What We Know About the Case of a Missing Boy Found Living as a Grandfather 70 Years Later

Luis Albino was lured away from a park and kidnapped in 1951

A California boy who was lured away by a bandana-wearing woman while he played in a park in 1951 was found alive more than 70 years later — and is now a grandfather living on the east coast.

Luis Armando Albino was just 6 years old when he vanished from a park in West Oakland, where he was playing with his brother, Roger, on Feb. 21, 1951.

Albino was located in part because his niece took a DNA test that led her to an uncle that hadn’t been seen by his family in more than half a century.

Here is what we know about how Albino's incredible story:

Kidnapped as a Child

As Albino played with his brother, the Associated Press reported that a woman wearing a red bandana lured him by promising to buy him candy.

The AP reported that the woman spoke to the young Albino, who is of Puerto Rican descent, in Spanish.

Instead of buying the boy candy, however, the woman flew him across the country to the east coast, where he was reportedly raised by another family.

The Guardian reported that Roger was questioned about the disappearance repeatedly by detectives.

At the time, the Oakland Police Department told PEOPLE, local authorities along with the U.S. Coast Guard and soldiers at a local Army base conducted an unsuccessful search of California waterways, including the San Francisco Bay.

Niece Sparks Search

Alida Alequin was the first to discover a sign that her long-missing uncle was still alive. In 2020, Alequin decided to take an online DNA test “for fun,” KTVU reported. When the test came back, it reportedly had a 22% match for a man as her uncle.

Alequin looked into the man at the time but found no answers. But in February 2024, she and her daughters began searching again.

Determined, Alequin went to the Oakland Public Library, the AP reported, and looked at film of old Oakland Tribune articles, which showed a picture of Roger and Luis. That’s when she contacted police about opening a missing persons case.

"On March 18, 2024, a woman contacted OPD's Missing Persons Unit regarding the possible location and identity of her uncle, Luis Albino, who had been missing for more than 70 years,” Oakland police told PEOPLE. “The woman told our investigators that her online DNA test results matched an individual believed to be her uncle, who was kidnapped in 1951.”

Luis Is Located

After Alequin reported her findings to Oakland police, the search for Albino began for the first time in many years.

Then in June, Oakland police gave Alequin the good news: her uncle had been located on the east coast.

"In my heart I knew it was him, and when I got the confirmation, I let out a big 'YES!,” Alequin said, according to The Mercury News.

Alequin was reportedly told by police that Albino is a retired firefighter and Marine Corps veteran, and is now a grandfather.

Brothers Reunited

Just days after he was found, the AP reported that Albino traveled to Oakland, where he met his niece in person. She then drove him to Roger’s home, where the brothers reunited for the first time in 73 years.

"They grabbed each other and had a really tight, long hug, they sat down and just talked," Alequin said, according to the AP.

The AP reported that Roger died in August, after Albino had returned for an extended visit in July.

The kidnapping case remains under investigation, Oakland police said.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.