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.