Boy kidnapped in California in 1951 when he was 6 years old turns up alive more than 70 years later

OAKLAND, California (AFP) – Luis Armando was an albino who was 6 years old in 1951 when he was kidnapped while playing in a park in Oakland, California. Now, more than seven decades later, the albino has been found thanks to the help of an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.

As reported by Gulf News Group On Friday, an albino's niece in Oakland — with the help of police, the FBI and the Justice Department — was able to locate her uncle, who was living on the East Coast.

Albino, a father and grandfather, is a retired firefighter and Marine veteran who served in Vietnam, according to his niece, Alida Alcuin, 63. Albino was found and reunited with his family in California in June.

On February 21, 1951, a woman took the 6-year-old albino from a West Oakland park, where he was playing with his older brother, and promised him in Spanish—the albino was born in Puerto Rico—that she would buy him candy.

Instead, the woman kidnapped the boy and took him to the East Coast, where he ended up with a couple who raised him as their own son, the news group reported. Authorities and family members have not said where on the East Coast he lives.

His niece said the albino had been missing for more than 70 years, but he was always in his family's hearts and his picture hung in relatives' homes. His mother died in 2005, but she never lost hope that her son was alive.

Oakland Police acknowledged that Alquin's efforts “played a key role in the search for his uncle” and that “the outcome of this story is what we fought for.”

In an interview with the news group, she said her uncle “hugged me and said, 'Thank you for finding me,' and gave me a kiss on the cheek.”

Oakland Tribune articles at the time reported that police, soldiers from a local military base, the Coast Guard and other city employees joined a massive search for the missing boy. San Francisco Bay and other waterways were also searched, according to the articles. His brother, Roger Albino, was questioned several times by investigators, but he insisted that a woman wearing a scarf around her head had taken his brother.

Her first inkling that her uncle might be alive came in 2020 when she took an online DNA test, “just for fun.” It showed a 22% match to a man who eventually turned out to be her uncle. A more thorough search at the time yielded no answers from him, she said.

In early 2024, she and her daughters began searching again. On a visit to the Oakland Public Library, she saw microfilm of Tribune articles—including one with a photo of Lewis and Roger—which convinced her she was on the right track. That same day, she went to the Oakland police.

Eventually, investigators agreed that the new lead was significant and a new missing persons case was opened. Oakland police said last week that the missing persons case had been closed, but they and the FBI believe the abduction remains an open investigation.

Louis was on the East Coast and provided a DNA sample, as was his sister, Alekhine's mother.

On June 20, investigators went to her mother's house, Alicuin says, and told them they had found her uncle.

“We didn’t start crying until the investigators left,” Alcuin said. “I grabbed my mom’s hand and said, ‘We found him.’ I was ecstatic.”

On June 24, with the assistance of the FBI, Lewis arrived in Oakland with family members and met with Alquin, his mother, and other relatives. The next day, Alquin drove his mother and new uncle to Roger's home in Stanislaus County, California.

“They hugged each other and gave each other a long, strong hug. They sat down and started talking,” says Alcuin, who talks about the day of the kidnapping, his military service and more.

Lewis returned to the East Coast, but returned in July for a three-week visit. That was the last time he saw Roger, who died in August.

Alcuin said his uncle did not want to speak to the media.

“I was always determined to find him, and who knows, with my story out there, it might help other families going through the same thing,” Alquin said. “I would tell them not to give up.”