An autistic Nebraska boy who was initially thought to be playing hide-and-seek is now being actively looking for as authorities start considering foul play.
Ryan Larsen, an 11-year-old, left the school during a classroom change Monday morning and had not been seen since.
La Vista Police Capt. Jeremy Kinsey said that Larsen had a history of disappearance and his YouTube search hinted at intentional hiding.
In fact, the boy had recently searched for sentences of the likes: “hiding underground” and “hiding from the police.”
“He’s playing the ultimate game of hide-and-seek on us now and he’s winning,” Kinsey said shortly after Larsen went missing.
But two days later, La Vista Police started considering new possibilities.
“We have to look at, ‘Is this criminal matter? Is he playing hide-and-seek? Is this a little boy who got in trouble and unfortunately has passed due to that?’ We’re looking at all angles. Our concentration is finding Ryan and bringing him home to his family.”
Officer John Francavilla added: “He could literally be laying down somewhere. With autism, from some of the stuff, we’ve been getting from the experts – while the normal person would need food, water, sleep. To him, he’s mission-driven.”
“So, he will supersede all those needs and continue on with his mission to where it would affect us, but it’s not affecting him the way it would us.”
Detectives have been scouting the Walnut Creek Recreational Area and Hell Creek after receiving a tip and given that autistic kids are often drawn to water.
They even went door to door at Larsen’s apartment complex. So far, their efforts did not reveal any further evidence regarding his whereabouts.
