 minutes to make the flight at 11 pm.
Saturday, November 9: Kobayashi is meant to land at JFK airport in New York City at 7 am but never arrives.
Sunday, November 10: Kobayashi sends a message saying she’s scared and worried about someone trying to steal her money and identity, alongside a number of other cryptic texts.
She’s later seen at an event at The Grove in Los Angeles, about an hour away from LAX.
Monday, November 11: Kobayashi’s phone puts her back at LAX. She posts a picture on her Instagram account. She turns her phone off.
Wednesday, November 13: Family files missing person’s report.
Thursday, November 14: A YouTube video of the Nike event at The Grove is posted, placing Kobayashi in Los Angeles
Sunday, November 24: Hannah’s dad Ryan found dead in a Los Angeles parking lot
While in New York, Hannah wanted to go to concerts and photography events and see family, according to her schedule.
On November 10, Hannah was seen at an event at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles.
Family members and friends grew concerned when they received a string of cryptic texts from her phone.
Hannah’s mom, Brandi Yee, had messaged her to see if she had landed in New York and received a two-word message: “Not yet.”
One message sent from Hannah’s cell phone said she was tricked into giving away money, apparently to someone who she thought she loved.
Other messages appeared to suggest that Hannah was scared.
Hannah’s sister Sydni admitted she was starting to feel uneasy in light of the text messages.
Sydni said the text messages didn’t sound like Hannah.
“I don’t know if it’s her or if someone else was texting,” she told the CBS affiliate .
“It was just really weird texts.”
Her aunt Larie Pidgeon said the messages sent from Hannah’s phone didn’t sound like her niece.
“Strange, cryptic messages – things about the matrix, it was so unlike her,” she said.
Hannah’s dad, Ryan, had flown to Los Angeles as the search to find his daughter ramped up.
Hannah’s family revealed they saw her in surveillance footage from November 11 and said she didn’t look well.
Hannah was spotted near the Pico metro station in downtown Los Angeles and was reportedly seen with another in person in the footage.
Hannah has not been heard from since a ping on her cell phone on November 11.
Her last-known location appears to be LAX after her phone pinged from the airport on November 11.
Her family fears she may have been abducted or trafficked.
“We’re trying to keep hope alive, but it has now been basically a week and a day since Nov. 11 when she was last spotted with this unknown person and didn’t seem to be okay, so our mind is now going to abduction, and, I hate to say the word but, trafficked,” Pidgeon told the NBC affiliate .
A missing person’s report was filed two days later after family members couldn’t get through to Hannah.
Days before his death, Ryan begged her to reach out.
“I miss her,” he told .
A vigil was held outside the Crypto.com arena last week.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on , or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.