The father of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi has died in an apparent suicide in Los Angeles, according to police.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, had been in Los Angeles searching for his daughter after she went missing in the city earlier this month.
He died after jumping from a parking structure near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department told NBC Los Angeles. Newsweek has contacted the police department for further comment via email.
Kobayashi, 31, was last heard from on November 11.
Larie Pidgeon, her aunt, told USA Today the family received messages that were out of character for her that day.
“We started getting texts saying that she didn’t feel safe, that someone was trying to steal her funds, that someone was trying to take her identity,” Pidgeon said.
“Weird things, calling us babe, things that weren’t quite the normal way that she speaks.”
That came after Kobayashi missed a connecting flight from Maui to New York at LAX on November 8. She sent messages to her family saying she had been hacked and “stripped” of her identity so she could not fly.
She was seen on security footage leaving the airport dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt and tie-dye leggings and carrying a dark green backpack.
Pidgeon said her niece had been spotted twice The Grove shopping mall in the following days. She was seen once by employees of the Taschen bookstore on November 9 and then again on video at a Nike event on November 10. A photo from the Nike event was posted to her Instagram the same day.
She returned to LAX on November 11, but did not board a flight, her family said. Her phone last pinged at the airport that day, but has not been found.
Kobayashi’s family issued a statement on November 17 that said they had obtained surveillance footage that showed her in the vicinity of the Pico Metro station in downtown Los Angeles.
“In the footage, it is evident that Hannah does not appear to be in good condition, and she is not alone,” the statement said.
Kobayashi is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes and fair skin with freckles. Any with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the LAPD on 1-877-527-3247 or missing persons support organization The Rad Movement on 619-904-0840.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org
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