Police Chief asks court to quash subpoena in case of missing La Vista boy
Two new legal developments in the case of a La Vista woman who wants her missing son declared dead.
12-year-old Ryan Larsen, who has autism, was last seen 21 months ago, on May 17, 2021, leaving his La Vista school around lunch time, according to authorities.
His mother, Tammi Larsen, is asking a Sarpy County judge to appoint her in charge of her son’s affairs and rule him no longer missing.
With a court hearing scheduled for Tuesday, LaVista Police Chief Bob Lausten, who has been subpoenaed by the mom to testify, is now asking the judge to quash the subpoena.
On Friday, Lausten told the court, the Ryan Larsen case is an “ongoing search and criminal investigation”, and his testimony should not be allowed because it might make public specific confidential information, jeopardizing the investigation which includes federal, state and local law enforcement. If the subpoena isn't quashed Lausten wants the court to limit the scope of his testimony.
As of late Friday the judge had not ruled on Lausten’s request, according to on-line court records.
In her initial court filing, Tammi Larsen appears to blame the school for her son’s disappearance: "Just before he exited the building, employees of the La Vista Elementary School, saw Ryan Larsen at school. No immediate action was taken to prevent him from exiting the school doors. Nor was any immediate action taken to retrieve him from outside the school building.”
In a statement to KETV, a spokesperson for the school district said, "This is a tragic situation. Papillion La Vista Community Schools will continue to support Ryan's family, the staff and students of La Vista West Elementary and the community."
Shortly after the boy’s disappearance police admitted the case had them struggling for answers.
The search for Ryan Larsen found rescuers combing his neighborhood as well as a lake a few miles away without any reported success.
At one point police turned their attention to registered sex offenders living in the area but that part of the search went cold as well, in the town of seven thousand that borders Douglas County.
In addition to Chief Lausten’s request that he not testify, earlier in the week the judge denied a news media request for cameras in the courtroom during Tuesday’s hearing.