Boy abducted from California in 1951 at age 6 found alive on East Coast more than 70 years later

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Luis Armando Albino was 6 years aged successful 1951 erstwhile he was abducted while playing astatine an Oakland, California park. Now, much than 7 decades later, Albino has been recovered acknowledgment to thief from an online ancestry test, aged photos and newspaper clippings.

The Bay Area News Group reported Friday that Albino’s niece successful Oakland — pinch assistance from police, nan FBI and nan Justice Department — located her uncle surviving connected nan East Coast.

Albino, a begetter and grandfather, is simply a retired firefighter and Marine Corps seasoned who served successful Vietnam, according to his niece, 63-year-old Alida Alequin. She recovered Albino and reunited him pinch his California family successful June.

On Feb. 21, 1951, a female lured nan 6-year-old Albino from nan West Oakland parkland wherever he had been playing pinch his older relative and promised nan Puerto Rico-born boy successful Spanish that she would bargain him candy.

Instead, nan female kidnapped nan child, flying him to nan East Coast wherever he ended up pinch a mates who raised him arsenic if he were their ain son, nan news group reported. Officials and family members didn’t opportunity wherever connected nan East Coast he lives.

For much than 70 years Albino remained missing, but he was ever successful nan hearts of his family and his photograph hung astatine relatives’ houses, his niece said. His mother died successful 2005 but ne'er gave up dream that her boy was alive.

Oakland constabulary acknowledged that Alequin’s efforts “played an integral domiciled successful uncovering her uncle” and that “the result of this communicative is what we strive for.”

In an question and reply pinch nan news group, she said her uncle “hugged maine and said, ‘Thank you for uncovering me’ and gave maine a buss connected nan cheek.”
Oakland Tribune articles from nan clip reported police, soldiers from a section service base, nan Coast Guard and different metropolis labor joined a monolithic hunt for nan missing boy. San Francisco Bay and different waterways were besides searched, according to nan articles. His brother, Roger Albino, was interrogated respective times by investigators but stood by his communicative astir a female pinch a bandana astir her caput taking his brother.

The first conception that her uncle mightiness beryllium still live came successful 2020 when, “just for fun,” Alequin said, she took an online DNA test. It showed a 22 percent lucifer pinch a man who yet turned retired to beryllium her uncle. A further hunt astatine nan clip yielded nary answers aliases immoderate consequence from him, she said.

In early 2024, she and her daughters began searching again. On a sojourn to nan Oakland Public Library, she looked astatine microfilm of Tribune articles — including 1 that had a image of Luis and Roger — which convinced her that she was connected nan correct track. She went to nan Oakland constabulary nan aforesaid day.

Investigators yet agreed nan caller lead was substantial, and a caller missing persons lawsuit was opened. Oakland constabulary said past week that nan missing persons lawsuit is closed, but they and nan FBI see nan kidnapping a still-open investigation.

Luis was located connected nan East Coast and provided a DNA sample, arsenic did his sister, Alequin’s mom.

On June 20, investigators went to her mother’s home, Alequin said, and told them some that her uncle had been found.

“We didn’t commencement crying until aft nan investigators left,” Alequin said. “I grabbed my mom’s hands and said, ‘We recovered him.’ I was ecstatic.”

On June 24, pinch nan assistance of nan FBI, Luis came to Oakland pinch members of his family and met pinch Alequin, her mother and different relatives. The adjacent time Alequin drove her mother and her newfound uncle to Roger’s location successful Stanislaus County, California.

“They grabbed each different and had a really tight, agelong hug. They sat down and conscionable talked,” she said, discussing nan time of nan kidnapping, their subject work and more.

Luis returned to nan East Coast but came backmost again successful July for a three-week visit. It was nan past clip he saw Roger, who died successful August.
Alequin said her uncle did not want to talk to nan media.

“I was ever wished to find him, and who knows, pinch my communicative retired there, it could thief different families going done nan aforesaid thing,” Alequin said. “I would say, don’t springiness up.”