” Amid the search for a missing Hawaii woman last seen in Los Angeles, the woman’s father was found dead Sunday near LAX, police say.
Ryan Kobayashi had recently traveled to Los Angeles to help in the search for his daughter, Hannah Kobayashi. The 30-year-old woman went missing apparently sometime after a stopover at Los Angeles International Airport as she was traveling from Hawaii to New York City on Nov. 8.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirms the death of Ryan Kobayashi, age 58, on Sunday, saying he was found in a parking lot. The coroner’s information does not provide details on the cause of death. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to ABC News that Ryan Kobayashi’s body was found Sunday around 4 a.m. at 6151 W. Century Blvd., a business near LAX. LAPD also did not provide a suspected cause of death.
Eyewitness News is working to contact the family. A nonprofit organization believed to be working with the Kobayashi family in the search issued a statement Sunday which conveyed the family’s belief that he took his own life. The statement read in part:
“The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today. 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.
What the family needs most in this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion, and prayers. Please be considerate with your comments and posts. 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.”
They asked for privacy so the family members could grieve and urged the public to maintain focus on the search for Hannah in the face of the tragic news about her father.
It’s not clear what happened after Hannah landed at LAX on Nov. 8″ – ABC7
