6-year-old boy kidnapped in 1951 found alive 7 decades later

A 6-year-old lad bluish California lad kidnapped successful 1951 has been recovered surviving connected the East Coast, wherever helium reportedly raised a household of his ain and retired arsenic a firefighter aft serving successful the Marine Corp during the Vietnam War.

“Thank you for uncovering me,” Luis Armando Albino told his 63-year-old niece Alida Alequin, who tracked him down with the assistance of an online ancestry kit, aged newspapers and section and national instrumentality enforcement officials.

According to the the Mercury News, a pistillate promising candy abducted Albino from an Oakland parkland wherever helium was playing with his older member Roger — who died successful August — connected Feb. 21, 1951. The boys’ ma died successful 2005.

Alequin came to fishy her uncle was inactive live aft a DNA trial taken successful 2020 showed a 22% lucifer with Albino, whom she was incapable to contact. In aboriginal 2024, Alequin and her daughters continued searching for Albino by perusing aged quality articles astatine the Oakland Public Library. That probe yielded grounds compelling capable to pique the involvement of section police, which led to the engagement of U.S. Justice Department and the FBI.

Authorities recovered Albino, who submitted a DNA illustration matching 1 provided by his biologic mom’s sister connected the West Coast. Investigators confirmed the connection connected June 20, according to CBS News.

Four days later, Albino, present a grandfather, returned to Oakland with his household to conscionable the biologic relatives who tracked him down. He was besides reunited with his brother, who was inactive live successful Stanislaus County, Calif. Roger and Luis Albino spent their clip unneurotic talking astir the time they were separated and discussing their clip successful the military, according to Alequin.

Roger, who was 10- years aged erstwhile his small member was abducted, reportedly spoke to investigators aggregate times implicit the years. He maintained that a Spanish-speaking pistillate with a bandana astir her caput walked disconnected with the boy.

Oakland constabulary confirmed to CBS News that Albino’s missing persons lawsuit was closed, portion the FBI’s kidnapping probe remains active. Where connected the East Coast Albino was raised oregon presently resides wasn’t reported.