La Vista To Hold Rally in Honor of Ryan Larsen’s Birthday

June 8, 2021, 1:47 p.m. ·

Ryan Larsen Rally Flyer
Several ideas planned for Ryan Larsen's 12th birthday event to raise awareness and help his family. (Image courtesy of Facebook group)

Tuesday is Ryan Larsen’s 12th birthday. Larsen is the autistic boy from La Vista who went missing after school on May 17th. He hasn’t been seen since. A gathering will take place in his honor tonight at 7:30 p.m. at La Vista Central Park. Attendees of the rally are encouraged to bring birthday cards for Larsen. Additionally, people can sign a thank you poster for the La Vista Police Department’s search efforts.

La Vista Police Department Chief Bob Lausten says some businesses are allowing his department to watch their surveillance video as part of the investigation.

“We’re analyzing a very large amount of video and we’ve interviewed a lot of people,” Lausten said. “Leads are few and far between right now, but there’s back-office work that’s being done by not only La Vista, but Omaha Police and the FBI as well.”

Lausten said other businesses are dealing with legal issues before they can allow police to view their security video.

There will be a short presentation at this evening’s event. A moment of prayer will follow.

Participants are encouraged to wear green. Green ribbon pins will be handed out at the park. There will be flyers for raising awareness to share around the community.

Friends of the Larsen Family organized the rally, facilitated through a Facebook group. The group will also be collecting gift cards to assist the Larsen Family with day-to-day living expenses during this time.