Los Angeles Headlines

LOS ANGELES, CA — The father of a 31-year-old woman who went missing after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport was discovered dead on Sunday.

Ryan Kobayashi, father of Hannah Kobayashi, had recently come to Los Angeles to assist in the search for his daughter. Around 4 a.m. Sunday, the 58-year-old man died after jumping from a parking structure near LAX, with police suspecting suicide, according to reports.

The medical examiner has verified the father’s death but has yet to provide an official cause.

The daughter was traveling from Maui to New York City to visit family on Nov. 8 and missed her connecting flight at LAX. She reportedly visited The Grove shopping center on Nov. 10, where she attended a Nike event and posted a photo on her Instagram.

Her family indicated that she returned to LAX on Nov. 11 but did not board a flight. On that same day, they began receiving unusual text messages from her.

The family stated, “Hannah’s final message was concerning — she expressed fears that someone might be trying to steal her identity and money.” They added, “We haven’t heard from her since, and we are deeply worried for her safety.”

Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told USA Sunday that the messages from her were unusual, featuring “strange phrases, calling us babe, and other things that were not typical of her usual communication style.”

Family members recently mentioned that they had acquired surveillance footage showing her near the downtown Metro train station adjacent to Crypto.com Arena, though the exact timing of the footage remains unclear. They noted that “it is evident from the footage that Hannah does not seem to be in a good state, and she is with someone.”

A vigil was held for her in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, and the search for her continues.