Rolandito Salas
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Rolando Salas Jusino (born October 12, 1994), better known as Rolandito Salas, or simply as "Rolandito", is a Puerto Rican boy who became famous after his 1999 disappearance.
Salas Jusino was playing, allegedly unsupervised, in a community park next to his house's backyard in the city of Toa Alta, near Bayamon, when he disappeared, on July 7.
His disappearance made him an instant media celebrity in Puerto Rico and in some Latin American countries. Newspapers such as El Nuevo Dia and El Vocero carried daily news about the investigation over his case. News of his disappearance were also heard in newspapers from other Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Mexico and Venezuela. Television channels such as WAPA-TV and Telemundo Puerto Rico also followed the case closely. In the United States, a report about his disappearance was televised by Telemundo's program, "Ocurrio Asi".
Many theories about his disappearance took form across Puerto Rico days after it happened, one of the most predominant ones being that his parents may have had a debt with local drug dealers and he may have been taken hostage as a way of payback. This theory was dismissed quickly by police and no member of the Salas or Jusino families has confessed to having drug problems. Another theory, this one with more base to it, is that Rolandito, who is an asthma sufferer, may have had an asthma attack and died in the surrounding areas before reaching his home.
Shortly after his mysterious disappearance, a woman who claimed to have ultranatural powers came into scene, claiming she felt that Rolandito was dead and that she knew where he had been buried. Escorted to a farm in Utuado by policemen and cadaver searching dogs, Soledad Rodriguez did not find anything at the place she thought that Salas had been buried.
Rolandito's case has been overtaken by the FBI and the Interpol.
After his disappearance was reported, many callers from different places have reported sightings of Rolandito to the FBI and the Puerto Rican police; these places include New York, New Jersey, the Dominican Republic and even Spain. So far, every tip has resulted in a dead end for the investigators.
In 2001, the die cast car company, Johnny Lightning, produced models of Puerto Rican police cars, including a trading card with information about Salas Jusino included on the models' boxes.
Rolandito would be twelve years old now, and considerably taller than the last time he was seen. He is of dark complexion. Anyone who might suspect of seeing him is recommended to call the FBI, Interpol or Puerto Rican police immediately.
Many Puerto Rican celebrities became identified with Rolandito's case, including Luis Francisco Ojeda, who, during a live Christmas show in 2004 asked God publicly for a prompt reunion between him and his family.
