Her father ‘died of a broken heart’

Hannah Kobayashi (31) disappeared on November 11 in Los Angeles.
Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead by suicide near Los Angeles on November 24.
Hannah was last seen on surveillance footage at LAX and later near 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 write 988 or chat on 988lifeline.org.

Los Angeles’ search for a missing Hawaiian woman 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 his connecting flight from Maui to New York on November 8 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). She was later captured on surveillance footage in various locations in Los Angeles, but was last heard from on November 11. Since then, her family has experienced pure anguish and sadness, which somehow became even more unbearable after the death of Kobayashi’s father within a week.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 58-year-old Ryan Kobayashi was found dead around 4 a.m. on November 24 in a parking lot adjacent to LAX. The family later confirmed on Facebook that this was the case died by suicide.

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

“He just died of a broken heart,” Pidgeon said. “Being on the street and seeing what the possibilities are for where his daughter could be. No sleep. Speculative rumors circulating. It just took a toll on him.”

The family needs support, not speculation, Pidgeon says

Ryan and several other family members flew to California after Hannah’s disappearance, Pidgeon said. On Saturday, he rallied on the streets of Los Angeles with several volunteer groups spreading awareness.

Pidgeon, who called her brother-in-law “a most compassionate and sensitive human being,” denied baseless rumors that Ryan was involved in any “foul play.”

“He’s a man who just had a mental breakdown caused by sleep depression,” Pidgeon said. “Suicide is not something that is talked about at all. It wasn’t even a concept we thought would happen. And now we have experienced two tragedies. We are hanging on by a thread and we just need to keep searching because there is still hope for Hannah.”

Now more than ever, Pidgeon said she wants the public to show kindness and grace to the family rather than fuel the pain through speculation and “become investigators.”

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

Hannah last seen with an unidentified person

The Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate Hannah’s disappearance. She was last seen on November 11, when surveillance cameras showed her at LAX airport, but she was not boarding the plane, according to her family, citing airport employees. Pidgeon said Hannah spoke with an American Airlines ticket agent for about 40 minutes.

Surveillance footage showed her hours later near the Pico subway station in downtown Los Angeles with an unidentified person who Pidgeon said “misled” her.

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

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

Hannah is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 140 pounds, with brown hair and eyes and light skin with freckles.

“She’s just amazing, she’s loving, she’s kind, she’s compassionate and she’s funny,” Pidgeon said. “We just want to focus on finding her and we still believe that she’s alive and we still believe that we’re going to hopefully bring her home.”

Co-author: Max Hauptman