Man who was abducted aged six is found alive 73 years later after niece’s incredible search for the truth
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Alida Alequin/NBC Bay Area
A Oakland man who was abducted at the age of six has been found safe and sound 73 years later.
The surprising discovery comes thanks to his niece, who has been on an incredible search to discover the truth.
Back in 1951, Luis Armando Albino was playing in Jefferson Square Park with his brother Roger, 10, in West Oakland, California.
During this play date, a woman approached the young boy and lured him in with the promise of some sweets.
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The then six-year-old was flown across the country to New York, where he was brought up by a couple like he was their own.
Meanwhile, Luis' family on the west coast were left devastated and searching for answers.
Luis' mother never gave up hope of finding him and continued to do so until she passed away in 2005 at the age of 92.
However, Luis' niece, Alida Alequin, decided to get on the case, and she remarkably found some answers.
After years of searching for Luis, the case went cold, with Alida explaining her grandmother would attend the police's missing person bureau every day for updates.
However, these visits eventually turned into weekly, monthly, and then annually.
"She always felt he was alive," she told Mercury News. "She took that with her to her grave. All this time the family kept thinking of him. I always knew I had an uncle. We spoke of him a lot."
Alida added: "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."
But beginning in 2022, a chain of events was set into motion which saw Luis eventually reunited with his family.
Alida decided to take a DNA test for fun, with the results informing her she had a 22 percent match with a man who just so happened to be her missing uncle.
She did not initially receive a response from Luis after reaching out, but discovered earlier this year pictures of him on microfilm at the Oakland Public Library.
After the FBI and the Department of Justice opened a missing person's case once more, Luis was eventually tracked down.
An emotional reunion followed, with Luis, now 79, being reunited with his older brother Roger, now 83.
When Alina met Luis for the first time, he hugged her, gave her a kiss on the cheek and emotionally said: "Thank you for finding me."
"I'm so happy that I was able to do this for my mom and uncle," she added. "It was a very happy ending.
"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."