FAMILY TRAGEDY
Who was Hannah Kobayashi’s father Ryan? Missing traveler’s dad found dead in parking lot
His family released a statement addressing the ‘devastating tragedy’
HANNAH Kobayashi went missing as she embarked on the trip of a lifetime to New York, launching a massive search effort.
Her father Ryan travelled to LA to help authorities locate his daughter — but police confirmed he was tragically found dead on the morning of Sunday, November 25, 2024.
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His body was discovered in a car park near Los Angeles Airport (LAX).
As of November 25, cops have not released an official cause of death.
Ryan Kobayashi was 58 years old at the time of his passing.
His body was found two weeks after Hannah left Hawaii.
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Bucket list trip
She had planned to travel to New York on a bucket list trip — but never made it to her final destination.
Kobayashi, 31, traveled to LAX from the island of Maui on November 8, and was supposed to get a connecting flight to New York.
That would’ve seen her land at JFK airport on the morning of November 9, but she wasn’t on the plane.
She was supposed to land on the morning of November 9, but failed to show up in the Empire State.
Most read in The US Sun
After missing her connecting flight on November 8, family and friends began receiving strange texts from her saying she was scared and someone was trying to take her funds.
This was despite Hannah planning a schedule outlining the activities she wanted to do while on the trip.
Missing Hannah Kobayashi's family says 'cops didn't question them for 11 days and she was paranoid before disappearance'
While in New York, Hannah wanted to go to gigs and see family, according to her schedule.
Following his daughter's disappearance, Ryan said: "Everything is just a blur it seems because I haven’t slept well since I’ve heard the news, and I really don’t know… it’s just really concerning."
Cryptic texts
Family members and friends grew concerned when they received a string of cryptic texts from her phone.
She was seen at an event in Los Angeles when she was supposed to be in New York.
Hannah's mom, Brandi Yee, messaged her daughter to see if she'd landed in New York, but in return received a two-word message saying only "Not yet".
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One of the messages sent from Hannah's phone said she was tricked into giving away money to someone who she loved.
It read: "I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I loved."
While other messages seemed to suggest that Hannah was scared.
Surveillance footage
Surveillance footage showed Hannah arriving at LAX on the night of November 8, but it appears she missed her connecting flight.
Hannah's sister Sydni admitted that she was starting to feel uneasy in light of the text messages, adding that they didn't sound like Hannah.
She told CBS affiliate : "I don’t know if it’s her or if someone else was texting."
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"It was just really weird texts."
Her aunt Larie Pidgeon also 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 family revealed they saw her in surveillance footage from November 11 and said she looked unwell.
The missing traveler was spotted near the city's Pico metro station — she was reportedly with another in person in the video.
Hannah has not been seen or heard from since a ping on her cell phone on November 11 — her last-known location appeared to be LAX.
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Hannah's family fears she may have been abducted or trafficked.
Pidgeon told the NBC affiliate : “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,”
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 family statement, which was shared on a Facebook group set up in a bid to find Hannah, was seen by The U.S. Sun.
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"The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today," it said.
"This loss has compounded the family's suffering immeasurably."
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