Six-year-old abducted in 1951 found alive seven decades later
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A photo of the victim and his brother prompted a new missing persons case to be re-opened, leading to the missing six-year-old being found on the East Coast
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Luis Armando Albino (R) with his late brother Roger (L). Luis Armando Albino was 6 years old in 1951 when he was abducted while playing at an Oakland park, undated. (X/ @FOX4)
A man who was abducted from a California park in 1951 was found over 70 years later through online ancestry tests, old photographs and newspaper clippings.
The victim, Luis Armando Albino, was located on the US East Coast by his niece in Oakland with the help of police, the FBI, and the justice department, the Bay Area News Group reported Friday.
Albino's 63-year-old niece, Alida Alequin, found her uncle and reunited him with his California relatives in June.
The Oakland police stated that Alequin “played an integral role in finding her uncle," adding that “the outcome of this story is what we strive for."
The 1951 abduction
On February 21, 1951, six-year-old Albino was playing with his older brother in a West Oakland park when a woman lured him, promising in Spanish to buy him candy.
The perpetrator kidnapped the young Puerto Rico-born boy, taking him to the East Coast where he was raised by a couple as if he was their own son, according to the news group.
Articles from the Oakland Tribune indicated that police, soldiers from a local army base, the Coast Guard, and other city personnel composed a large search party for the missing boy, adding that the search extended to San Francisco Bay and nearby waterways.
Roger Albino, Luis' older brother, was questioned multiple times by investigators. He maintained his account that a woman wearing a bandana had taken his brother.
DNA tests, photographs, and newspaper archives
In 2020, Alequin took an online DNA test "just for fun," marking the first step her uncle might still be alive when she received a 22% match to the man. She conducted a search at the time, however, she did not obtain any answers or responses from him.
At the beginning of this year, Alequin and her daughters relaunched the search, finding microfilm of Tribune articles at the Oakland public library, including a picture of Luis and Roger. This convinced her she was on the right track, resulting in her going to the Oakland police to re-open the case.
Investigators eventually agreed to open a new missing persons case, deeming the new lead as substantial.
Albino was found on the East Coast and provided a sample of his DNA, as did his sister, Alequin's mother.
Investigators went to Alequin's mother's home on June 20, informing both women Luis had been found.
“We didn’t start crying until after the investigators left,” Alequin said. “I grabbed my mom’s hands and said, ‘We found him.’ I was ecstatic.”
Luis united with Alequin, her mother, and other family members in Oakland on June 24 with assistance from the FBI. His niece later drove him to his brother's house in Stanislaus County, California.
“They grabbed each other and had a really tight, long hug. They sat down and just talked,” Alequin said, recounting the reunion between the brothers.
Luis returned to the East Coast but returned in July for a three-week visit. That was the last time he saw Roger, who passed away in August.
“I was always determined to find him, and who knows, with my story out there, it could help other families going through the same thing,” his niece said.
“I would say: don’t give up.”
Although the missing persons case was closed last week, the Oakland police said that they, alongside the FBI, considered the kidnapping investigation to remain open.
