6-year-old CA boy abducted in 1951 found alive on East Coast more than 70 years later

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Luis Armando Albino was 6 years aged successful 1951 erstwhile helium was abducted portion playing astatine an Oakland, California park. Now, much than 7 decades later, Albino has been recovered acknowledgment to assistance from an online ancestry test, aged photos and paper clippings.

The Bay Area News Group reported Friday that Albino's niece successful Oakland - with assistance from police, the FBI and the Justice Department - located her uncle surviving connected the 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 with his California household successful June.

On Feb. 21, 1951, a pistillate lured the 6-year-old Albino from the West Oakland parkland wherever helium had been playing with his older member and promised the Puerto Rico-born lad successful Spanish that she would bargain him candy.

Instead, the pistillate kidnapped the child, flying him to the East Coast wherever helium ended up with a mates who raised him arsenic if helium were their ain son, the quality radical reported. Officials and household members didn't accidental wherever connected the East Coast helium lives.

For much than 70 years Albino remained missing, but helium was ever successful the hearts of his household and his photograph hung astatine relatives' houses, his niece said. His parent died successful 2005 but ne'er gave up anticipation that her lad was alive.

Oakland constabulary acknowledged that Alequin's efforts "played an integral relation successful uncovering her uncle" and that "the result of this communicative is what we strive for."

In an interrogation with the quality group, she said her uncle "hugged maine and said, 'Thank you for uncovering me' and gave maine a buss connected the cheek."

Oakland Tribune articles from the clip reported police, soldiers from a section service base, the Coast Guard and different metropolis employees joined a monolithic hunt for the missing boy. San Francisco Bay and different waterways were besides searched, according to the articles. His brother, Roger Albino, was interrogated respective times by investigators but stood by his communicative astir a pistillate with a bandana astir her caput taking his brother.

The archetypal conception that her uncle mightiness beryllium inactive live came successful 2020 when, "just for fun," Alequin said, she took an online DNA test. It showed a 22 percent lucifer with a antheral who yet turned retired to beryllium her uncle. A further hunt astatine the clip yielded nary answers oregon immoderate effect from him, she said.

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

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

Luis was located connected the 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 the investigators left," Alequin said. "I grabbed my mom's hands and said, 'We recovered him.' I was ecstatic."

On June 24, with the assistance of the FBI, Luis came to Oakland with members of his household and met with Alequin, her parent and different relatives. The adjacent time Alequin drove her parent and her newfound uncle to Roger's location successful Stanislaus County, California.

"They grabbed each different and had a truly tight, agelong hug. They sat down and conscionable talked," she said, discussing the time of the kidnapping, their subject work and more.

Luis returned to the East Coast but came backmost again successful July for a three-week visit. It was the past clip helium saw Roger, who died successful August.

Alequin said her uncle did not privation to speech to the media.

"I was ever determined to find him, and who knows, with my communicative retired there, it could assistance different families going done the aforesaid thing," Alequin said. "I would say, don't springiness up."