'Died of a broken heart': Aunt of missing woman Hannah Kobayashi explains father's death

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The search for a missing Hawaii woman in Los Angeles took a tragic turn on Sunday when her father was found dead near the airport that's among the last places she was seen before her mysterious disappearance.

Hannah Kobayashi, 31, missed a connecting flight from Maui to New York City on Nov. 8 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). She was later captured on surveillance video in various places in Los Angeles but was last heard from on Nov. 11. Since then, her family has experienced pure anguish and sorrow, which somehow became even more unbearable after the death of Kobayashi's father over the week.

Ryan Kobayashi, 58, was found dead around 4 a.m. on Nov. 24 at a parking lot adjacent to LAX, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The family later confirmed on Facebook he had died by suicide.

Hannah's aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told USA TODAY on Monday that the past two weeks were already horribly difficult before learning about her brother-in-law's sudden and unexpected death.

"He just died of a broken heart," Pidgeon said. "Being on the streets and seeing what the possibilities of where his daughter could be. No sleep. The speculating rumors that are going around. It just took a toll on him."

Family needs support, not speculation, Pidgeon says

Ryan and several other family members flew to California after Hannah's disappearance, Pidgeon said. On Saturday, he rallied on the streets of LA with several volunteer groups spreading awareness.

Pidgeon, who called her brother-in-law the "most compassionate sensitive man," dismissed unfounded rumors that Ryan had been involved in any "foul play."

"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."

Now more than ever, Pidgeon said she wants the public to show the family kindness and grace instead of fueling pain through speculation and "becoming investigators."

"Hannah is still missing and we have hope and we need to make sure that Ryan's death wasn't in vain," she said.

See timeline of events: Search continues for Hannah Kobayashi, missing in Los Angeles

Hannah last seen with unidentified person

The LAPD continues to investigate Hannah's disappearance. She was last seen on Nov. 11, when surveillance cameras showed her at LAX but not boarding a flight, according to the family, citing airport staffers. Pidgeon said Hannah spoke to an American Airlines ticketing agent for about 40 minutes.

Surveillance footage showed her near the Pico Metro station in downtown Los Angeles hours later alongside an unidentified person, who Pidgeon said she believes "misled her."

"We believe that she just trusted the wrong person," she added.

The family also received out-of-character texts from Hannah, which Pidgeon said contained odd phrases and an uncharacteristic lack of emojis.

Hannah is described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing about 140 pounds and has brown hair and eyes, and fair skin with freckles.

"She's just incredible, she's loving, she's kind, she's compassionate, she's funny," Pidgeon said. "We just want to keep the focus on finding her, and we still believe that she's alive, and we still believe that we have hope to bring her home."

Contributing: Max Hauptman

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aunt of missing Hannah Kobayashi: Her father 'died of a broken heart'