Bridgeport police and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a new age-progressed composite image of Bianca Lebron on March 18, 2026, showing what the woman who disappeared as a 10-year-old in 2001 might look like at age 34. The announcement — made at a press conference held near the school where she was last seen — comes amid renewed investigative activity, including a 2025 excavation of a Bridgeport property and what detectives describe as strong new leads.
Bianca Lebron vanished on November 7, 2001, from outside Elias Howe School on Clinton Avenue in Bridgeport's West End. She told a teacher she needed to speak with her uncle before class, then was last seen getting into a two-toned brown van with tinted windows. She was never found. The case has never been officially classified as a homicide, though homicide has not been ruled out.
New Image Aims to Trigger Memories, Generate Tips
The age-progressed image is the sixth produced for Bianca's case. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children creates age-progression images every two years until a missing child reaches age 18, then every five years. This image was created by Colin McNally, supervisor of NCMEC's forensic imaging unit.
"The goal of this is to trigger any recollection — any memory people may have of Bianca, or what their knowledge may be of what happened to her," said Tom Veivia of NCMEC's Team Adam, the organization's proactive case coordination unit.
Of the more than 8,000 age progressions NCMEC has produced, approximately 1,800 have contributed to case recoveries.
Bridgeport Detectives Describe Active Leads, 2025 Excavation
Detective Laura Azevedo-Rasuk of the Bridgeport Police Department's homicide unit is the lead investigator on the Lebron case. She confirmed at the press conference that detectives have identified persons of interest and described "a very strong lead into information as far as witnesses."
Investigators excavated at least one Bridgeport property in 2025 following new tips, with reports indicating excavation activity also took place at Seaside Park. Bridgeport police have not disclosed whether anything was recovered at either location.
Homicide Detective Jeffrey Holtz, also assigned to the case, reflected on the toll the disappearance has taken on those who knew Bianca. "There is still a pall hanging over Bianca Lebron's family," Holtz said. He added that investigators have not closed off any possibilities: "Bianca Lebron could be the victim of a homicide. She could also be missing and out there and still alive."
Police Chief Roderick Porter, who was a lieutenant with the Bridgeport department when Bianca disappeared 24 years ago, attended the press conference and urged anyone with information to come forward. "This family needs closure," Porter said. "Hopefully, we'll have positive closure."