Bianca Elaine Lebron-Missing Eleven Years

Bianca Lebron was 10 when she vanished.

IT was in the early morning hours of November 7, 2001 when ten year-old Bianca Lebron arrived for her classes at Elias Howe School in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was a fifth grader there, and was a very good student, rarely missing school, much less skipping it.
     As Bianca was waiting in line by the rear door to enter Elias Howe School, she suddenly told her friends and a teacher than an "uncle" had come to take her shopping. She invited some friends to come with, but they declined. They believed the unidentified male that had pulled up in the tan van was her uncle, and did not interfere when she entered the van around 8:30 AM before classes had began. Bianca was last seen getting in the van on Clinton Avenue, and has not been seen or heard from since. It has been established that Bianca does not have an uncle, and none of her relatives own a van similar to the one she was last entering in.
      Bianca's mother, Carmelita Torres, noticed she was missing at 4:30 PM. She assumed she was at a friend's house, and had just forgotten to call. When the clock struck 8:30 PM and Bianca was still nowhere to be found, her mother called authorities, and searched relatives' and friends' houses to no avail.
To make matters worse, the school didn't even realize she was missing until the next day. She was counted absent the day she vanished.The school and teacher whom just let Bianca leave with the unidentified male that morning have received much criticism for the lack of security measures taken for Bianca. Her mother believes she is still alive, but had her declared legally dead to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the school. The city paid Bianca's family $750,000 to settle the lawsuit for negligence.

The sketch of the suspect who was seen in the van Bianca was entering.

    The unidentified man drove an older model, two-tone tan van with tinted windows.The outside was in very poor condition, and was sanded in many areas.The driver is described as a Hispanic male, twenty to thirty years old. He stood 5'8' - 5'11" with an average build. He had black curly hair styled in a short afro with long sideburns and a beard. He is also described as having a prominent nose, brown eyes, and scratches on both sides of his cheeks. He wore a long-sleeved blue pullover shirt with GAP imprinted on the front, and along the right sleeve. He also had on Fubu jeans with and image of the cartoon character Fat Albert on the right rear pocket, along with scuffed Timberland boots. The man made no attempt to hide his face from anyone around him, and showed no concern about anyone seeing him.

Bianca Elaine Lebron

   Bianca was ten years-old when she vanished. She was 4'11" and 115 pounds, has brown hair and hazel eyes. She is Hispanic and has a birthmark on her forehead. She was last seen wearing a beige and brown camouflage shirt, beige pants, black boots, and a denim jacket.She is known to have an outgoing personality along with high self-esteem. She liked music, singing, dancing and shopping at local malls, such as the Millford Mall and Trumball Mall near her residence. She also had a pet hamster named Nina.
   In April 2002, police questioned Jason "Gonzalez" Lara as a possible witness in her abduction. He had lived in Bridgeport, CT, and moved a month after Bianca vanished. He is an acquaintance of Bianca, resembles the suspect sketch, and has a friend who owns a van similar to the one Bianca was last seen getting into. He was eventually cleared as a suspect in her disappearance.
Today, Detective John Torres is handling Bianca's case, and is working hard to get answers. He investigates every tip, no matter how small or crazy it sounds. There is still a $64,000 reward for any tips that lead to Bianca.
   I see a lot of hope in Bianca's case. First, I am disappointed with the school (which I may add is now shut down) for letting her walk off with an unknown man, without even trying to investigate it. Perhaps if the man was investigated a little bit, he would have been discouraged from taking her. Thank goodness our school systems are much more secure nowadays. It's just too bad it took a situation like Bianca's to make it that way. I guess the most frustrating part about this case to me is that it could have been prevented from happening at the school.

The van Bianca was seen getting into before school started.

   I have always wondered who this man was to Bianca. He seemed to know her well, and she seemed comfortable and trusting enough to go with him. Was he an acquaintance she met at the mall, after school, online? Did he promise to take her shopping (something she would not refuse), and tell her to lie to anyone who asked by telling them he was her uncle? Also, the fact he was wearing Timberland boots and sounds unkempt makes me think he did handy man or factory work where steel toe boots may have been needed. I think Bianca's friends, family, friends of family, friends of friends, the school and aywhere else Bianca would go should check and seen if they remember hiring a man for electrical, plumbing, painting, construction or any kind of handy man who did odd jobs for them. Someone they may not remember, but who might remember them...and Bianca.
This crime seems very planned out. There's a reason he took her before school: easier access and no one would think of her as missing right away-he bought himself more time. The shopping trip was a lure to her, and obviously he had knowledge of the school not investigating him if she claimed he was family. I absolutely do not think this little girl "ran away" with him. She was just tricked by a predator into doing something innocent, something simple she loved; which was shopping. And like many other cases, it's possible Bianca isn't too far from where she vanished from.

 Bianca was last seen getting into a tan van with an unknown male. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org)

   This guy could have committed crimes before or after Bianca. I will always hold onto the possibility of Bianca being alive. A search in July 2009 of Seaside Park turned up nothing. There was also a reported sighting of the little girl in New Mexico. On the positive note, it's just a sign Bianca may still be out there, waiting to be found. Another theory I wonder about is if this man was a recruiter of children for human trafficking. After all, there was a sighting of her in New Mexico, although it remains unconfirmed. Girls captured into human trafficking are moved across the country and even the border very quickly for years to keep them undetected, especially if they are a high-profiled case, such as Bianca's.
   Bianca's family is still staying strong, and they still live in the same house they did when Bianca vanished.    There is a $64,000 reward for any tips leading to Bianca. She is also on the  FBI: Most Wanted Kidnapped & Missing Persons List. Please look at these images, share her story, and remember her and her loved ones in your prayers. This family has been through so much, let's help circulate Bianca's story and missing person poster.

Age Progressed photo of Bianca Lebron.

If you have nay information about the whereabouts of Bianca Elaine Lebron, please call:

 Detective John Burke

203-581-5183

OR 

1-800-THE-LOST

Sources:

http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Bianca-Lebron-Missing-for-10-years-2255434.php#photo-1727033

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lebron_bianca.html
http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Cleveland-escape-spurs-hope-for-missing-4500711.php
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/bianca-lebron