Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
On Feb. 2, 1951, 6-year-old Luis Albino was kidnapped from Jefferson Park in Oakland. Unfortunately the immediate search for Albino led to nothing and the case went cold. But seventy years later after the kidnapping, Albino was found on the other side of the country with the help of a DIY DNA testing kit taken by Alida Alequin, Albino’s niece, online.
According to NBC News, the Oakland police gave a statement regarding Albino was taken “by an unknown female who transported him out of state and eventually to the East Coast.” When Albino’s niece took the DNA test her results revealed a match to someone she believed to be her missing uncle. She brought her results to the Oakland police who notified the FBI. This led them to show up at Albino’s East Coast home with their findings. The FBI took a DNA sample matching two surviving siblings in California. That sample proved that Luis Albino was indeed the missing child taken from Jefferson Park back in 1951.
The police believe the woman who took Albino tricked him into leaving with her to buy him candy. After the kidnapping flew him to the East Coast where Albino was given to a couple to raise. According to ABC News, Albino grew up to be a Marine Corps Veteran who served in Vietnam before becoming a firefighter. Albino later married and had children. NPR reports that Albino believed he was the son of the couple for most of his life but had memories of the abduction but the couple failed to give him any answers.
Over the summer, the FBI and police arranged for Albino to be reunited with his surviving family members in California. Albino was able to reunite with his brother, Roger Albino, shortly before he passed away last month. His brother was at the park with him the day he was kidnapped. Unfortunately, Albino’s mother passed away in 2005. However, Albino’s mother never gave up hope that her son was alive. In an ABC News interview, Alequin said her uncle hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, and thanked her for finding him.
Leave a Reply