Father, Looking for Missing Daughter, Is Found Dead in Los Angeles Parking Lot

Ryan Kobayashi (C), father of Hannah Kobayashi, in a still from a file video. CNN

The father of a missing Hawaiian woman was found dead in a parking lot after spending nearly two weeks looking for her all over Los Angeles, an organization involved with the search for the woman said Sunday.

“The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today,” The RAD Movement said in a statement on Facebook.

“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.”

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed the 58-year-old father was found dead in a parking lot, but hasn’t confirmed the alleged cause of death yet at the time of writing.

The volunteer organization, which itself was founded by the parents of a recovered missing child, said it was speaking on behalf of the Kobayashi family when it urged everyone to stay focused on the search for 30-year-old Hannah, and asked the public to respect the family’s privacy in this difficult moment.

“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,” said the nonprofit.

“Again, it is the family wish that the public keep the focus on locating and recovering Hannah safely.”

The family itself has not issued a statement.

Hannah Kobayashi disappeared on Nov. 11, after she failed to board a connecting flight to New York City at Los Angeles Airport on Nov. 8.

A flyer with information on Hannah Kobayashi, currently missing, is displayed in Los Angeles on Nov. 21, 2024. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

That same day, Hannah’s sister launched a GoFundMe to finance the search for Hannah, including the father’s expenses as he traveled to Los Angeles.

Hannah briefly appeared in a YouTube video posted on Nov. 10 about the Lebron James event at The Grove in Los Angeles. She can be seen in the building window around 31 seconds into the video.

“Thereafter, strange messages were being sent to family and friends from her cell phone,” the family said.

The last phone ping dates from 4 p.m. on Nov. 11 at LAX airport.

“Hannah has not been seen or heard from since then and her cell phone is off.”

Strange Texts

On Nov. 16, the family shared an interview with LadBible, where Hannah’s sister Sydni and their mother Brani Yee discussed the “weird” text messages they received from Hannah in the time between her missing her flight and her disappearance.

In one message, she wrote: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. For someone I thought I loved.”

Yee said Hannah also texted a friend saying she was scared and could not return home.

The pair also suspect that at least some of the messages may have been sent by someone else, as the wording did not sound like Hannah’s.

The family expressed disappointment that Los Angeles Police Department policy does not consider Hannah’s disappearance a priority given that she is not underage, elderly, or mentally confused.

On Nov. 23, the family shared an update in which they said Hannah was spotted in additional “alarming video footage” recorded in the Crypto.com Arena at the L.A. Convention Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

“She is NOT alone,” the family wrote.

Hannah is described as 5’10”, 140 pounds, with brown hair and eyes, fair skin with freckles, and a knife tattoo on her forearm. Any information can be relayed to The RAD Movement at 619-904-0840, or 911.

From NTD News