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Self-Proclaimed Pedophile On Trial For Kidnapping Dies In Custody In Arizona

An accused kidnapper and self-proclaimed pedophilia advocate who is on trial for grooming a 12-year-old California girl died in custody in Arizona.

Nathan Larson was arrested in 2020 who authorities say they caught flying across the country with the girl who he had persuaded to run away from home in Fresno, California.

According to public record, Larson died Sept. 18 and an order of dismissal in his case was filed on Oct. 11. The U.S. Attorney’s Office provided no further details on the death.


Reports detail that Larson had been transferred from a federal facility in the Fresno area to a prison in Arizona, where he died. The primary cause of death is pending, according to the Maricopa County medical examiner.

Larson, 41, was arrested in December 2020 at the Denver International Airport while attempting to take the girl to his home in Catlett, Virginia. According to court records, Larson met the girl through social media and flew to California where he persuaded her to sneak out of her house. A Denver police officer stopped the pair during a layover in Colorado. Allegedly he had plans to return home, sexually assault her and impregnate her when she turned 13. Larson forced the girl to wear a long-haired wig to help make her appear older and instructed her to pretend to be mute during their travel in the airport. The girl was not injured and later was reunited with her family.

Larson’s last appearance in court was in March, where he argued to represent himself in his federal felony case. If convicted he could have been sentenced to a life in prison.