A boy abducted from an Oakland, California park in 1951 has been found alive after more than 70 years, authorities have confirmed.
Luis Armando Albino, who was six years old at the time of his disappearance, was located on the East Coast after his niece, Alida Alequin, uncovered his identity through DNA testing and extensive research.
Albino was taken by a woman who lured him from a park, promising him candy in Spanish. She eventually handed him over to a couple who raised him as their own child.
The breakthrough came in 2020 when Alequin, curious about her family history, took an online DNA test.
Taken “just for fun” in the throes of the pandemic, it revealed a 22 percent match with a man who turned out to be Albino.
Further attempts to contact him failed, but Alequin persisted.
In early 2024, she revisited the case, reviewing microfilm and old newspaper clippings at the Oakland Public Library.
Her research produced a new investigation by Oakland police, the FBI, and the Department of Justice, culminating in a reunion in June.
“We didn’t start crying until after the investigators left,” Alequin recalled to the Bay Area News Group. “I grabbed my mom’s hands and said, ‘We found him.’ I was ecstatic.”
A stock image of swings in a children’s park playground surrounded by sand. Luis Albino was abducted while playing with his older brother at a park in Oakland, California. The pair were able to reconnect earlier this year after decades apart before his brother died in August.
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Although Albino’s mother passed away in 2005, she never gave up hope that her son was alive.
His family in Oakland kept his photo displayed in their homes for decades.
Following his abduction, a massive search was launched, but Albino remained missing for over 70 years.
The family has now reconnected, sharing the many years they missed. Alequin has learned that her uncle is a retired firefighter and Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam.
Albino also reunited with his brother, Roger, who was with him in the park on the day of the abduction.
The two shared an emotional reunion before Roger passed away in August.
Text reading Oakland Police above doorway to police station in downtown Oakland, California, July 8, 2019. While Albino’s whereabouts is now known, the case of his abduction remains open.
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Oakland police credited Alequin for her pivotal role in solving the case.
Though Albino’s whereabouts is no longer in question, the kidnapping case remains open, with the hopes of building a complete picture of years of lost history.
“Her efforts played an integral role in finding her uncle,” the department said, adding that “the outcome of this story is what we strive for.”
Albino has chosen not to speak publicly about his ordeal. His niece hopes her family’s story will inspire others searching for missing relatives.
“I was always determined to find him,” she said. “Who knows, with my story out there, it could help other families going through the same thing. I would say, don’t give up.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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