It’s been six months since Hannah Kobayashi lost her dad to suicide, and now she’s starting to open up about what life’s been like since then.
In a short Instagram Story, she talked about the deep pain and loss she’s been feeling. The story didn’t stay up long, but it gave people a small glimpse into what she’s been going through.
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Late last year, Hannah’s story made national news. She went missing after missing a connecting flight in Los Angeles.
While people searched for her, her dad Ryan flew out to L.A. to try to find her himself. Sadly, he was found dead near LAX not long after.
She didn’t make it to her next flight, then vanished
Back in November 2024, 30-year-old Hannah left Maui, heading to New York City. But she never got on her connecting flight in Los Angeles.
That’s when everything started. She just disappeared, and nobody knew what happened.
The search for her kept growing
Her family was worried and reported her missing. From there, it turned into a full-blown search that lasted about a month.
People across the country were paying attention, hoping for answers.
Her father went to LA to find her himself
While she was still missing, her father, Ryan Kobayashi, made his way to L.A.
He wanted to help with the search and try to find his daughter himself.
His body was later found near the airport
Two weeks after Hannah disappeared, Ryan was found dead in a parking lot near LAX.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner later confirmed that he died by suicide from multiple blunt force injuries.
She had gone to Mexico during her disappearance
In early December, Hannah’s family shared that she had been found safe.
Police later said that her disappearance had been “voluntary.” Turns out, she had gone into Mexico while traveling and came back to the U.S. a few days later.
She spoke about grief after returning
After some time away, Hannah came back to Instagram and posted a story talking about pain, loss, and how hard things have been.
In the short video, she said, “Every day is such a gift, especially after such loss and pain and suffering. We should all learn to be kind to one another.” She didn’t mention her dad directly.
She says she’ll tell her side when she’s ready
In a message to SFGate, Hannah said she’s planning to tell her full story eventually.
“Given my particular situation on the other side of my experience, I understand how some people would choose to cast me in a negative light, but I know who I am, I know my truth and one day, I will share it,” she wrote on Instagram.
She also added, “I do believe that we can all learn to be kinder to one another because we never really know what someone else has been through unless we’ve walked in their shoes.”
She shared some emotional and poetic thoughts
On May 4, she shared a black and white photo of some trees, with a pretty emotional caption.
“For all that I have yet to say, the love in my heart remains the same, for every being that exists and those to come…” she wrote.
In the rest of the post, she added, “To go deep within and bear witness to your unwavering resilience is a true remembrance. more powerful than you could ever imagine. rise up against tyranny, rise up against hate. Overcome fear~and nothing will ever stop you from becoming that in which you are destined.”
People asked why she missed her dad’s funeral
She decided to respond to that in the comments.
“You don’t know the whole story. My intention in this post is to acknowledge that I am going to speak about my experience — and to stand up against all the hate that was cast upon me,” she said.
“I hope that in your darkest hours, you are shown compassion and love versus hate and judgment.”
Right now, healing is her top priority
Not long after she returned to the U.S. in December, Hannah shared a short statement through her aunt.
“My focus now is on my healing, my peace and my creativity. I am deeply grateful to my family and everyone who has shown me kindness and compassion during this time.”
She also said she hadn’t known anything about the media coverage until she came back. “I kindly ask for respect for myself, my family, and my loved ones as I navigate through this challenging time. Thank you for your understanding.”