# A 70-Year Family Mystery: Kidnapped Boy Found at Last!
A California family has finally unearthed a decades-old mystery that began with a tragic kidnapping in 1951.
Their relentless search for Luis Armando Albino, abducted at the tender age of six, ended triumphantly in June 2024.
But this wasn’t just any reunion; it was a heartwarming twist of fate involving a modern DNA test.
Luis, now a retired firefighter and Vietnam War veteran, had been living on the East Coast, completely unaware of his family’s heartache.
The shocking truth? He was taken from a park in Oakland, California, by a mysterious woman over 70 years ago.
On that fateful day in 1951, young Luis was enjoying a sunny afternoon, playing with his older brother, Roger.
Suddenly, a woman approached them, her bandana flapping in the breeze.
Speaking enticingly in Spanish, she promised Luis candy if he would come with her.
Little did he know, this innocent offer would change his life forever.
For years, his family lived in agony, grappling with the loss of a child.
Luis’s mother, who died in 2005, always held onto the hope that her son would one day return.
They kept his memory alive with pictures, turning their home into a shrine of love and longing.
Fast forward to 2020, when everything changed for the family.
Luis’s niece, Alida Alequin, decided to take an online DNA test just for fun.
To her surprise, the results revealed a 22% match with a complete stranger—Luis himself!
Determined to find him, Alida reached out but initially hit a dead end.
Undeterred, she rallied her daughters and dove back into the search in early 2024.
They scoured microfilm archives at the Oakland Public Library, unearthing stories from the past.
Among the articles was a treasure trove of information about the search efforts that had unfolded in 1951.
Search parties had combed through the San Francisco Bay, desperately trying to find the boy who had vanished.
Roger, Luis’s older brother, became a focal point of the investigation.
Interrogated multiple times, he had consistently described the woman who took his brother.
This was a lead that Alida clung to as she pieced together her uncle’s past.
With the archives in hand, Alida approached law enforcement, pushing for a new missing person case.
Authorities recognized her tenacity, stating she played an integral role in finding Luis.
Finally, in June 2024, investigators conducted another DNA test, this time comparing Luis’s DNA with that of Alida’s mother.
The results confirmed what they had all hoped: Luis was alive.
The family received the news on June 20, a moment filled with disbelief and joy.
Alida recalled, “We didn’t start crying until after the investigators left.”
She clasped her mother’s hands, whispering, “We found him.”
The excitement was palpable as the Federal Bureau of Investigation stepped in to arrange the reunion.
On June 24, Luis finally met his family—Alida, her mother, and other relatives—after decades apart.
Their reunion was emotional; Luis hugged Alida tightly and whispered, “Thank you for finding me.”
He even planted a kiss on her cheek, a small gesture packed with years of lost love.
The very next day, Luis traveled to Stanislaus County to reconnect with Roger.
“They grabbed each other and had a really tight, long hug,” Alida recounted, a smile lighting her face.
The brothers spent hours reminiscing, discussing the fateful day of the kidnapping and their shared military service.
Luis’s life on the East Coast had flourished; he became a father and grandfather.
Yet, the yearning for his family never fully faded.
In July, he returned to California for a three-week visit, just in time to share precious moments with Roger before his passing in August.
While Luis chose to remain private and not speak to the media, Alida’s determination shone through.
“I was always determined to find him,” she declared.
“And who knows, with my story out there, it could help other families going through the same thing.”
Her powerful message? “Don’t give up.”
This tale of lost and found love resonates deeply, reminding us all of the bonds that can withstand even the longest of separations.