A 6-year-old who was abducted from Califoronia while playing at a park in 1951, has been found alive after 70 years on the East Coast . This could happen due to an online ancestry test, old photos, and newspaper clippings, AP reported.
Luis Armando Albino , now a father, grandfather, and retired firefighter, was located by his niece, Alida Alequin , with help from the FBI , Justice Department, and Oakland police . The Bay Area News Group reported Friday that Albino had been living on the East Coast.
Although Albino has chosen not to speak to the media, Alequin shared her relief and hope for other families in similar situations. “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.”
Albino’s disappearance began on February 21, 1951, when a woman lured him away from a West Oakland park by promising candy. She abducted him and flew him to the East Coast, where he was raised by a couple as their own son.
His family, however, never stopped searching for him, with his photo hanging in their homes. Albino’s mother, who passed away in 2005, always believed he was alive.
Alequin’s determination to find her uncle began with an online DNA test she took in 2020. The test revealed a 22 per cent match with a man who turned out to be her uncle.
Though initial efforts didn’t yield any contact, her persistence paid off in 2024 when she searched through old Oakland Tribune articles and discovered a picture of Luis and his brother, Roger, which convinced her she was on the right track. She immediately approached Oakland police with the lead.
Soon after, a missing persons case was reopened, and through DNA testing, Albino was confirmed to be alive. In June 2024, investigators informed Alequin and her mother that Albino had been found. “We didn’t start crying until after the investigators left,” Alequin recalled. “I grabbed my mom’s hands and said, ‘We found him.’ I was ecstatic.”
Albino travelled to Oakland on June 24, where he reunited with his family. He also visited his brother Roger in Stanislaus County, California . "They grabbed each other and had a really tight, long hug," said Alequin. The reunion was heartfelt, as they reminisced about their childhood, the day of the abduction, and their military service.
Luis Armando Albino , now a father, grandfather, and retired firefighter, was located by his niece, Alida Alequin , with help from the FBI , Justice Department, and Oakland police . The Bay Area News Group reported Friday that Albino had been living on the East Coast.
Although Albino has chosen not to speak to the media, Alequin shared her relief and hope for other families in similar situations. “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.”
Albino’s disappearance began on February 21, 1951, when a woman lured him away from a West Oakland park by promising candy. She abducted him and flew him to the East Coast, where he was raised by a couple as their own son.
His family, however, never stopped searching for him, with his photo hanging in their homes. Albino’s mother, who passed away in 2005, always believed he was alive.
Alequin’s determination to find her uncle began with an online DNA test she took in 2020. The test revealed a 22 per cent match with a man who turned out to be her uncle.
Though initial efforts didn’t yield any contact, her persistence paid off in 2024 when she searched through old Oakland Tribune articles and discovered a picture of Luis and his brother, Roger, which convinced her she was on the right track. She immediately approached Oakland police with the lead.
Soon after, a missing persons case was reopened, and through DNA testing, Albino was confirmed to be alive. In June 2024, investigators informed Alequin and her mother that Albino had been found. “We didn’t start crying until after the investigators left,” Alequin recalled. “I grabbed my mom’s hands and said, ‘We found him.’ I was ecstatic.”
Albino travelled to Oakland on June 24, where he reunited with his family. He also visited his brother Roger in Stanislaus County, California . "They grabbed each other and had a really tight, long hug," said Alequin. The reunion was heartfelt, as they reminisced about their childhood, the day of the abduction, and their military service.
