In 1951, a six-year-old boy was abducted while he was playing in a park in California. After more than 70 years, he was found thanks to the help of an ancestry test and old photos.
According to a report by the Bay Area News Group, the man, who was identified as Luis Armando Albino, was located on the East Coast.
According to his niece, Alida Alequin, Albino, who was a retired Marine Corps and firefighter, served in Vietnam.
In June, he was reunited with his family in California.
On February 21, 1951, a woman abducted him while he was playing with his brother at a park in West Oakland.
She reportedly told him that she would buy him sweets.
The woman abducted the boy from Puerto Rico and took him to the East Coast.
He was then raised by a couple who looked after him as if he was their own son, the news outlet reported.
Family members and authorities didn’t provide a location where Albino was currently residing.
For over 70 years, he was never seen or heard from, despite being an integral part of his family.
Despite the death of their mother in 2005, Alequin’s family still kept hoping that he was still alive.
The Oakland Police Department noted that Alequin’s efforts helped in finding her uncle. In an interview, she said that her uncle gave her a kiss on his cheek after he was found.
According to the Oakland Tribune, the army, police, and various other agencies participated in the search for the missing child.
The newspaper also noted that the area’s waterways and San Francisco Bay were searched.
Alequin’s brother, Roger, was also interrogated multiple times by investigators.
Despite these interrogations, he still maintained that his sibling was taken by a woman wearing a bandana around her head.
Alequin’s first idea that her uncle might still be alive came in 2020 when she took a DNA test for fun.
The results of the test revealed that a 22% match was found with a man who eventually became her uncle.
However, after going through further searches, she and her family did not find any sign of him.
She then visited the Oakland Library and came across various articles about the Tribune. She then contacted the police to report her findings.
After the investigators agreed that the new lead was significant, a new case regarding missing persons was opened.
The Oakland Police Department stated that the case regarding the missing persons was closed.
However, the agency and the FBI noted that the investigation regarding kidnapping remains open.
Alequin stated that on June 20, investigators showed up at her mother’s home and told them that her uncle had finally been found.
After the investigators left, Alequin said she and her family started to cry. She then grabbed her mother’s hand and declared that they had found her uncle.
Luis, who came to Oakland with the help of the FBI, met with Alequin and her relatives on June 24. They then went to Roger’s home in California.
Alequin stated that during their meeting, she saw her uncle and her abductor hug each other and talk about the day of the kidnapping.
Luis, who was on the east coast, returned in July for a couple of weeks. This was the last time that he saw Roger.
According to Alequin, her uncle would not talk to the media.
She said she was persistent in her efforts to find her uncle, and that her story could help other families in similar situations.