A Hawaii man found dead in Los Angeles during a weekslong search for his missing daughter died by suicide, authorities confirmed Monday, prompting a family member to blame online conspiracy theories for his death.
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found dead early Sunday in a parking garage at Los Angeles International Airport. He died of multiple traumatic blunt force injuries, the Los Angeles County medical examiner concluded.
Kobayashi had flown to Los Angeles to help in the search for his daughter, 30-year-old Hannah Kobayashi, who disappeared in the city after missing a connecting flight to New York on November 8.
We need your support
Support JS
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
In an interview with The New York Post, Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, blamed ‘bulls**t’ online conspiracies over her disappearance – including suggestions of sex trafficking and cults – for his suicide.
“If Ryan looks at all these things, imagine if this weighs on him?” she told the outlet. “He died of a broken heart. We were searching tirelessly and Ryan was a big, giant teddy bear. He is sensitive. Imagine looking at places like Skid Row and imagining his daughter being trafficked for sex and not sleeping. It just broke down.”
In a statement, the Kobayashi family expressed sadness over his death but asked the public to “remain vigilant in their efforts to locate Hannah.”
“What the family needs most at this difficult time is for all communities to rally around them with support, compassion and prayers. Please be considerate with your comments and messages. The trauma they endure is profound, and they now face the added burden of grieving the loss of their family’s mainstay and navigating the next steps. the statement shared with search and rescue organization The Rad Movement.