He Vanished After Walking Out Of His Nebraska Elementary School In 2021
Ryan Larsen, an 11-year-old from La Vista, Nebraska, loved Legos, army figurines, Matchbox cars, and playing pranks.
“He has a mechanical wind-up bug. He loved to wind it up and let it go in his sisters’ room, wait for them to see it, and then giggle when they did. He always thinks it’s hilarious. He also would take it to school to play pranks on his teachers,” detailed his mother, Tammi Larsen.
Ryan has three older sisters, and according to one of his sisters, Taylor, the word that best describes him is “original.”
Yet, ever since Ryan vanished from his elementary school on May 17, 2021, the Larsen family hasn’t been the same.
That day started off as normal for Tammi, who dropped her son off at La Vista West Elementary School in the morning. Ryan was reportedly very excited to head home after school, too, since he had some after-school plans.
“We were sending a present to a friend across the country, and it was kind of a mystery. So we were going to come up with clues [that night] to leave him guessing, so he’d have to try to figure out what he was going to get in the mail,” Tammi remembered.
After bringing Ryan to school, she went to work as usual. But at 12:27 p.m., she received a phone call informing her that her son had walked out of school.
Ryan had autism, as well as epilepsy and Tourette’s. On the phone, his school claimed to believe that he’d left, but they weren’t certain.
This wasn’t the first time Ryan had left school or gone missing. He was actually referred to as “the king of hide and seek” by local police, given his habit of running away.
Facebook – pictured above is Ryan
For instance, just a few weeks before he vanished, he’d left school and was later found at his grandmother’s home, which was located a few blocks away.
But this time was different, as Ryan had always been found in the past.
Upon learning her son had walked out of school, Tammi was advised to head home and check if Ryan was there. She headed to their residence at the Southland Apartment Complex and subsequently went to La Vista West Elementary once she confirmed Ryan wasn’t at home.
At that point, Tammi found out her son was having a problem in class prior to his disappearance.
“He had an issue, I believe, with a math problem, and he was having a hard time. So part of Ryan’s special individual education plan, his IEP, [is that] he can move to a different room to calm down,” she explained.
Tammi claimed her son was left unattended for a little while as he switched classrooms, and he ultimately walked out of school.
Since Ryan had a history of running away, investigators knew a few areas to check for him. But after searching the school property, local parks, businesses, his apartment complex, the playground, and garages, Ryan wasn’t found.
His umbrella, which he’d had with him the day he vanished, was located near a dumpster in his apartment complex. This umbrella was given to Ryan by his sister, who had moved out recently, and it reportedly meant a lot to him.
Police tested the umbrella, and it did have Ryan’s DNA on it. This clue proved that he’d gone home after walking out of school.
However, Ryan didn’t have a key to his apartment, and since his mother wasn’t home, there was no way for him to get inside. What exactly happened to Ryan afterward remains a mystery.
According to Captain D.J. Barcal, acting chief of the La Vista Police Department, there is no evidence of foul play right now.
“He just vanished, which seems very odd. I mean, it’s a busy area for our city, with a lot of people and vehicular traffic. So the fact that no one really saw anything—say, he was being abducted, that would have drawn attention,” Captain Barcal said.
Ryan would occasionally become upset if unable to succeed at something right away. Tammi stated that he was a bit of a “perfectionist,” and the math problem he was struggling with at school that day may explain why he had become frustrated.
In the wake of Ryan going missing, the La Vista, Nebraska, community rallied around his family.
“In the beginning, the turnout was amazing with the community. I mean, there were hundreds and hundreds of people out looking,” Tammi recalled.
Ryan’s sister, Taylor, and his mother also launched a Facebook group entitled “What Happened to Ryan Larsen?” They have turned to social media to raise awareness about his case and provide any updates.
Unfortunately, over three years later, Ryan’s disappearance remains unsolved. Still, his family refuses to give up hope or the search for answers.
“We feel like somebody has to know something somewhere. He didn’t just disappear into thin air,” Tammi said.
She also believes that anyone with any information, no matter if it seems unimportant, should come forward.
Ryan was five foot eight, weighed 125 pounds, and had brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, an Old Navy T-shirt, and a black jacket with orange around the collar and hood.
Ryan would be 15-years-old today.
If you have any information regarding his case, you are urged to contact the La Vista Police Department at (402) 331-1582.
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