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Investigators in La Vista in the Omaha area say DNA on an umbrella found near the apartment of a boy missing for more than a month has been identified as his.
The umbrella was turned in by a citizen in the first week 12-year-old Ryan Larsen went missing. Investigators sent it off for testing and have confirmed Larsen’s DNA was on the umbrella.
“It was found in the apartment complex,” La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said. “He had it with him, we believe, when he left school and that puts him back in that apartment complex area after he left school. So really that’s a confirmation for us that the umbrella with his DNA on it was in that apartment complex.”
Larsen has been missing since May 17th when he walked away from La Vista West Elementary School. Hundreds of people have searched the surrounding area, but have found no trace of the boy, who is autistic. Several security cameras captured him walking near his apartment, but investigators say those images haven’t told them much about where he might have gone.
“It’s confusing, it’s frustrating,” Lausten said. “We get to a point where we think we have something and we end up turning up empty and that’s happened multiple times during this case. It’s a challenge, but we have a missing 12-year-old boy out there that needs to come home. We need to find out where he’s at and bring him home.”
Lausten said Larsen’s mother has been cooperative during the investigation. Ten detectives are currently assigned to the case.