Missing Hannah Kobayashi’s Father's Death Explained - ‘Picturing His Daughter’ Being Trafficked Was ‘Too Much For Him To Bear’

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

The story of Hannah Kobayashi’s disappearance has only gotten more tragic.

As we previously reported, Hannah flew from Hawaii into Los Angeles but missed her connecting flight. After being seen in the city, she just… vanished. Her family began to believe she had been “abducted” or “trafficked” after receiving odd messages from her before she went missing — that they say didn’t sound like her at all.

Soon afterward we learned her father had tragically died while searching for her. On Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department revealed they found Ryan Kobayashi dead in a parking lot near LAX days after her traveled to the state to personally search for his missing daughter. It’s since been confirmed that he died by suicide.

In the wake of the patriarch’s death, Hannah’s aunt Larie Pidgeon, whom the Hawaii resident was traveling to see when she went missing, told the New York Post that Ryan “died of a broken heart” while looking for his daughter in LA:

“He broke. He died of a broken heart. We were tirelessly searching, and Ryan was a big, giant teddy bear. He’s sensitive. Imagine looking in places like Skid Row, picturing his daughter being sex-trafficked, not getting sleep. He just broke.”

That’s so completely awful.

Larie also told DailyMail.com the family has been assured there’s “no foul play” involved in Ryan’s death, echoing her sentiment that the 58-year-old died of a “broken heart.” She told the outlet:

“He had been searching for 11 days, very minimal sleep – going into areas of downtown Los Angeles, seeing the sex workers and Skid Row – and we believe as the days continued to pass it became too much for him to bear and he took his own life. None of us saw it coming. Ryan is one of the kindest, most sensitive men that you’ve ever met. He’s a teddy bear.”

She added that he “bottled up” his emotions to “make anyone else worry.” So sad. And to make matters even more heartbreaking, Larie noted Hannah and Ryan were estranged before she went missing:

“He was estranged from his daughter. They didn’t have the best relationship and he wasn’t there for her growing up but (in the end) he was there for her when it mattered. He came here when it mattered. He was getting 30 minutes sleep a night, tossing and turning.”

Our hearts are so broken for their entire family. You can visit a GoFundMe set up for Ryan’s loved ones HERE. Rest in peace.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, by calling, texting, or chatting, or go to 988lifeline.org

[Images via KCAL News/YouTube & Los Angeles Police Department]