The heartbroken father of Hannah Kobayashi, who went missing two weeks ago, revealed he and his daughter were estranged for “a while” before he took his own life.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found dead around 4 a.m. Sunday after jumping from a Los Angeles airport parking garage after last hearing from his daughter, 30, on Nov. 11.
Kobayashi had traveled to California to assist in the search for the missing woman, where he handed out “Find Hannah” flyers for 13 days.
But before his tragic suicide, Kobayashi had spoken to the media on behalf of his concerned family and pleaded for the public’s help, although he admitted that he and his daughter had “not been in contact for some time.”
Speaking to CNN last week, the devastated father said: ‘Hannah loved to travel. She loved photography, art, music. I wasn’t that close to her… growing up. We hadn’t been in touch for a while.
‘I’m just trying to make it right. I’m trying to get her back. That’s my main focus’.
Although Kobayashi and his missing daughter – who he said “brought joy to so many” – had been estranged for some time, Hannah’s aunt Larie Pidgeon told DailyMail.com yesterday that nothing could have stopped him from joining the search.
“He was estranged from his daughter,” she said, “they didn’t have the best relationship and he wasn’t there for her growing up, but (eventually) he was there for her when it mattered. He came here when it mattered.”
Ryan, 58, took his own life early Sunday morning in a building near LAX, one of the last places Hannah was seen, after admitting that he and his daughter had been estranged for some time.
Hannah Kobayashi, 31, disappeared three days after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui, Hawaii on November 8 en route to New York City
This is the last known image of her leaving LAX after missing her connecting flight to New York to visit family
Ryan Kobayashi, center, holds a photo of his missing daughter Hannah Kobayashi outside the Crypto.com Arena, on November 21
Hannah Kobayashi disappeared three days after missing a connecting flight from her native Maui, Hawaii on November 8 en route to New York City.
She had been on the same plane as her ex-boyfriend, who had booked the tickets for each of them before they broke up.
But the pair did not sit together and did not speak during the flight, it is reported.
The friend had continued the trip to New York and is ‘cooperating with police’ after a series of chilling texts about how she had undergone a ‘spiritual awakening’ were sent from Hannah’s phone before she disappeared.
Hannah was seen on security camera footage getting off her flight at LAX around 10 p.m., and the next day she was seen at a Taschen bookstore in The Grove shopping center, charging her phone.
According to her sister Sydni Kobayashi, Hannah sent a Venmo payment to two people whose names the family did not recognize.
Hannah then reportedly spent the night at the airport, where she called her aunt to tell her she was still trying to reach New York.
A video was later posted to YouTube on November 10, showing Hannah at a Nike event with LeBron James at the same mall, wearing the same clothes as the night before.
An image from the event was also posted to her Instagram account, captioned with an eye emoji.
The sister of missing Hawaiian woman Hannah Kobayashi has shared details of every last known sighting as her family continues their painful search
Parts of the video also show Hannah outside an event in Los Angeles
Her last post was shared on November 11. It is believed she was attending an event in Los Angeles at the time
Her family received strange text messages from her phone number, leading them to believe they were not sent by Hanna
The next time Hannah was seen was around 5pm the same day, talking to a ticket agent at LAX.
Her family subsequently filed a missing persons report during what they described as unusual correspondence from Kobayashi.
One of her text messages read: “Deep Hackers erased my identity, stole all my money and have been messing me up since Friday.”
Her mother, Brandi Yee, also texted her asking if she had made it to New York.
She simply replied, “Not yet.” Another early morning text mentioned that she was in the midst of a “spiritual awakening.”
The next day, on November 11, Hannah was seen boarding a LAX Metro C line at Aviation/Century Station.
She boarded at 9:02 p.m., before transferring to another train at Rosa Parks Station.
Hannah was finally seen leaving the Pico metro station with the unknown person at 10:03 p.m.
Both Hannah’s mother and sister also believe the messages “didn’t sound like her” and question whether it was Hannah who sent them.
“None of the texts are delivered. We can’t find her phone.’
She also sent messages to a friend saying she didn’t feel safe and that someone was trying to steal her identity and money.
One of Hannah’s friends received strange text messages from Kobayashi’s phone, saying she might be in trouble
“Deep Hackers erased my identity, stole all my money and have had me on their minds since Friday,” said one message to a friend.
Another message read: “I was tricked into giving away all my money,” followed by a message: “For someone I thought I loved.”
On November 15, the LAPD Missing Persons Unit created a poster about Hannah’s disappearance, which stated that she was last seen at the airport, had freckles on her face and a tattoo on her forearm.
As the search for Hannah continues following the tragic death of her father, the Kobayashi family said in a statement: “The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today.
“After thirteen days of tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles, Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has immeasurably increased the family’s suffering.
“What the family needs most at this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion and prayers. Please be considerate with your comments and messages.
“The trauma they endure is profound, and they now face the added burden of grieving the loss of their family’s mainstay and navigating the next steps.”