Aunt shares concerning theory that may have led to death of missing woman's father on search

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

The disappearance of Hannah Kobayashi after she missed a connecting flight has caused a stir online and her family are now commenting on online theories.

Photographer Hannah mysteriously went missing in the days after landing at LAX Airport on 8 November, displaying unusual behaviour before being seen with an unidentified person.

Her phone was last traceable on 11 November before going offline, with friends and family receiving a series of weird texts from her phone about a 'spiritual awakening'.

Her father, Ryan Kobayashi, flew out to LA on 10 November to help in the search for his daughter and was seen handing out flyers to residents in the city.

Speaking with news outlet KTLA on Monday (18 November) in an attempt to reach Hannah, stating 'I miss her', he added: “Just want her to know that, and just want her to reach out — anything.”

But on Sunday (24 November), Ryan, 58, was found dead at the bottom of a parking garage at LAX Airport at 4am, according to NBC Los Angeles.

In a statement from the Kobayashi family via non-profit organisation the RAD Movement, they stated: "The Kobayashi family endured a devastating tragedy today.

"After tirelessly searching throughout Los Angeles for 13 days, Hannah's father, Ryan Kobayashi, tragically took his own life. This loss has compounded the family's suffering immeasurably."

They asked for support and consideration around comments and posts too, though conspiracy theorists have still run riot.

Hannah was first reported missing on Monday 11 November (Facebook/Missing People In America)

Theories include ideas that she was brainwashed by a cult, taken over by hackers, or that her father had engineered her abduction himself.

Ryan's death was determined a suicide, with the cause being blunt force trauma according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner on Monday (25 November).

Hannah's aunt, Larie Pidgeon, has now weighed in on the theories thrown about by social media users, claiming to The New York Post on Monday: “It’s bull***t! It’s such bull***t!”

“If Ryan is looking at all this s***, imagine that weighing on him?”

“He broke,” she began to explain.

Pidgeon went on: “He died of a broken heart. We were tirelessly searching, and Ryan was a big, giant teddy bear. He’s sensitive. Imagine looking in places like Skid Row, picturing his daughter being sex trafficked, not getting sleep. He just broke.”

Some texts from Hannah to friends contained some wild claims, with one reading: "Deep Hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, & have had me on a mind f*** since Friday.”

Another said: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds … For someone I thought I loved.”

Ryan's death was confirmed to be a suicide by local authorities (NBC4)

Hannah missed her connecting flight in LAX to New York, and had travelled with her ex-boyfriend, as they bought the tickets before they split up, though they were not sat together.

A message from Hannah's phone to her aunt also read: “I just finished a very intense spiritual awakening.”

But Pidgeon explained that nobody in the family is at fault, including Hannah, saying: “It’s people wanting more out of the story than that the world is cruel and evil and a woman traveling alone can get taken in the blink of an eye...

“Everything was normal until the 11th. We’re the kind of family that if you f*** up, you ask for help. She wouldn’t hide something,” the aunt insisted, believing that her niece was instead kidnapped when trying to book a flight at LAX.

Hannah is described as being 5ft 10ins and around 140lbs, with brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin and freckles.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.