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Lawsuit over death of Peru State College student dismissed

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Nebraska college officials over the disappearance of a 19-year-old student.

Judge John Gerrard said in his ruling Tuesday that the officials could have done more to protect Peru State student Tyler Thomas but also said their actions did not rise to the level of deliberate indifference.

Thomas disappeared in 2010 after leaving a party. A death certificate was issued in 2013, though her body hasn't been found.

Her family filed a lawsuit for wrongful death against the Nebraska State Colleges board of trustees and a man who was a fellow student and was suspected in Thomas' disappearance. The college board requested the lawsuit's dismissal.

The man wasn't charged in her case but has been imprisoned for an unrelated sexual assault conviction.

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