10 Y/O Last Seen Leaving School With Adult “Secret Boyfriend”

Bianca Elaine Lebron was a 10-year-old outgoing Hispanic girl from Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was a happy child who liked going to school, dancing, and playing with her hamster, Nina.

On November 7, 2001, Bianca arrived at Elias Howe School and waited in line to enter. In the earshot of a teacher, she told her friends her uncle was taking her shopping. She asked if they wanted to join them, but they declined. At 8:30 AM, Bianca’s friends and the teacher watched as she got into a van with her supposed uncle, a Hispanic man in his 20s.

He had black curly hair styled in a short afro, long sideburns, and a beard. The man was between 5'8 and 5'11, had an average build, brown eyes, and a prominent nose. There were scratches on his cheeks. He was driving an older model brown and tan van with tinted windows.

School administrators counted her absent that day and did not contact her family, even though Bianca did not have a habit of skipping school.

It was 4:30 PM when Bianca’s mother, Carmelita Torres, began to worry. Because it was normal for Bianca to spend time at relatives’ homes after school, she thought maybe the 10-year-old had forgotten to call her. But earlier that year, there had been an incident where Bianca had gone missing overnight. She was found at her friend’s house the next morning.

With no sign of her daughter, Carmelita reported her missing later that evening.

Sources differ on whether or not Bianca even had an uncle. Most say she didn’t, but according to a 2002 New York Times article, Sgt. Jesus Ortiz Jr. of the Bridgeport Police Department said her uncles were investigated and cleared of suspicion.

The Elias Howe School faced a lot of criticism. Even though it was policy to notify legal guardians when another person tried to pick up a child, they did not report Bianca leaving with a stranger.

In light of the student’s disappearance, security measures were increased. The school installed more surveillance cameras, and a police officer was stationed at the entrance during drop-off and pick-up hours. Meanwhile, the teacher who marked Bianca absent, Robert Memoli, was suspended with pay.

Carmelita still believed her daughter was alive, but she had her declared dead to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the school,

“I really blame the teacher for everything. He was responsible for her, and he never notified me.’’

The city had to pay the family $750,000. The school has since closed down.

In 2003, authorities questioned 20-year-old Jason Lara, a former Bridgeport resident who lived in Florida. Investigators believe he had groomed Bianca into having a romantic relationship.

He matched the description of Bianca’s “uncle”, and his friend owned a similar van. Bianca’s friends identified Jason as being her secret boyfriend. Several witnesses also told police they had seen Jason and Bianca kissing.

The 20-year-old had a criminal record for attempting to carjack two elderly women in 1998. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but was released early.

Jason, who was facing charges of forgery for writing his name as Jason Gonzalez on a fingerprint card, denied knowing Bianca’s whereabouts. When he was arrested again in 2010 for burglary, investigators tried to speak to him about the missing girl, but he refused. Jason was never charged with Bianca’s disappearance.

In 2009, authorities received a tip claiming the girl was buried in Seaside Park. Officials spent two days digging up a section in the west end to no avail. Two years later, a New Mexico resident thought they had seen a picture of Bianca in an online chat room, but it was not her. The case has gone cold.

Bianca Lebron has been missing for 22 years. If alive, she is now 32 years old.