Luis Armando Albino was six years old in 1951 when he was kidnapped while playing in a park in Oakland, California.
More than seven decades later and now aged 79, his tracks have been traced thanks to old photographs, newspaper clippings and an… online test.
According to the Bay Area News Group and how it transmits the Associated pressThe 79-year-old man’s 63-year-old niece, with the help of US authorities, traced her uncle’s tracks on the US East Coast.
The 79-year-old, who became a father and grandfather during his lifetime, is a retired firefighter and Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam.
Even seven decades later, the man was reunited with his family in California in June.
The chronicle of his disappearance
It was February 21, 1951, when a woman lured Albino, then 6 years old, by promising to buy him a candy. So she took the 6-year-old boy from the park, where he was playing with his brother. The woman, who spoke Spanish and wore a bandana, ended up kidnapping the child, who had been born in Puerto Rico.
As it turned out many years later, the woman took the child to the east coast of the United States, where he was taken to the home of a couple. The couple raised Albino as if he were their own son.
Albino remained missing for more than 70 years, but he was always in the hearts of his family and his photo was in the homes of his relatives, according to his niece. His mother died in 2005, but she never lost hope that her son was alive.
According to his niece, Alekin, her first thought that her uncle might still be alive “came” when she “just for fun” took an online test, which showed a 22% match with a man who turned out to be her son. uncle. The investigation that began did not bring any immediate answers.
In early 2024, she and her daughters began searching again. On a visit to the Oakland Public Library, she focused on newspaper images from the time. One photo convinced her she was on the right track. She then went to the Oakland police.
The case was reopened. Luis, now 79 years old, was located and underwent DNA testing, as was his sister, the mother of his niece.
The reunion and last meeting with his brother
On June 20, investigators in charge of the case informed the family that the 79-year-old man was indeed the relative they had been searching for for so many decades.
“We didn’t start crying until the police left,” Alekin said. “I held my mom’s hands and said, ‘We found him.’”
On June 24, with the help of the FBI, Luis traveled to Oakland with family members and met with his niece, sister, and other relatives. A day later, he also met his brother, Roger.
“They grabbed each other and gave each other a really strong, tight hug. They sat down and talked,” described the 79-year-old man’s niece.
Luis returned to the East Coast, but returned to Oakland again in July for three weeks. That was the last time he saw his brother, who died in August.