I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin -Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Solkowski. And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases. Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your host Ali and it will just be me this week. I know we were off last week. It was Thanksgiving here in the States, so we did take the week off last week. I do apologize for the month of November. I feel like we've been out. more than we've been on,
but I am here to bring you a new episode. Eli's not able to join us this week for kind of a quirky reason. I just hurt my back really bad and the space that we sit in is very close and we kind of lean, we use one mic, so I just couldn't. lean with somebody else in here. So we decided he was making a very husband decision that he was not going to join the podcast so that way I wouldn't be in pain for the entire time we were recording. So that is why he's not here.
It's because I pulled a muscle on my back. But this week, I wanted to get back on the mic, back in the podcast rhythm to bring you a missing person case. So with that said, I think we should just go ahead and get into it. Just as a quick content warning at the top, this case does involve a young person. Today, we are talking about the missing person case of Bianca LeBron. And this takes place in Bridgeport, Connecticut in November of 2001. But first, a little bit about Bianca.
Bianca is just 10 years old in 2001. She lives in Bridgeport, Connecticut with her mother, her stepfather, and her siblings, Felicia, who was 12, Daniel, who was 13. and then little Janessa, who was just four. Bianca also had a pet hamster named Nina. Her father, Wilberto Lebron, lived in New York City, but they remained close. In 2001, Bianca was 4 '11 and around 115 pounds.
She had long, dark hair and hazel eyes. She was in the fifth grade at Elias House School on Clinton Avenue, and she was known for being excellent at math. Her mother described her as a, quote, friendly girl, a happy girl, someone who was able to get along with everybody. She loved music. She would come home and do her homework without having to be asked. She loved Destiny's Child and Jennifer Lopez. She was the kind of child where if you met her in the morning, you'd be
friends with her by the end of the day. And everyone who knew her, friends, family, again and again, they described her as kind, gentle. but a little bit shy. Bianca didn't naturally talk to adults she didn't know, according to her family. And now, a timeline of events. Wednesday, November 7th, 2001. This started out like any other Wednesday. Bianca woke up and got ready for school. Bianca walked to school, as usual, arriving around 8
.30 in the morning. She walked to school with her sister and cousin, so we know that she arrived there. In addition, she was seen by other students and by a teacher who was outside supervising. Later, it was revealed that it was actually Bianca's teacher who was outside supervising. She was wearing beige pants, a beige and green shirt,
black boots, and a dark blue jean jacket. Just minutes before the children were supposed to line up for the start of the day, Bianca told her friends that she was going to the mall with her uncle. A few moments later, she even told her teacher she was leaving school to go to the mall with her uncle. Something highly unusual. Bianca's family had never pulled her out to go to the mall before. The exact timing of when the beige and brown van pulled up isn't exactly
clear. But we do know that it's there. A couple of Bianca's friends walked with her over to the van. They noticed the man inside had scratches on his face. She even asked one friend if she wanted to come with them, but the friend declined. Bianca then got into the van, and the man drove away. The van was described as an older model two -tone brown and beige van with tinted windows. It looked worn down and patched in places, almost
like it had been sanded. Some kids remembered a lot of chrome and mirrors on the outside, and the inside had brown shag carpeting. The driver of the van was described as a Hispanic male, between 20 and 30 years old, about 5 '8 to 5 '11 with an average build, and black curly hair with long sideburns, and of course, the scratches on his face. One report said that the scratches were actually on his cheek. Bianca was last seen getting into the vehicle between 8 .30 a .m.
and 8 .40 a .m., the same time she would have been lining up for class and to go into the school. Minutes later, after the man had driven off with Bianca, her classmates settled in at their desks. Her teacher marked her tardy, but didn't follow up. The superintendent of the school later confirmed that Bianca had communicated directly with her teacher before leaving. However, no one called her family to confirm the story or report that
she didn't make it into class that day. At 4 .30 that afternoon, so the full school day had happened, when Bianca didn't arrive home with her sister that afternoon, her family immediately knew something was wrong. Her sister repeated the rumor spreading through the school that Bianca had left with her uncle to go to the mall. Bianca's mom and stepfather are immediately on edge. This
does not track. Some reports say that Bianca didn't have any uncles, while other reports say that Bianca's uncles were all working that day. Either way, the parents had no idea about any uncle picking her up from school to take her to the mall. That was never communicated to them. That was clear. So Bianca's mom and stepfather start calling her friends, hoping she's just visiting someone and had forgotten to call home.
She had done this a couple of times in the past, so this is what the family is hoping for in this case. But every call led to more and more dread. Again and again, nobody had seen or heard from Bianca that day. By 8 .30 p .m., Bianca's family reported her missing. The next day, Thursday, November 8, 2001. The next morning, the school learns that Bianca had been abducted. Her family was confused. Bianca walked with family and friends to school every single day. She didn't talk to
adult strangers. They had taught her about stranger danger, so how could she have met someone who could lure her away? Her stepfather Angelo said, quote, so she had to know him. But no one in the family recognized the description of the man or of the van. They also didn't have a computer at home, so meeting someone online didn't make
sense either for Bianca. Police spend the day searching the area around the school, but also interviewing her friends and the teachers and other people who were at the school that day to get all of their statements. By the next day, Friday, November 9th, the FBI joins the search. Agents go back to the school and interview students and staff at Elias Howe. Bianca's teacher, the man that she had let know that she was going to leave with the uncle, was suspended with pay
during the investigation. Police at this point have no leads. Quote, we've been following every conceivable lead, but we have nothing. Bianca's family hang posters everywhere, on telephone poles, storefronts, community boards, and they place ads in the paper immediately searching for the little girl. Bianca's mom pleads publicly to the kidnapper. Quote, just let her come home to me and her family. We're missing her. We need
her home. On Saturday and Sunday, November 10th and 11th, police intensified their search through the weekend, questioning family, including Bianca's biological father in New York City. But nobody had seen her. By Sunday, November 11th, the family began receiving disturbing prank calls. In one, a child cried softly before the caller hung up. It's unclear if police ever get to the bottom of these prank phone calls, but they're mentioned a couple of times in the paper, so I wanted to
bring them up here. Angelo said, quote, we didn't understand why someone would do that, referring to the prank phone calls. Police decided to place a patrol car outside of their home to kind of monitor and watch, but it doesn't seem like anything comes of that either. On Monday, November 12th, So Bianca has been missing for six days, and there were still no updates or leads. Police said, quote, unfortunately, there's no break yet in the case. They had been following leads
taken from everywhere. They had gone to Waterbury, Stanford, and New York City, but all of those led to dead ends. The family continued their effort of papering the town in missing person flyers with Bianca's picture and their own phone number so that way they could get the tips directly. The family was never going to stop looking for her. The school met with Bianca's family to discuss the security. The superintendent promised that safety was a priority. But Bianca's mother, devastated,
said, quote, she's a baby. She's only 10 years old. She was in line to go to class. She left with someone in a van. She was on school property. The family emphasized that Bianca would not leave with someone she didn't know, and they didn't know anyone with a beige van. The next day, Tuesday, November 13th, the school holds a community meeting, but Bianca's family attends again, and it's tense and emotional. Her mother accused the school of negligence and failing to protect Bianca.
Her stepfather demanded answers as well. He asked the school, quote, Why would we send Bianca to school if we were going to let her go to the mall with her uncle? Her family ends up storming out of this meeting. However, the parents that remain behind question the school's safety protocols as well. They pointed out that visitors weren't checked in, doors stayed unlocked all around the school, and students' absences weren't reported
unless a child had missed several days. Bianca's mother once again pleads to the kidnapper, asking for them just to let Bianca call home. On Wednesday, November 14th, Bianca has been missing for a week at this point. And again, there's no leads. Police don't have any suspects. But they do say that the FBI in Puerto Rico joined the search. We never get what that tip is that leads to the
FBI in Puerto Rico. getting involved in the case but they do remain involved in the case for some time so I do think that there's something about Puerto Rico specifically in this case but we don't have the details on that. On Friday, November 16th, a $10 ,000 reward was announced for information leading to the safe return of Bianca. On Monday, November 19th, Parents, students, and community members hold a demonstration in front of the school demanding better security. Bianca's mother
said, quote, we are brokenhearted. Thanksgiving's coming and she's not even home. Bianca's family is also heartbroken because any of the safety measures that get put into place after this wouldn't be there to help Bianca. But still, they want to fight for better security at the school for
all of the children. On Wednesday, November 21st, Bianca has been missing for two weeks at this point, Bianca's biological father, Wilberto, spoke publicly for the first time, saying, quote, On Saturday, November 24th, police still have no leads. They say that they have stopped every brown and beige van that they saw in the area during the last two weeks, but nothing matched, nothing came of it. On November 29th, the reward
is increased to $50 ,000 and more. Police state clearly, for the first time publicly, quote, it's therefore clear at this time that the child is likely the victim of kidnapping. Even though that had seemed to be the case and seemed obvious by everyone before this, this is kind of the first time the police are publicly saying she's kidnapped, she's abducted. On December 4th, police get a tip from Pittsburgh. The tipster called in and said that they had spotted Bianca in Pittsburgh,
but she was alone. She wasn't with a man. And this gives the police hope. I mean, they report about it in the newspaper. So they head out to Pittsburgh. But just like all the other ones, it didn't pan out. Rumors have also started circulating that Bianca had an older boyfriend and that he was likely the person that took her. Her family strongly denied this. And furthermore, Bianca is a child. She cannot consent to have a relationship
with someone older than her. If there was an older man involved, that's a grooming situation. I just want to be very, very clear about that, that Bianca could not consent to a boyfriend relationship due to her age. So it is a grooming situation. A lot of the newspapers at this time talk about this rumor of an older boyfriend, and it just really rubbed me the wrong way. Christmas of 2001 is a very solemn time for Bianca's family. At this point, she has been missing for over
a month. The family decides not to decorate for Christmas, saying that they'll only hang lights and decorate if Bianca comes home. So Christmas passed quietly and painfully for the family. In January of 2002, so Bianca has been missing for two months, and Bianca's picture appeared on newspaper stands around the city. Thousands of flyers are sent out to households across the area as well. It's also in January of 2002 that Connecticut implements an Amber Alert system,
two months after Bianca vanished. But it would have been helpful in her case, and she would have qualified for an Amber Alert under the guidelines. In February of 2002, so Bianca has been missing for three months now, and the family is very hopeful because Bianca's case is going to be shown on America's Most Wanted. And they've seen cases be solved from this, so they're hoping the same for Bianca's case. And after her story airs, 19 leads are called in, but they're all
dead ends. None of them pan out or lead to Bianca. In March of 2002, so it's been about four months, another tip comes in that Bianca was spotted at a mall. Police rushed to the mall and searched the entire mall area, going store to store, sweeping the area, and then stopping all of the cars leaving the lot to make sure that none of them contained Bianca. But no sign of her was found. Interestingly, a van similar to the description of the van Bianca was seen getting into was found at the mall,
but ultimately it was ruled out. In April of 2002, so it's been five months since Bianca was last seen, and the family has her declared legally dead. The reason that they do this is because they want to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against her school. And for that to proceed, Bianca had to be declared legally dead. But they're still hopeful that they'll see her again. In June of 2002, so it's been seven months now since Bianca went missing, and June marked Bianca's
11th birthday, a painful day. Her family had been lighting candles for her safe return every single day, and they continued to do that. The teacher, who didn't report Bianca's absence, later found a job at another school, so he moved out of that school district altogether. In August of 2002, Bianca's family filed their lawsuit against the school, but her mother still believed that Bianca was alive. In September of 2002,
another lead came in. A bus driver reported seeing Bianca getting into a black Chevy Blazer with a man shielding her face. Police investigated this tip as well, but again, it seems to have been ruled out. But it was one that they were very excited about because, again, it's reported in the newspaper. In November of 2002, at the one -year anniversary, police admit that they believed people knew what happened but weren't
coming forward in Bianca's case. In April of 2003, so this is just shy of a year and a half that Bianca has been missing, police announced that they were searching for Jason Gonzalez, but later he's identified as Jason Lara. They said that they believed he knew Bianca. Police thought that Jason Lara might be in the Fort Myers, Florida area, and it takes months to track
him down. It really isn't until November of 2003, just before the two -year anniversary, that he is arrested, though it's on a separate charge not related to Bianca's case. It's on a forgery charge. Police said he matched the description from the morning at the school and that he had been talking to Bianca and grooming her. Friends of Bianca reported seeing him kiss her. Others said Bianca told them that she visited his uncle's
house. Bianca's family recognized him as someone distantly connected through extended relatives, but emphasized again that she's a child. Jason Laura denied everything. He was heavily questioned, but not charged in Bianca's disappearance. Ultimately, he is let out of prison, and he continuously denied any involvement in Bianca's disappearance. In 2008, so Bianca had been missing for about six and a half years at this point, and the city settled the lawsuit with Bianca's family for
$750 ,000. In July of 2009, so seven and a half years she's been missing, police excavated a field near Black Rock Harbor looking for Bianca's remains based on a tip, but nothing was found in the area related to Bianca's case. 2024, so now it's been over 22 years that Bianca is missing. A warrant was reportedly sought in the last few years, but denied again and again. And it seems like the warrant was against this man, Luis Rivera, who was later convicted of sexually assaulting
three minors in the 1990s. Bianca's family pushed for charges related to Bianca, but none have been filed. I don't know what evidence there is that connects this man to Bianca. I couldn't quite figure that out through what's reported. But it does seem that as of 2024, this is who the family believed had done it. They even showed up to his hearing in these other charges, these other sexual assault charges, and like to show up for support for Bianca and to try to put pressure
on the prosecution. To bring an arrest. So where the case stands today, it's been nearly 24 years since Bianca climbed into that van. She was just 10 years old. She had a love for math and Destiny's Child. Someone in Bridgeport knows what happened to her. Someone saw something, heard something, or remembers something. Bianca deserves answers. She deserves justice. And her family deserves
to bring her home. So if you know anything about the disappearance of Bianca Lebron in November of 2001 or her whereabouts today, please call the Bridgeport Police at 203 -576 -7671. So that is the case of Bianca Lebron. The school 100 % dropped the ball here. They did not alert her family. Her parents, her mom, her stepfather didn't call in that day to report Bianca was going to be absent. They didn't call in. She
was expected to be at school. And then for Bianca to go up to her teacher, not even just someone else supervising, but her teacher and say, I'm leaving school to go to the mall with my uncle. You know, I have friends who are teachers, like I know teachers. I'm even thinking of my teachers growing up. And it's just really hard for me to believe that they would take a 10 -year -old at their word and just say, yeah, go with your uncle to the mall. Like, no need to call your
parents and double check that. No need to, you know, confirm who this person is. Go on. You know, like that to me just seems so backwards. You know, we like to think that this wouldn't happen, you know, today in 2025. But it's like this happened in 2001. This happened weeks after 9 -11 on the East Coast. And like still there was the security lax. So it just boggles my mind how the school could let this happen, how her
teacher could let this happen. So to me, that is like what's really frustrating in this case is that. There was an opportunity for this abduction to be stopped before Bianca ever got in that van. Like there was an adult who could have stopped this and it didn't happen. That's what's so tragic to me and so frustrating about Bianca's case is that she was right there and there was an adult that was supposed to be watching her right
there and still. This man was able to get her in the car and drive away with her with witnesses. She brought friends up to the car to like talk to the guy or whatever it was. Just very, very frustrating that that happened with the school. Also in researching this case, I kind of alluded to it in the timeline, but something that really frustrated me and got to me was. You know, these rumors flying around that Bianca had an older boyfriend and that's who likely took her. You
know, like this rumor spread fiercely. You know, there is even a man who, you know, was accused of, you know, being this person in her life. But I just have to make it abundantly clear that Bianca was a 10 -year -old child. She could not consent to an adult relationship. So it's not a boyfriend. It's a groomer. He was grooming her. If he's older than 10 years old, you know, he's a groomer. So that's something that really
frustrated me in this case. And, you know, I would hope that if it was reported on today, they wouldn't use that kind of language. But to me, like, it also wouldn't surprise me if they use that language today. Just because I think girls, especially brown girls, black girls, girls of color, You know, they are perceived at a much older age than what they really are. So that's something that frustrated me about this case is that saying Bianca had this older
boyfriend. No, she was a child and there was somebody grooming her in her life. Like that's that's what was really happening. But that language was not used here. And I would hope that would be used in 2025. But, you know, we see again and again that. That language is not used like black and brown girls are perceived as much older than they are. So there is this man, Jason Lara, who, you know, police heavily questioned back
in 2003. This is the person who was accused of being that groomer in this in this scenario. But where the case stands today, it doesn't feel like. her family necessarily thinks this anymore because this man Jason he did know the family but was like very distantly it was like his mom was dating like a great uncle it was like that kind of thing like and the great uncle and the mom had like broken up and then That's how he knew the family. So like it was a very loose
connection, but still a connection. You know, their paths did cross. So I think it is important that he's questioned, especially if there was any suspicion. But, you know, ultimately charges are never brought against him and he's released. He's denied involvement in it. And where the case stands today, it really seems like her family. wants to see justice and they believe it's this Louis Riviera guy. And he has been convicted of sexually assaulting three minors in the 1990s.
And it does appear that Bianca's family is pushing for charges in Bianca's case with this man. But I haven't seen any reports of like what police have that would link Bianca to Louis Riviera. I don't know. You know, how their paths would have crossed if he knew the family, if he lived in the area, you know, or more specifically, maybe lived closer to that school. It's unclear to me exactly what that connection is, but it's very clear to me that the family believes in
it. And, you know, they show up to his arraignments and wear shirts in support of Bianca and have even like yelled at him from the gallery of courtrooms to like. give answers in Bianca's case. So it's very clear to me that the family knows something, has belief in this. So there is something there,
it sounds like. And I'm hoping that now that this man is in prison, that police can continue to question him and either bring charges for Bianca in this case and get justice for her and answers for her family, or they're able to rule
him out and the family can kind of leave. that energy behind and continue to focus on Bianca's case and finding the true culprit like if it's not him let's rule him out completely and you know without question and then focus on the next person with this case and my future hope for this case is that we do get answers I noticed that in the reporting over the last 10, 15 years when police talk about this case, they very specifically say that somebody in Bridgeport knows something.
They end every press conference with this, but it's different than somebody knows something, somebody saw something. It seems pointed of like there are people out there that have direct knowledge that just are not coming forward. hope for Bianca's case that, you know, we get more energy behind it. Her family has been doing an incredible job advocating for her and putting energy behind her case and not letting the police forget about her. But I hope that, you know, we get to add
to that energy. We get to add to demanding answers for Bianca. And, you know, if somebody does know something, I hope they come forward and give
answers to what happened to this. amazing 10 year old like again and again everyone speaks so lovingly so highly of Bianca and I just think of what this world has lost not having her like here's this young girl who loved and was gifted in math like what breakthroughs could she have given society what things could she have discovered you know what could she have done to help others because it seems like that's the kind of person that she would have grown into and It's not OK
that someone gets to take Bianca away from her school day and never have to answer for that and get they take her away from her family and never have to answer for that. So I do hope that, you know, the person who has that missing link, no matter how small, even if you're sure, oh, the police must already know this. The police already have this information. Just call it in again. You never know. What has been missed over
the years? What has been lost? What was never even taken down as a report in the first place? Like you never know what little piece is just going to be the thing that unlocks everything. And maybe it is just a little thing that needs to be unlocked here to get the conviction, to get the arrests in Bianca's case. So again, if you know anything about the disappearance of Bianca Lebron in November of 2001, please call
the Bridgeport Police at 203 - 576 -7671. So we will have on our Instagram pictures of Bianca. We also have an age progression of Bianca and then the suspect sketch and then a picture of the type of van that was used. So this isn't the exact van, but this, according to witnesses, is what the van looked like. So we'll have all of those at our Instagram, at coldandmissing. If you could like it, share it, comment, get it boosted. Let's get it out there. Let's get
people talking about Bianca, about her. And let's make the kidnappers, the murderers, the suspects, let's make them nervous. Let's let them know we have not forgotten about Bianca. So please like, share, comment, all of that. It's so helpful. And it's so uplifting to the people in these communities to know that these cases are not forgotten about. And it helps others find this podcast and listen. And maybe they know something. Maybe they share it with someone who knows something.
You never know how that's going to happen. Please like, share, comment. If you could give us a five -star review, that's another way that people find our podcast is by positive reviews. Five stars, unfortunately, is the only thing that really feeds the algorithm machine. So if you have notes on how we can do better, email me those directly. But otherwise, leave us that five stars. It really helps get these cases out there, gets people listening that maybe wouldn't
give us a chance otherwise. So thank you. So thank you if you've already done it and thank you if you're thinking about doing it. And if you or someone you love is hard of hearing, we have official transcripts on our website, www .coldandmissing .com. Those are the transcripts that I go through, I edit, I make sure all the
spelling's correct and things like that. I know the automatic ones and podcast players sometimes don't always get spelling correct, but I try to go through and make sure that's all correct. So it's on there if you need it, along with all of our older episodes if you're looking for some older cases. But that is all I have for you this week. Thank you so much for coming back to Cold and Missing, for sticking with us, even when we have to take some unexpected weeks off or,
you know, it's the holiday season. So thank you for being here. Glad you made it back. Have a good week and stay safe, y 'all.