Six months after a national search ended with her safe return—and the tragic suicide of her father.
Hannah Kobayashi has spoken out publicly for the first time, reflecting on grief, trauma, and the chaos that engulfed her life late last year.
The 31-year-old aspiring photographer from Hawaii disappeared in November 2024, en route to New York City, and was later discovered to have traveled voluntarily into Mexico.
Her disappearance triggered a high-profile search led by her family, most notably her father, Ryan Kobayashi, whose desperation to find his daughter ended in heartbreak.
A Tragic Turn
Ryan Kobayashi, 58, flew to Los Angeles to search for his missing daughter after she was last seen exiting LAX on November 8 during a layover from Maui. She never boarded her connecting flight.
On November 24, Ryan was found dead in a parking structure near the airport. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide, citing multiple blunt-force traumatic injuries.
