The search for Hannah Kobayashi continues, two and a half weeks after the Maui woman mysteriously disappeared after failing to catch a connecting flight from Los Angeles to New York.
Adding to the mystery is the recent news that her father, Ryan Kobayashi, was found dead in Los Angeles over the weekend after he travelled to the city to search for her. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office determined he died by suicide.
Kobayashi’s family has been searching tirelessly for the 31-year-old woman, their grief now compounded by the death of Ryan.
“The family of Hannah Kobayashi is urgently pleading with the public to maintain focus on the search for her,” the family wrote in a statement on Sunday. “Hannah IS still actively missing and is believed to be in imminent danger.”
Read on to learn the timeline of Kobayashi’s disappearance and what we know about the case.
A flight to New York
On Nov. 8, Kobayashi flew out of Maui, destined for upstate New York to spend time with an aunt.
She never boarded her connecting flight from Los Angeles International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport that same day.
Her sister, Sydni, previously told CNN that Kobayashi was on the same flight as her ex-boyfriend; they had booked the flights when they were a couple, but had since broken up. They decided to keep the tickets because they could not get a refund but planned to split up to enjoy separate vacations once they got to New York, she said.
According to The Associated Press, she told her family she would sleep in the airport that night.
The following day she was spotted at The Grove shopping mall in downtown L.A., Fox News reports, spending time in a bookstore.
“She went to the bookstore and asked employees to charge her phone. So she charged her phone there for an hour and a half while she got food,” her aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told Fox last week.”She even filled out a mailing list with her Hawaiian address, and it’s in her handwriting.”
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On Nov. 10, two days after missing her connecting flight, she was spotted at The Grove again, this time appearing in the background of a YouTube video from a Nike and LeBron James event that was happening at the mall that day. She also posted to Instagram, sharing the event with her followers.
Strange text messages, another sighting
Nov. 11 was the last day anyone saw or heard from Kobayashi. Her sister told CNN that when their mother sent Kobayashi a text to ask if she finally made it to New York, she responded no.
More alarming, however, are text messages Kobayashi sent to friends that day, saying she believed someone was trying to steal her identity and money and that she did not feel safe.
“Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f**k since Friday,” one message to a friend said, according to Hawaii News Now.
Another message said, “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds,” followed by one saying, “For someone I thought I loved.”
“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 told USA Today of the texts. “Weird things, calling us babe, things that weren’t quite the normal way that she speaks.”
Pidgeon also told KITV that Kobayashi’s aunt in New York received a message from her niece’s phone that day that said: “I just finished a very intense spiritual awakening.”
Another text apologized for “craziness,” adding afterward, “was definitely intercepted.”
That same day, Kobayashi was seen on surveillance footage at LAX speaking to an American Airlines ticketing agent for about 40 minutes. The family says they believe she was trying to get off standby status and get a direct flight out of Los Angeles, but was unsuccessful.
She was also spotted on surveillance camera at the Pico Metro light rail train station in downtown Los Angeles that evening, alongside an unidentified person, getting onto a train.
Describing this sighting, Kobayashi’s family said in a statement that “it is evident that Hannah does not appear to be in good condition and she is not alone.”
Missing person report filed
On Nov. 12, Kobayashi’s family filed a missing person report and on Nov. 15 the Los Angeles Police Department launched a social media campaign asking the public to come forward with information.
A poster informing the public about her disappearance said she was last seen at the airport and has freckles on her face and a tattoo on her forearm.
While officials have not released much information in the case, detectives told the family they are retracing Kobayashi’s steps and requesting additional surveillance footage.
Kobayashi’s father dies
On Sunday, Ryan Kobayashi was found dead outside a business near LAX.
He had flown to Los Angeles to look for his daughter and the previous day took to the streets to hand out flyers with several volunteer groups spreading awareness about her disappearance.
While the Los Angeles Police Department did not confirm the cause of death, his family disclosed that he took his own life.
“This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably,” they wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Pidgeon said she believes Ryan “died of a broken heart.”
“Being on the streets and seeing what the possibilities of where his daughter could be. No sleep. The speculating rumours that are going around. It just took a toll on him,” she continued, describing her brother-in-law as the “most compassionate, sensitive man,” and dismissing unfounded speculation that he had been involved in his daughter’s disappearance.
“This is a man who just had a mental breakdown from sleep depression,” Pidgeon said. “Suicide is not something that was even spoken of. It wasn’t even a concept that we would think would happen. And now we have suffered two tragedies. We’re hanging on by a thread and we just need the search to continue, because there’s still hope for Hannah.”
Ryan’s niece, Emi Ko, has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his fiancée, Li Jaena.
“Ryan’s love for his family was boundless, and he would do anything to protect and care for his daughters,” Ko wrote in the fundraiser’s description, which has raised more than US$5,500 as of Tuesday morning.
Kobayashi is described as five feet 10 inches tall and about 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
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— If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
For a directory of support services in your area, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention.
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