NE NE - Ryan Larsen, 11, with autism, La Vista, 17 May 2021

mrsu

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Ryan skipped out of his elementary school while they were changing classes. There are no cameras at the school. He was last seen on a business camera around 2pm Monday near his apartment complex. Ryan is autistic and loves to play hide and seek. His sister says he can hide in small spaces for hours. This isn’t his first time he’s left home, but this is the longest he’s been gone. No verified sightings since Monday. Police have said he did search “how to hide from police” on YouTube and watched several videos on his iPad before he went missing. The community has been searching for days and just today LE started asking to search residences in the area.

City of La Vista Facebook Page
City of La Vista Government
 

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Ryan skipped out of his school while they were changing classes. There are no cameras at the school. He was last seen on a business camera around 2pm Monday near his apartment complex. Ryan is autistic and loves to play hide and seek. His sister says he can hide in small spaces for hours. This isn’t his first time he’s left home, but this is the longest he’s been gone. No verified sightings since Monday. Police have said he did search “how to hide from police” on YouTube and watched several videos on his iPad before he went missing. The community has been searching for days and just today LE started asking to search residences in the area.

City of La Vista Facebook Page
City of La Vista Government

More articles:

FBI called in to help:
https://www.wowt.com/2021/05/19/search-continues-for-la-vista-boy-missing-since-monday/


Day 4 updates
DAY 4: FBI helping with frantic search for missing 11-year-old boy with autism

Volunteers searching Walnut Creek
Determined volunteers search for Ryan Larsen

Sarpy Co Scanner FB: Sarpy Scanner
 

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I’m so scared for Ryan! And my heart breaks for his family. It reminds me of another autistic young man who just went missing while the family was on vacation. I can’t remember his name right now because my brain is faulty, but it’s a current thread here. I think the scariest part when the missing child/person has autism because of the widely varied reactions he/she might have toward rescuers, searchers, etc. They tend to hide, and sadly, to be drawn to water.

Praying Ryan is just off on an adventure.

ETA: IN - IN - Kyrin Carter, 12, has autism, walked away from Best Western Hotel, Hammond, 15 May 2021
 
I'm really curious why they're searching Walnut Creek.... it's pretty far from his home/school. Unfortunately, if he did make it that far, there are soooo many sheds and abandoned barns just beyond there. It would be way harder to find him if he left the city.
 
I'm really curious why they're searching Walnut Creek.... it's pretty far from his home/school. Unfortunately, if he did make it that far, there are soooo many sheds and abandoned barns just beyond there. It would be way harder to find him if he left the city.

Kids with autism gravitate towards water, so maybe that is why? Or they’ve found evidence that he’s been there? The other missing boy with autism went missing right by a River.

I wonder if Ryan is familiar with the Walnut Creek area. Maybe they figured he went there because he liked going there?


Edit: guess I should have read more articles, this one says he went to Walnut Creek with his family.
FBI called in to help with search for missing La Vista boy
 
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The FBI has joined the search for an autistic 11-year-old boy missing since Monday, when he walked out of his elementary school during classes. Ryan Larsen has been missing since he walked out of his elementary school in La Vista, which lies just southwest of Omaha.

FBI, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on scene assisting with search for missing 11-year-old.

'Ryan is a good kid': Officers fear missing 11-year-old is cold, hungry as search enters day five

On Wednesday, the search for 11-year-old Ryan Larsen entered its third day.

The Nebraska State Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for the La Vista boy after he walked out of La Vista West Elementary on Monday around noon.

Authorities say Larsen has autism. He's described as being 5 feet, 8 inches tall, around 125 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Ryan was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, an Old Navy shirt and had a polka-dotted umbrella.

If you have any information on his location, call 911.

LATEST:

(6:30 p.m. Wednesday)

According to La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten, the FBI is now on the scene and is assisting with the search for Larsen as they have experience with missing people.

“We're pulling in all the resources that we can," he said.

Lausten also said there is no evidence that Larsen has been abducted.

According to Lausten, representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are also at the scene to help with the search.

According to Lausten, representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are also at the scene to help with the search.

"They've had cases before even with kids with autism have left and they've been found," he said. "With the experts that we have, we have a pretty good idea of what we're doing here and what we need to do."

Lausten said the last confirmed sighting of Larsen was at 2 p.m. on Monday, but many tips about the search have come in from all over Douglas and Sarpy counties.

(4 p.m. Wednesday):

  • The City of La Vista announced Wednesday afternoon they did not need any more volunteers. They said there had been no sightings and asked the entire Omaha metro to be on the lookout for Larsen.
  • "Today we wanted to dial it back with the local part of this thing because the overabundance of people and commotion could drive an autistic kid to be even more reclusive," said La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten.
(1 p.m. Wednesday):

  • Officials stated that volunteers should not approach Larsen if they see him, instead they should call 911 and follow him at a safe distance.
  • He did have his backpack, but officials don't know if he had any supplies or just books and normal school supplies.
  • "We're obviously worried about his physical condition," said
  • John Francavilla, with La Vista police. "He's gone three days without food and water." Officials also said they were worried about hypothermia.
  • Officials said volunteers should search ditches and tall grass, believing he is likely tired and wanting to lay down.


Missing Autistic Boy in Nebraska Searched 'How to Hide From Police,' Cops Say:

FBI Joins Search for Missing Autistic 11-Year-Old Boy
 

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MOO: A lead is why they are searching Walnut Creek.

https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local...ts-as-search-for-ryan-larsen-enters-fifth-day

The search for 11-year-old Ryan Larsen is continuing today in the Walnut Creek area based on a possible lead that was developed on Wednesday. Officials wouldn’t provide more on the lead but they did say Larsen had been to the area before.

The efforts are focused on waterways at the park and will take some time compared to the body of water at the La Vista park, which was searched on Thursday, due to the size of the area.


Dive teams from the Omaha Fire Department and Yutan are in the area and Des Moines police also sent canine units to join the search.

The La Vista Police Department went high-tech in the search as well. The department used thermal imaging technology to search air vents at Larsen’s school in case he managed to enter its ventilation system.

Additional search efforts are underway at other locations and additional personnel are on standby if needed.

The Endangered Missing Advisory for Larsen was set to end last night per the program’s 72-hour-expiration protocol but was extended to a bit after 3 p.m. on Friday.


Officials say this does not mean the search for Larsen will end; he will now become part of the state’s missing person system which will allow law enforcement nationwide to access records regarding his disappearance.
 
I'm really curious why they're searching Walnut Creek.... it's pretty far from his home/school. Unfortunately, if he did make it that far, there are soooo many sheds and abandoned barns just beyond there. It would be way harder to find him if he left the city.
Remember there are two (atleast) little "Islands" for lack of a better term...my girls would make a bee line for them once we got there.
 
Ooohhh, boy, this is a big one. SMH. I don't know what to think... Two big dangers, IMO --
He might run away if someone were trying to help him, and
He might not run away if someone were trying to hurt him.

Glad so many qualified people are in on this search.
Very scary. Minutes are like hours to his family, I'm sure.

Thanks for the thread @UnapologeticallyAspie.
 
I'm really curious why they're searching Walnut Creek.... it's pretty far from his home/school. Unfortunately, if he did make it that far, there are soooo many sheds and abandoned barns just beyond there. It would be way harder to find him if he left the city.

I’ve read that his mom works near there and it was somewhere they loved to go as a family and that he was familiar with.
 
Remember there are two (atleast) little "Islands" for lack of a better term...my girls would make a bee line for them once we got there.

Yep, my kids have always wanted to go out on the one you can only get to by boat or kayak, and I can totally see a kid thinking they can swim out to it.

ETA - In fact, i just asked my 12-year-old where she thought someone would hide at Walnut Creek and she immediately said, "On that island you can only get to by boat".
 
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I live within the same community as him and his parents. I wonder if he's not hiding in one of the apartment buildings and possibly another kid is making sure he gets fed. I know it's a long shot but I haven't given up hope yet.
 
Yep, my kids have always wanted to go out on the one you can only get to by boat or kayak, and I can totally see a kid thinking they can swim out to it.

ETA - In fact, i just asked my 12-year-old where she thought someone would hide at Walnut Creek and she immediately said, "On that island you can only get to by boat".
There used to be at least one that you could cross a small path or small walking bridge to get to - my oldest was going through Chemo at the time, and I called it by her first name and "Island" as if it were hers! This was several years ago, long before the flooding in 2019...maybe that little walkway is under water now?
 

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