In a heartbreaking turn of events, the father of a missing Hawaii woman took his own life while searching for his daughter in Los Angeles. Ryan Kobayashi had spent nearly two weeks looking for his 30-year-old daughter, Hannah Kobayashi, who disappeared on November 8 after missing her connecting flight to New York.

Kobayashi, who was deeply involved in the search efforts, traveled to Los Angeles to find Hannah. His death from a parking garage near the airport has added profound grief to the already suffering family, a nonprofit organization working with the family told KTLA news. The organization urged the public to persist in the search for Hannah while the family mourns the loss of their "pillar."

Hannah's journey was supposed to take her from Hawaii to New York to visit her aunt. However, instead of boarding her connecting flight in Los Angeles, surveillance footage captured her leaving the airport and taking the metro to downtown Los Angeles. The following day, she appeared in a TikTok video at The Grove shopping center and made a Venmo payment to two unknown individuals.

On November 11, her mother texted her to check if she had reached New York. Hannah replied that she had not and expressed fears about her safety and concerns that someone was trying to steal her money and identity. She conveyed that she had been deceived into giving away all her funds to someone she thought she loved. Friends received messages that seemed uncharacteristic of her, using unfamiliar terms like "hun". A photo was posted on her Instagram account that day, but since then, there has been no further contact from her.

Ryan Kobayashi, who had spoken on the family's behalf during media interviews, expressed deep concern for Hannah’s well-being earlier this month. “We’re just hoping that she is safe and healthy and alive,” he had said. “And if anybody knows anything, we’d just really appreciate any kind of help.”

As the family deals with this compounded tragedy, the search for Hannah Kobayashi continues, and any information that could help locate her is urgently sought.