This Family's 24-Year Search For Their Missing Son Inspired A Movie — They've Just Been Reunited

Jul 15, 2021 by apost team

The disappearance of a 2-year-old boy named Guo Xinzhen from his home in eastern China in 1997 has finally been solved 24 years later this July. After the boy went missing back in 1997, his disappearance sparked a nationwide search that never seemed to end. 

In fact, his father, Guo Gangtang, never gave up, as he dedicated decades of his life in search of his missing son. He would ride his motorbike across the country, having passed through most of China's vast provinces. In total, he covered 500,000 km (310,685 miles), as reported by the state-run news outlet Xinhua.

On his journey, the devoted father had a flag with the image of his son attached to his motorbike, while he would carry a bag full of fliers in the hope that he would find him. He even accrued huge debts and burned through 10 motorbikes on his long journey over the years.

His endless search even inspired a movie starring Hong Kong actor Andy Lau titled "Lost and Love" that was released in 2015. Earning him national attention when it was released, the father was no closer to finding his own son, but he did use his attention to help other families track down their own missing children, helping to find more than 100 kids.

Finally, this year, state authorities used the latest technology and found a potential lead. After confirming that the boy was Xinzhen via a DNA test, the now-adult man was reunited with his parents and family, which was captured in an emotional video. Let's take a look.

Authorities made a significant new lead on the case this year when they used the latest technology, which consisted of facial feature comparison and DNA analysis, to find a potential match for Xinzhen in Henan province. After tracking the man down, a DNA test confirmed it was in fact the missing boy.

The video footage of the family reunion was incredibly emotional, showing multiple family members, including his father Gangtang, hugging Xinzhen while crying and telling him, "We found you, you've come back," as reported by CNN.

Furthermore, police had detained two people responsible for the boy's disappearance 24 years earlier — a man known as Hu and his ex-girlfriend known as Tang. The pair confessed after being interrogated, revealing that Tang had taken the boy from in front of his house in 1997 before meeting up with Hu. They then took a bus to Henan province where they sold the child. The police had investigated the case back in 1997, but with limited technology back then, the case stayed unsolved for years. Further details of Xinzhen's upbringing or who he was sold to were not released by the police. 

Tragically, China has a serious problem with child disappearances and most families aren't as lucky as the Guo family, with most kids never being found. It's unclear exactly how many children go missing in the country each year, but CNN reports that the estimates are in the tens of thousands. 

Since the start of the century, the Chinese government has ramped up efforts to curb the issue. This includes launching a DNA database just over 10 years ago and an online platform for such matters. In the last five years, the government has helped find over 4,700 missing children.

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