It took more than 70 years for Luis Armando Albino—abducted as a child from a California park—to finally find the happy ending he wished for.
The 79-year-old man was reunited with his family this year, only because his niece Alida Alequin, 63, never gave up hope of finding him.
“I was always determined to find him, and who knows, with my story out there, it could help other families going through the same thing. I would say, don’t give up,” the relieved niece told The Mercury News.
Highlights
- Luis Armando Albino, abducted at age 6 in 1951, was reunited with his family 73 years later.
- His niece Alida Alequin never gave up hope and played a key role in finding him.
- Luis was lured away by a woman offering candy and was raised by another family on the East Coast.
- Alida found a DNA match in 2020, which eventually led to Luis being located and confirmed as her uncle.
After being abducted as a 6-year-old, Luis Armando Albino was finally reunited with his family 73 years later, thanks to his niece’s unwavering dedication
Image credits: Oakland Tribune Archive
At the age of 6, Luis was taken away from his family from a local park in West Oakland on February 21, 1951.
The Puerto Rico-born boy was playing with his then 10-year-old brother when a woman lured him away with the promise of candy and abducted him.
The alleged abductor ultimately flew the child across the country to the East Coast, where he was raised by another family in New York as if he was their own. However, his biological family back home never forgot him.
The Puerto Rico-born boy was lured away by a woman while playing at a local park with his then 10-year-old brother, Roger
Image credits: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
Law enforcement agents relentlessly searched for the missing boy, and young Roger was also questioned several times about how his little sibling disappeared.
Roger remained resolute in his story of his brother being taken away by a woman wearing a bandana.
Sadly, the mystery of Luis’ disappearance remained unsolved for years, and the case went cold.
His mother, Antonia Albino, never lost hope that her son was alive. She initially visited the police person bureau every day for updates on her son’s whereabouts. The visits then became weekly, then monthly before she eventually visited the bureau every year, only to be turned away with no news about her missing son.
Luis' mother, Antonia Albino, never stopped believing her son was alive until she passed in 2005 at the age of 92
Image credits: Oakland Tribune Archive
“She always felt he was alive,” Alida told the outlet. “She took that with her to her grave.”
“All this time the family kept thinking of him,” the niece continued. “I always knew I had an uncle. We spoke of him a lot. My grandmother carried the original article in her wallet, and she always talked about him. A picture of him was always hung at the family home.”
However, Antonia passed away at the age of 92 in 2005 without ever knowing what happened to her son.
Years later, Alida was able to honor her grandmother’s unwavering belief as she began her own search for her uncle. She first became hopeful of finding her missing uncle when she took a DNA test in 2020 “just for fun” and found that she had a 22 percent match with a man all the way on the East Coast.
Thanks to the efforts of Luis' niece, Alida Alequin, the long-lost relative was able to reunite with his family before his brother Roger, pictured on the left below, passed away in August this year
Image credits: Alida Alequin
Despite her efforts to reach out to him, the hopeful niece didn’t receive a response from Luis. Nevertheless, her daughters also became determined to track down their long-lost relative, and they managed to find pictures of him from sources.
Convinced that Luis was her kidnapped relative, Alida eventually took what she knew to the police, who also assured her that it was a lead worth pursuing. After a new missing persons case was opened, Luis was found and confirmed to be Alida’s missing uncle after DNA testing was conducted.
“In my heart I knew it was him,” the niece said, “and when I got the confirmation, I let out a big ‘YES!’”
“We didn’t start crying until after the investigators left,” she added. “I grabbed my mom’s hands and said, ‘We found him.’ I was ecstatic.”
The Oakland police were also glad by the outcome of their investigation and said: “The outcome of this story is what we strive for.”
“I’m so happy that I was able to do this for my mom and (uncle),” she added. “It was a very happy ending," 63-year-old niece Alida said
Image credits: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
In June this year, Luis traveled to Oakland and reunited about seven decades later with his family members, including Roger and Alida’s mother.
“They grabbed each other and had a really tight, long hug. They sat down and just talked,” Alida said.
The niece was especially glad that the two brothers were able to reunite before Roger’s death in August this year.
“I think he died happily. He was at peace with himself, knowing that his brother was found,” she said. “I was just so happy I was able to do this for him and bring him closure and peace.”
Alida was also sure that Luis’ deceased grandmother would have been “very happy” that her lost son was found.
“She never forgot him,” the niece told the outlet. She always said he was still alive. She had hope she would see him. She never gave up that hope.”
“I’m so happy that I was able to do this for my mom and (uncle),” she added. "It was a very happy ending."
Netizens were ecstatic to read about the family's happy ending, which was over 70 years in the making
