Luis Armando Albino, who was kidnapped as a 6-year-old boy from an Oakland park in 1951, has been found alive and reunited with his family after more than seven decades. This incredible story of reunion was made possible through the persistent efforts of his niece, Alida Alequin, who used DNA testing and old newspaper articles to track him down.
Luis was playing at Jefferson Park Playground in West Oakland with his older brother Roger on February 21, 1951, when he was lured away by a woman. Despite an extensive search involving local authorities, the U.S. Coast Guard, and soldiers from a nearby army base, Luis was not found, and the case went cold.
6-Year-Old Boy Kidnapped 70 Years Ago Found Alive and Finally Reunited With His Brother
Boy abducted in 1951 at age 6, found alive 70 years later. pic.twitter.com/xACxXbmQDV
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) September 24, 2024
The first breakthrough came in 2020 when Alida took an online DNA test “for fun” and discovered a 22% match with a man she believed could be her uncle.
She cross-referenced this information with old articles and photographs from the Oakland Tribune, which led her to contact the Oakland Police Department.
In March 2024, the Oakland Police Department, in collaboration with the FBI and the California Justice Department, confirmed Luis’s identity through DNA testing. Luis, now a grandfather and a retired firefighter and Marine Corps veteran, was living on the East Coast.
The emotional reunion took place on June 24, 2024, where Luis was finally able to embrace his brother Roger, who had been with him at the park on that fateful day.
While the reunion brought immense joy, it was also bittersweet. Luis’s 92-year-old mother had passed away in 2005, never knowing the fate of her kidnapped son. Roger, who had been eagerly waiting for this moment, passed away shortly after the reunion, but not before finding peace in knowing his brother was alive.
