Missing
Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old photographer from Hawaii, was reported missing after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on November 8, 2024. She was scheduled to board a connecting flight to New York City but failed to show up for the flight.
On November 11, Hannah’s family received text messages from her phone, including claims that she had been tricked and lost all her money to someone she trusted. [1] Following this, the Los Angeles Police Department launched a search operation.
Since her disappearance, Hannah’s family and friends have received strange messages from her phone stating that she had been tricked: “tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds” to “someone I thought I loved.”
Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, traveled to Los Angeles to help search for his beloved daughter. However, two weeks into the search, a volunteer group assisting in the efforts to find Hannah reported that her father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. [2]
The volunteer group, known as RAD Movement, announced the news in a post on their Facebook page. The LA County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death to be suicide, resulting from multiple blunt-force traumatic injuries. Citing police sources, People Magazine reported that officers were called to a parking lot near the airport following a phone alert.
“This loss has compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably.” – RAD Movement.
The group urged that the search for Ms. Kobayashi continue, while the family takes “space to grieve and process this significant loss.”
“Hannah is still actively missing and believed to be in danger,” the group wrote. “It is crucial for everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to find Hannah.”
Speaking to the media at a gathering before his death, Mr. Kobayashi said: “We’re just trying to get as much information as we can.” He added that he had been feeling worried and confused since his daughter’s disappearance. “Everything just seems like a blur because I haven’t been sleeping well since hearing the news,” he said.
Hannah
On November 10, she was seen on CCTV footage at a supermarket in LA and around a downtown metro train station with an unknown individual the next day.
Another shocking video showed Hannah Kobayashi purchasing a bus ticket to the southern border a day before police reported that she crossed into Mexico through a tunnel.
The footage shows Kobayashi dressed in sportswear and buying a ticket with cash at LA’s Union Station on November 11, according to images obtained by Fox 11 Los Angeles. She was also seen carrying her passport and luggage at the ticket counter.
Kobayashi is believed to have reached the San Ysidro border crossing, where she entered Mexico, on November 12, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at a press conference on Monday.
These images changed the perspective of the police, and the Los Angeles Police Department declared the 30-year-old woman as a “voluntary missing person,” stating that she crossed into Mexico willingly to “disconnect from modern connectivity.”
McDonnell said investigators reviewed various surveillance footage and interviewed multiple witnesses, confirming Hannah’s movements from the time she arrived in California on November 8 until she was last seen crossing into Mexico on November 12. He added that there was no evidence to suggest that Hannah was involved in human trafficking or criminal activity.
“We have done almost everything we can at this point,” McDonnell said, referring to surveillance footage from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that showed Kobayashi crossing the border on November 12.
“She has left the country and is now in another nation.”
What is exactly happening?
From the timeline outlined above, it is evident that Hannah’s movements from her home starting on November 8 were smooth and deliberate. Reported missing on the mentioned date, she was later seen on CCTV on November 10 in a healthy and non-distressed state, leading the LA police to conclude that Hannah disappeared voluntarily. It can roughly be assumed that Hannah had other plans unknown to her family and staged her disappearance by claiming she had been deceived.
As a result, her father, distressed and desperate after two weeks of searching without finding any trace of his daughter, took his own life. Statements from family members indicated that Ryan “died of a broken heart.” [2]
Reflection
There is a saying that goes, “A daughter is a little princess to her father forever.” As a father, I am deeply affected by this news and can understand the turmoil and desperation her father experienced while searching for his daughter. Although suicide is not the way for us as Muslims, I can almost feel the weight of his distress, especially when reminded of the cruel and inhumane people who inhabit the world today.
As a daughter, Hannah should have understood the reality that no loving father would remain idle and do nothing upon learning that his “little princess” is missing. Her action of staging her disappearance is unjustifiable, particularly when it led to the tragic consequence of her father taking his own life.
Allah has commanded us to be good to our parents, as recorded in the Quran:
Worship Allāh and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good,
Surah An-Nisa’ 4:36
Thus, when we reflect on the context of the verse above, Allah SWT emphasizes the importance of being kind to parents immediately after commanding Muslims to uphold His Oneness and avoid associating anything with Him. [4]
Faking one’s own disappearance and causing fear and worry to one’s parents is an act that is not good and contradicts Islamic teachings. A similar situation can also be observed in our society, where some young women claim they were kidnapped, only for it to turn out to be untrue. [5]
We should always think carefully before doing something that burdens others, especially our parents. Children should strive to be kind to their parents and always seek ways to bring them happiness.
Citations:
- Nadine, Y. (2024, December 1). Dad of missing Hannah Kobayashi found dead in LA. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgvxyrj8k5o
- Becca,L. (2024, November 24). Father of missing Hawaii woman found dead in Los Angeles. People. https://people.com/father-missing-hawaii-woman-found-dead-los-angeles-8750944
- AOL is part of the Yahoo family of brands. (n.d.). https://www.aol.com/hannah-kobayashi-spotted-buying-bus-061458230.html
- Pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan – AL-KAFI #1203: WHY IS a MOTHER THREE TIMES MORE PRIORITIZED? (2019, April 10). https://www.muftiwp.gov.my/en/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/3281-al-kafi-1203-why-is-a-mother-three-times-more-prioritized
- Sabapatty, K. (2023, June 4). Remaja reka cerita diculik, tuntut tebusan RM100, 000 dari keluarga sendiri. MalaysiaGazette. https://malaysiagazette.com/2023/06/04/remaja-reka-cerita-diculik-tuntut-tebusan-rm100-000-dari-keluarga-sendiri/?utm_source=chatgpt.com#google_vignette
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