After 70 years of searching, a California family's search for their abducted relatives finally came to an end in June when an online DNA test finally led them to the other side of the country.
Luis Armando Albino, a former firefighter and Vietnam War veteran from the East Coast, was kidnapped in a park in Oakland, California, in 1951 when he was six years old. He was playing with his older brother when a woman wearing a bandana approached him, spoke to him in Spanish, and promised to buy him candy if he came with her.
For many family members, including his mother, who passed away in 2005, it was the last time they saw him. But they held on to hope for 70 years, always keeping his memory alive with photos of him in their home.
After his abduction, Lewis was flown across the country and raised by a couple on the East Coast. Officials and family members have not disclosed where on the East Coast he currently lives, and authorities are still investigating his abduction.
Lewis' niece, Alida Alekhine, 63, said she stumbled across a long-forgotten relative after taking an online DNA test “just for fun” in 2020. The test showed a 22% match with a total stranger who later turned out to be albino.
She tried to contact him but was unsuccessful.
She and her daughters began searching again in early 2024, digging through the Oakland Tribune microfilm archives at the Oakland Public Library.
A 1951 article detailed the tireless efforts of searchers to find Lewis, including deep dives of San Francisco Bay and other waterways. His brother Roger, who was questioned several times, repeatedly testified that he had seen a woman wearing a bandana taking Lewis away.
Armed with his archives, including photographs of Lewis and Roger, Alekhine provides police with enough evidence to open a new missing persons case for his missing uncle.
Oakland police acknowledged Alekhine's efforts, saying “she played a vital role in finding my uncle” and that “the outcome in this case is what we strive for.”
Investigators conducted further DNA testing comparing Lewis' DNA to that of Alekhine's mother, confirming the match and notifying the family on June 20 that their uncle had been found.
“We didn't cry until the investigators left,” Alekhine said.
“I held my mother's hand and said, 'I found him.' I was overjoyed.”
Federal agents helped arrange for Lewis and her family to come to California for a long-awaited reunion. Lewis met with Alekhine, her mother, and other relatives on June 24.
Alekhine is Bay Area News Group “Lewis hugged me, said 'Thank you for finding me' and gave me a kiss on the cheek,” she said.
The next day he visited Roger in Stanislaus County, California.
“They grabbed each other and hugged each other really tight and for a long time, and then they sat down and just talked,” Alekhine said, recounting the day they were kidnapped and their time serving together in the military.
Lewis, who had become a father and grandfather on the East Coast, returned to California for a three-week stay in July, just before Roger passed away in August.
Her uncle did not want to speak to the press.
“I was always determined to find him, and maybe my story will help other families in the same situation,” Alekhine said. “I want to tell them not to give up.”
With post wire.
