A Kidnapped Boy Is Found After 70 Years and Reunited With His Family
September 27, 2024

Luis Armando Albino was just six years old when he was kidnapped while playing at a park in West Oakland, CA, in 1951. He was with his brother Roger at the time.
According to the Associated Press, Luis and his brother were playing when a woman wearing a red bandana promised to buy him candy to lure him to go with her. The woman spoke to him in Spanish. Luis is from Puerto Rico decent. The woman then flew him to the East Coast, and he was reportedly adopted by another family who raised him.
RELATED: Marine’s Lost Dog Tags Found Overseas Finally Make It Back Home To Veteran After 57 Years
Luis' Mother Never Gave Up Hope
According to newspaper articles from that time, police, soldiers, the Coast Guard, and other city employees searched for the boy. Waterways were also searched, and his brother Roger Albino was interrogated several times. Luis' mother never gave up hope that he was still alive, although sadly passed away in 2005.
No one was able to find him until Luis Armando Albino's niece, Alida Alequin, took a DNA test back in 2020, just for fun. When she got the results, they told her she had a 22% match for a man as her uncle. In 2020, she looked into the man but could not find any answers.
However, in February of this year, Alida and her daughters started searching again. She visited the Oakland Public Library, looked through old Oakland Tribune articles, and found photos. "My daughter found a lot of pictures of this man, and we started comparing," Alida said. "The resemblance was so strong; how much he looked like my other uncles. And then another picture where he looked so much like my grandmother, that one gave me chills, and I said ‘there’s something here."
RELATED: They Never Stopped Looking For Their Baby Melissa, And 51 Years Later, They Finally Reunite
She Went To The Police To Open Up a Missing Person's Case
This prompted her to go to the police about opening a missing person's case. By June, the Oakland police had found her uncle on the East Coast. "In my heart I knew it was him, and when I got the confirmation, I let out a big 'YES!,” Alida said. Luis Armando Albino is a retired firefighter, Marine Corps veteran, and grandfather.
Just days after Luis was found, he went to Oakland, where he met his niece in person. She took him to see his brother Roger, and the two were reunited after 73 years. "They hugged...It was a very emotional hug. Then they sat down, and they talked about that day that he was taken," Alida says. "Roger obviously said what he went through, what he saw, what he heard. You know, describing the woman. And then Luis also said, you know, what he went through, what he remembered."
Sadly, Roger did pass away in August. It was a blessing that Luis could see his brother again before his death. After visiting in June, Luis Armando Albino returned in July for three weeks. While the woman who took Luis has long since passed away, the Oakland police have said that the case is still under investigation.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Mom Ran Off With Child And After 2 Years Of Searching, The Girl Finally Reunites With Her Dad
Luis currently lives under a different name on the East Coast and wants to maintain his privacy.
WATCH: Luis Armando Albino is Found and Reunited With His Family
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." -Jeremiah 29:11
LISTEN: Teen Hanging from Power Line Fears She’s ‘Done,’ but Survived | Boy Is Reunited with Family After Falling into a Pipe
h/t: PEOPLE
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/TODAY
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Help Us Celebrate America’s Presidents - Your Daily Prayer - February 17
Father, we thank You for the courageous men who have served our nation as president. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for those who have sought to follow Your will.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Help Us Celebrate America’s Presidents - Your Daily Prayer - February 17
Father, we thank You for the courageous men who have served our nation as president. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for those who have sought to follow Your will.
Past Stories
- 98-Year-Old Great-Grandmother Has a Special Connection to Her Great-Granddaughter
- Mom Receives a Heartwarming Message From Best Friend After Son is Diagnosed With Autism
- Retired Army Medic Pays For Stranger's Breakfast and Leaves a Heartfelt Note
- Golden Retriever Saved by Lifeboat Crew After Running Into the Ocean After a Scare
- 10-Year-Old Boy is in Recovery After Being Struck by Plane Debris While Protecting Little Sister
- Car Accident on First Date Night Without Kids in a Year, Reminds Couple That God is in Control
- Teen Wasn't Given Much of a Chance to Live After Car Crash, But Now Celebrating Her 16th Birthday
- Girl Who Died Before the 6th Grade Still Inspires Others With Her Message of 'Love is Everywhere'
- Beloved Young College Student Remembered by Fellow Students After DC Plane Crash
- Stranger Jumps Into Frozen Pond in South Carolina to Save 3-Year-Old Girl
- Man Saves 83-Year-Old Father-in-Law With Parkinson's From the LA Fires in Pacific Palisades
- Woman Felt Like She Was in a Movie When Giving Birth in a Krispy Kreme Parking Lot
- Walmart Employee Coach Justin Helps Mom and Autistic Child During Meltdown
- Woman Who Found an Old Family Photo After LA Fires Makes a Special Connection
- Teenager Who Finds Money at Restaurant, Doesn't Think Twice About Returning it to Owner
- World War Two Veteran Starts Over at 104 After Losing Home in Palisades Fire
- Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards' Daughter Lola Was Baptized After a Very Difficult Time
- Her 91-Year-Old Grandmother Is Besties With Her Husband and the Relationship Is Beyond Cute
- New Jersey High School Basketball Star Keeps Playing Through Cancer Diagnosis
- Dad Whose Daughter Died After Transplant Gives Kidney to Another Little Girl
- Musician is Reunited With Letterman Jacket, 30 Years After Ordering It Back in High School
- Twin Brothers Both Pop the Question Just Days Apart, Without Planning to Do So
- Girl Scout Saves Her Dad's Life Just 11 Days After Learning CPR
- This 100 Year Old Kentucky Centenarian Works At Home Depot, Offering Great Tips For a Long Life
- Woman Married 82 Years Has a Very Special Disney-Themed 100th Birthday Party
- Man Discovers 46 Year Old Christmas Present in the Wall of His Childhood Home
- 4 Year Old Twin Girls Are Heroes After Finding Retired Police Officers Wallet
- Her Cat Was Missing For 7 Years, But She Finally Came Back Home
- Delta Held a Plane So a Daughter Could Have One Last Goodbye With Her Dying Mother
- Even Through Dementia One Special Phrase Kept a Grandmother Connected to Her Husband
- Mom, Dad, and 6-Year-Old Daughter Are Heroes After Rescuing Woman From Overturned Car
- Couple Receive the Biggest Surprise Blessing After Cervical Cancer Diagnosis
- Old English Sheepdog Who Appears to Have Special Powers, Receives an Award
- 49 Years Later Daughter is Reunited With Birth Mother and Other Family After Taking DNA Test
- 22 Family Members Surprise Grandparents With a Fun Family Sleepover
- Scared Doodle Rescued From Thin Frozen New Jersey Lake With Help From Neighbors Drone
- Woman Caught in a Riptide is Saved by Fisherman's Hook
- Couple Finds Lost Ring In a Snowy Wonderland During Engagement Photo Shoot
- Jimmy Carter, 39th President, Passes Away at 100, Leaving Behind a Legacy of Service
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley Talks About Getting Her Voice Back After Losing It Two Years Ago
- 90-Year-Old From Oklahoma Is Rewarded For Going Out of His Way to Help Others
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
Top Music Videos

Anne Wilson Anne Wilson Captivates with Heartfelt 'My Jesus' Live Performance

Mac Powell Mac Powell 'I Love Jesus' Official Music Video

Passion Music Passion - The Lamb's Book of Life

Chris Tomlin Chris Tomlin - It Is Well

toby mac TobyMac’ ‘God Did It’ Official Lyric Video
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.