Bridgeport Police say they’re exploring new leads on the disappearance of Bianca Lebron who was 10-years-old when she went missing in 2001.
The city’s police department publicized a newly generated image Wednesday of what Lebron could look like now as a 34- year-old woman.
The image, was provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Bridgeport police homicide detective Laura Azevedo-Rasuk said new information has been uncovered. However, Acevedo-Rasuk declined to release details, citing the active investigation into the case.
“At this point, we have a very strong lead into information as far as witnesses,” Azevedo-Rasuk said.
Azevedo-Rasuk also mentioned other updates from 2025, including excavating a home in the city.
Lebron’s disappearance made national headlines, as police officials continue to hold out hope Lebron may still be alive.
Lebron’s niece, Nevaeha Bianca Cooke, has not stopped thinking about her aunt, who Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter said she's never met.
“My grandma has been broken for the past 24 years without her daughter,” Cook said. “Please help bring my family closure.”
Porter pleaded for members of the public who might know more about Lebron's disappearance and/or her current whereabouts, to come forward.
“Anytime a community has a child go missing from school, we need to find out what happened,” Porter said. “And so if there's anybody out there, if you know anything regarding this case, please come forward and help us.”
Bianca Lebron went missing in November, 2001. According to previous reporting from the New York Times, Lebron reportedly entered a man’s van without incident outside of her elementary school.
Detective Jeffrey Holtz said much has changed in Bridgeport since then. Crime dropped to new lows in 2025 according to WSHU.
But Holtz said Lebron’s disappearance is an unhealed wound for the city.
“There is still a pall hanging over Bianca LeBron's family, the City of Bridgeport, and the community, specifically here on The West End where this case originated,” Holtz said.
