How missing Hannah Kobayashi’s dad endured 12 days of agonising search before suicide – while ‘she was on digital detox’
HANNAH Kobayashi’s dad endured 12 days of an agonising search for his daughter before he tragically took his own life
Cops now believe his 30-year-old daughter has “voluntarily” disappeared and gone on a digital detox.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said: “Kobayashi expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity.”
But Dad Ryan spent almost two weeks desperately searching in the wrong city after Hannah didn’t tell anyone she had changed her plans and disappeared.
Her family were desperate to find out information, worried Hannah had been kidnapped or even sex trafficked.
She had initially bought a flight from Maui to New York, connecting through Los Angeles, as she was set to visit her aunt in a bucket list trip.
Instead, cops say she didn’t get on her cross-country flight after arriving in LA on November 8.
She was seen travelling around LA on November 11, before police say she took a bus to the Mexican border and crossed it a day later.
Her father filed a missing person’s report not knowing this – and then travelled to LA to search for his daughter.
Ryan conducted an agonising search throughout LA, including in some of the most dangerous parts like Skid Row, according to aunt Larie Pidgeon.
At a rally raising awareness for his missing daughter he broke down in tears.
“This is every parent’s nightmare,” he exclusively told The U.S. Sun.
He said: “We don’t know where to start. It’s very traumatic.
“Time is of the essence, and we’re trying to push as hard as we can.
“This is very out of character. Her sister, her mom, her aunties, she wouldn’t do this to them.”
Days later he was found dead in a parking lot near LAX in a suicide, police said.
A family statement, seen by The U.S. Sun, has been shared on a Facebook group set up in a bid to find Hannah.
It reads: “The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today.
“This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.”
Cops say Kobayashi was alone and was travelling with her luggage when security footage recorded her at the border.
Kobayashi took the bus to San Ysidro, California, on the 12th before crossing into Tijuana through the tunnel at the Port of Entry.
There has been no confirmed contact with her since, and authorities said they suspect Kobayashi may have left her cellphone somewhere in Los Angeles.
McDonnell said cops have done “everything we can” as she had left the US and entered another country.
He said: “The investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play.
“She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity. Additionally, the investigators noted that before departing Maui, Kobayashi expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity.”
CRYPTIC TEXTS
Family members and friends grew concerned when they received a string of cryptic texts from her phone.
Hannah’s mom, Brandi Yee, had messaged her to see if she had landed in New York and received a two-word message: “Not yet.”
One message sent from Hannah’s cell phone said she was tricked into giving away money, apparently to someone who she thought she loved.
Other messages appeared to suggest that Hannah was scared.
Hannah’s sister Sydni admitted she was starting to feel uneasy in light of the text messages.
Sydni said the text messages didn’t sound like Hannah.
“I don’t know if it’s her or if someone else was texting,” she told the CBS affiliate KGMB.
“It was just really weird texts.”
Her aunt Larie 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 dad, Ryan, had flown to Los Angeles as the search to find his daughter ramped up.
Hannah’s family revealed they saw her in surveillance footage from November 11 and said she didn’t look well.
Hannah was spotted near the Pico metro station in downtown Los Angeles and was reportedly seen with another in person in the footage.
Last night police revealed she had then travelled to the border and crossed into Mexico.
The disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi
HANNAH Kobayashi has been missing since she missed her connecting flight to New York.
Friday, November 8: Kobayashi leaves her home in Maui and arrives in Los Angeles for her connecting flight to New York City. She has 42 minutes to make the flight at 11 pm.
Saturday, November 9: Kobayashi is meant to land at JFK airport in New York City at 7 am but never arrives.
She is seen at a bookshop at The Grove, an hour away from LAX.
Sunday, November 10: Kobayashi sends a message saying she’s scared and worried about someone trying to steal her money and identity, alongside several other cryptic texts.
She’s later seen at an event at The Grove again in Los Angeles, attending a Nike event.
Monday, November 11: Kobayashi’s phone puts her back at LAX. She posts a picture on her Instagram account from the event. Her phone is then turned off.
Tuesday, November 12: Kobayashi catches a bus from Union Station down to San Ysidro, San Diego, and crosses the border into Tijuana, Mexico.
Wednesday, November 13: Family files missing person’s report.
They are informed she was last seen at Pico Station in Downtown Los Angeles with an unidentified male.
Sunday, November 24: Hannah’s dad Ryan found dead in a Los Angeles parking lot after taking his own life.