Skip to content
NOWCAST KETV NewsWatch 7 at 10:00
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

One year later: Searchers return to Walnut Creek to look for missing autistic La Vista boy

'Continue to investigate any leads, tips,' La Vista police won't stop searching for Ryan Larsen

One year later: Searchers return to Walnut Creek to look for missing autistic La Vista boy

'Continue to investigate any leads, tips,' La Vista police won't stop searching for Ryan Larsen

HELPING IN THAT INVESTIGATION TODAY MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE RYAN LARSON DISAPPEARED SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS. WERE RYAN WALKED OUT OF LAVISTA WEST ELEMENTARY JUST BEFORE NOON AND THIS DAY LAST YEAR. A NEIGHBORAW S HIM AROUND 1:30 JUST BLOCKS FROM THE SCHOOL THE SOUTHFIELD APARTMENT COMPLEX. HE LIVED TREHE WITH HIS MOM AND SISTER LAW ENFORCEMENT SPENT DAYS SCOURING THE AREA ALONG WITH OTHER PLACES LIKE WALNUT CREEK. THAT’S WHERE KATV NEWSWATCH SENSVE MICHELLE VAN DOER’S LIVE WITH TODAY’S RENEWED SEARCH FOR RYAN, MICHELLE. WELL, DAVIDND A ALEXANDRA LAW ENFORCEMENT IS FOCUSING ON THE WALNUT CREEK LAKERE AA HERE BECAUSE THE LAVISTA POLICE CHIEF TELLS ME THAT’S PRETTY MUCH. SO THENLY O PLACE THAT THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO GO ON. HE TELLS ME THAT A CADERAV DOG PICKED UP THE SCENT OF HUMAN REMAINS HERE ON THE LAKE LAST YEAR AND ONE YEAR LATER HEADING BACK TO THAT SAME STPO STILL NO DEFINITIVE ANSWERS AS TO WHERE IS RYAN LARSON AND WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM? THE SARPY COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM HAS DONE THIS BEFORE. SCOURING THE WATER AT WALNUT CREEKO T SEARCH FOR A MISSING BOY. WE HAVE SOME NEW EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE TO US THAT SARPY COUNTY HAS AND SO THEY WANTED TO PUT THAT IN LAKE THEAKE L IS A LOT CLEARER NOW THAN IT WAS LAST TIME. WE WERE OUT THERE THIS DAY. HAS A MEANING THOUGH AS 12 YEAR OLD RYAN LARSON VANISH. ONE YEAR AGO. WE’RE TRYING TO FIND A YOUNG MAN THAT THAT’S OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. VOLUNTEER PATCKRI MORRISSEY AND ESPECIALLY TRAINED CADAVER DOG PRIZE ARE BACK AT IT AGAIN, TOO. HE WAS INTERESTED IN AN AREA. DID YOU GO BACK THERE? YEAH, AND NOT TODAY. DOLLARS AT A YEAR, BUT NO HE’S NOT INTERESTED THERE PRIZE CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUMANND A ANIMAL REMAINS, BUT THE SCENT THAT GOT HIM EXCITED LAST YREA ISN’T AS STRONG 12 MONTHS LATER. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE STORY BECAUSE WATER IS ALWAYS MOVING. SO THE SCENT IS MINOVG AWAY FROM A LAND PRIZE EVEN SNIFFED OUT THE SHORE AND LAND IN THAT AREA. AND AGAIN, NOTHING SIGNIFICANT, BUT CHIEF LOSTND A SAYS WALNUT CREEK REMAINS A FOCUS IN THE SEARCH FOR RYAN WE HEAV THING TO GO ON THAT WE DON’T HAVE YOU KNOW AT THE LAKE AT LA VISTA CENTRAL PKAR AT THOMPSON CREEK. WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY OF THAT THERE. SO THIS IS A THIS IS THE BEST THING WE GOT RIGHT NOW. WELL LAWSON ALSO TELLS ME THERE’S AN AREA HERE IN THE LAKE THAT THE SEARCHERS JUST COULDN’T GET TO TODAY. SO THEY’RE GONNA REGROUP AND THEY’LL REVIEW THAT DATA THAT THEY COLLECTED TODAY FROM ALL OF THAT NEW EQUIPMENT AND THEN THEY’LL COME BACK OUT HERE. SEARCH SOME MORE FOR RYAN LARSON AND HOPEFLYUL PUT AN END TO EVERYONE’S WONDERING AND BRING SOME CLOSURE TOHE T FAMILY REPORTING L
Advertisement
One year later: Searchers return to Walnut Creek to look for missing autistic La Vista boy

'Continue to investigate any leads, tips,' La Vista police won't stop searching for Ryan Larsen

Law enforcement is focusing on Walnut Creek Recreation Area in the search for Ryan Larsen, 12. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said this is the only place where they have something to go on. He said a cadaver dog smelled human remains last year.The Sarpy County Search and Rescue team spent a few hours on the water in a boat Tuesday morning. "We have some new equipment available to us that Sarpy County has, so they wanted to put that in the lake and the lake is a lot clearer now than it was the last time we were out there," Lausten said.This day has more meaning though, as Larsen vanished one year ago. He walked out of his school, La Vista West Elementary around 11:45 a.m. He was seen two hours later at his apartment complex near 84th and Harrison Streets and hasn't been seen since. "We are trying to find a young man that's out there somewhere," Lausten said.Volunteer Patrick Morrissey and his specially-trained cadaver dog, Prize, are back at it again too. Morrissey said Prize was interested in an area last year and they went back today. "It's been a year but he's not interested there," Morrissey said.Prize can tell the difference between human and animal remains. But the scent that got him excited last year isn't as strong 12 months later. "Water is a different story because water is always moving so the scent is moving away from the land," he said. "Water is a moving target."Prize even sniffed out the shore and land in that area.But he didn't find anything significant.Lausten said Walnut Creek remains a focus, in the search for Larsen."We've had something to go on that we don't have on the lake at La Vista Central Park. Thompson Creek," Lausten said. "We didn't have any of that there, so this is the best thing we got right now."Lausten also said there is an area out that searchers couldn't get to today.They'll review the data collected from the special equipment and look for any clues and head back out to Walnut Creek for another search.

Law enforcement is focusing on Walnut Creek Recreation Area in the search for Ryan Larsen, 12. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten said this is the only place where they have something to go on. He said a cadaver dog smelled human remains last year.

The Sarpy County Search and Rescue team spent a few hours on the water in a boat Tuesday morning.

Advertisement

"We have some new equipment available to us that Sarpy County has, so they wanted to put that in the lake and the lake is a lot clearer now than it was the last time we were out there," Lausten said.

This day has more meaning though, as Larsen vanished one year ago. He walked out of his school, La Vista West Elementary around 11:45 a.m. He was seen two hours later at his apartment complex near 84th and Harrison Streets and hasn't been seen since.

"We are trying to find a young man that's out there somewhere," Lausten said.

Volunteer Patrick Morrissey and his specially-trained cadaver dog, Prize, are back at it again too. Morrissey said Prize was interested in an area last year and they went back today.

"It's been a year but he's not interested there," Morrissey said.

Prize can tell the difference between human and animal remains. But the scent that got him excited last year isn't as strong 12 months later.

"Water is a different story because water is always moving so the scent is moving away from the land," he said. "Water is a moving target."

Prize even sniffed out the shore and land in that area.

But he didn't find anything significant.

Lausten said Walnut Creek remains a focus, in the search for Larsen.

"We've had something to go on that we don't have on the lake at La Vista Central Park. Thompson Creek," Lausten said. "We didn't have any of that there, so this is the best thing we got right now."

Lausten also said there is an area out that searchers couldn't get to today.

They'll review the data collected from the special equipment and look for any clues and head back out to Walnut Creek for another search.