Abducted Chinese man finds way home with Google Maps after 23 years

A Chinese man who was abducted 23 years ago managed to find his way home with the help of Google Maps, a tech site reported Friday.

 

The Next Web cited reports in Chinese media that stated the man, now 28, was abducted and taken 1,500 km from his home to Sanming in Fujian province.

 

"Since the day of his capture, every night before bed he would remind himself of what his hometown of origin looked like. As his memories naturally faded with age, the one thing that stood out was a set of two bridges," it said. 

 

During his 23-year stay at his new "home", the man that the local reports identified as Luo got new parents, a new name, and otherwise had "a relatively normal life for the next 23 years."

 

His first step to tracing his home was in 2012, when he visited a website offering services for victims of abduction. He posted a roughly-drawn map of his hometown, and was informed six months later that a couple in Guangan, Sichuan had lost a son 23 years ago.

 

Luo used the satellite view of Google Maps to look for features – and saw the bridges he had remembered. It turned out the bridges were in Yaojiaba, near Guangan.

 

"What ensued was a tearful reunion with Luo’s birth family, during which he learned that his birth name was Huang Yun, and that he was the first born son among a family that included three younger sisters," The Next Web said.

 

The Next Web said the experience was similar to that of a man in Australia who rediscovered a family he lost in India.

 

"[L]uo’s story is a potent reminder that the cool gadgets and tools we access every day shouldn’t be taken for granted," it added. – KDM, GMA News