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There are still very few clues in the disappearance of an autistic La Vista boy two weeks ago as investigators continue to look for any new leads in the case. The search for 11-year-old Ryan Larsen has been frustrating for the hundreds of people on the look-out for him.
Over the holiday weekend, rescue divers from a number of area communities searched Walnut Creek in the Papillion area after a cadaver dog indicated the presence of human remains, but nothing was found. Larsen was last seen on Monday, May 17th after he walked away from La Vista West Elementary. Video surveillance near 83rd and Harrison seems to capture the boy and a neighbor also says they saw him near his apartment. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten says it’s been frustrating.
“What we’re looking for really is any small piece of anything that will give us a lead that will keep us searching in a different area,” La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said at a briefing Tuesday. “Leads have been few and far between in this case and really we’re doing the best we can to try to find him without really knowing where he went or where he’s at.”
Lausten said half of the La Vista Police Department has been assigned to the Larsen case and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are helping as well. He said as more time goes by, there’s less of a chance the case will have a positive ending.
“If Ryan is out there, I don’t know. It’s been two weeks,” Lausten said. “We hold out hope that maybe he holed himself up somewhere or he’s with somebody, but if he’s out there alone, it very well could be a recovery effort.”
Larsen is autistic and has been known to run away before. More than 80 members of law enforcement joined the latest search around where he was last seen, but so far, no new clues.