Timeline Marjorie “Christy” Luna

Case Details: Disappearance of Marjorie “Christy” Luna
Marjorie Christina “Christy” Luna was an 8-year-old girl who vanished on May 27, 1984 (Memorial Day weekend Sunday) from her neighborhood in Greenacres, Florida (Palm Beach County).

• She left her home barefoot, wearing a turquoise bodysuit, to walk a short distance about 400 feet to a nearby corner store (Belk’s General Store or similar convenience store) to buy cat food.
• She was last seen walking home from the store that afternoon.
• She never returned home, and despite immediate massive searches involving law enforcement, community volunteers, and extensive efforts, no trace of her was ever found no body, no clothing, no definitive evidence of what happened.
• She has a distinctive strawberry birthmark on her hip.
• Age-progressed images show what she might look like as an adult (currently estimated around 49 years old if alive).

May 26, 1984

• Christy Luna, her mother Jenny Luna, sister Alison, and Jenny’s boyfriend Larry Jackson travel to Central Florida for a day trip.
• They return home by driving south along A1A and U.S. 1, stopping at several parks along the way.
• Their final stop before returning home is DuBois Park in Jupiter, Florida.
• Jenny Luna drives through the night and is very tired when they arrive home.

May 27, 1984

Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida

• 2:00 p.m. Marjorie “Christy” Luna, age 8, returns home with her family from a Memorial Day weekend trip. Before going home Jenny buys Christy a Wendy’s Happy Meal. Present in the home:
• Jenny Luna (mother)
• Alison Luna (sister)
• Larry Jackson (mother’s boyfriend)
• Marjorie “Christy” Luna
•  Jenny is extremely tired from driving through the night.
• 2:05 p.m. Christy watches the Beatles animated movie “Yellow Submarine.” The rest of the household prepares to nap.
• 2:10 p.m. Jenny, Alison, and Larry lie down to rest. Christy remains awake.
• 2:20 p.m. Christy notices the family cat has kittens and there is no cat food left. She tells her mother she wants to go to the store.
• 2:25 p.m. Christy gathers empty plastic bottles to exchange for money. She prepares to walk to Belk’s General Store. Distance:
• 2:30 p.m. Christy leaves the house barefoot. Clothing:
• Turquoise jumpsuit
• She walks toward Belk’s General Store, two blocks away.
• 2:31 p.m. Christy is walking east toward the store.
• The route passes open yards and neighboring homes.
• The store is located about 400 feet from her home, only a short walk away. Walking time: 1–3 minutes
• Christy is barefoot and wearing a turquoise bodysuit when she leaves the house. 
  At the store
• Witnesses confirm Christy enters the store and buys cat food.
• A childhood friend later recalls seeing Christy wave while entering and leaving the store.
• Investigators later determine she may have stayed near the store or gone to a nearby park where children often played.

Important detail: In 1984 there were no fences separating many properties, allowing multiple possible walking paths.

• 2:32 p.m. Christy approaches the intersection near the store.
• 2:33 p.m. Christy arrives at Belk’s General Store. Witness:
• Store clerk Ellen Belk
• 2:34 p.m. Christy exchanges bottles for money or uses small cash she had.
• 2:35 p.m. The clerk sells Christy cat food. This is the last confirmed verified sighting of Christy Luna.
• 2:36–2:40 p.m. Possible scenarios reported during the investigation:
• Christy leaves the store immediately and begins walking home.
• Investigators later learned she may have stayed at the store longer, but this was never confirmed. 
• 6:00 p.m. Investigators later learn from witness interviews that Christy may have remained near the store as late as 6:00 p.m., possibly playing arcade games. This information was not fully confirmed and remains uncertain.
• After leaving the store• Christy is last seen leaving the store area, walking away toward home. 
• She never arrives back at her house. 
• 8:30 p.m., Christy’s sister notices she has not returned home. 
• The family searches the neighborhood. 
• 10:15 p.m., authorities are notified and the disappearance is reported. 

May–June 1984

Initial Search

• Palm Beach County authorities and volunteers conduct searches in the surrounding neighborhood and wooded areas.
• Investigators conduct door-to-door canvassing throughout the neighborhood.
• Christy’s bodysuit is later discovered in a swampy wooded area near her home, raising concerns she may have been abducted.
• The case begins to be treated as a possible child abduction.
• The investigation is led by Detective Sergeant Dennis Connell of the Greenacres Police Department.
• Over 50 individuals are interviewed, including numerous neighborhood children.
• Because of the limited technology available in 1984:
• No cell phones
• No national missing person databases
• No modern computer search systems
• Investigators rely primarily on in-person interviews and neighborhood canvassing.

1984–1985

Early Suspects and Investigation

• Several individuals become persons of interest, including Victor Wonyetye, a convicted sex offender who was reportedly seen near the store around the time Christy disappeared. 
• Willis and Charles “Chuck” Rambo, who lived nearby, are also investigated. 
• The Rambo brothers are later charged with molesting Christy’s six-year-old friend, which investigators discovered during interviews about the disappearance

1984

Rambo Brothers

• During interviews with neighborhood children, investigators learn that Christy had visited the home of two brothers:
• Charles “Chuck” Rambo
• Willis Rambo
• The brothers lived only a few houses away from Christy’s home.

Discovery During Investigation

• Investigators interview Christy’s best friend, a six-year-old girl.
• The child reveals that the Rambo brothers had sexually abused her.

Arrests

• Both Charles and Willis Rambo are arrested.
• Police obtain a search warrant for their residence.

Results of Search

• The home and property are searched.
• Investigators find no evidence linking them directly to Christy’s disappearance.

Court Outcome

• Charges related to sexual battery are dropped after a judge rules that the six-year-old’s statements would be inadmissible in court.
• The brothers later plead guilty to lesser charges of lewd assault.

Later Criminal History of the Rambo Brothers

1993

• Willis Rambo is convicted of sexually abusing his stepdaughters.
• He receives four life sentences and remains imprisoned in Florida.

After 1994

• Charles Rambo is later required to register as a sex offender after federal registration laws are enacted.
• He eventually relocates to Lenoir City, Tennessee.

Suspect: Victor Wonyetye

Mid-1980s

• Police in Exeter, New Hampshire contact Florida investigators regarding a suspect:
• Victor Wonyetye is connected to the disappearance of Tammy Belanger, a girl who vanished in New Hampshire in 1984.
• Connection to Christy Luna: Wonyetye’s parents lived near Greenacres, placing him in the area when Christy disappeared.

Confession Claims

• Prison inmates later tell investigators that Wonyetye claimed he had:
• abducted
• raped
• murdered
• both Christy Luna and Tammy Belanger.
• Wonyetye denies involvement.

Later Arrest

• After being released from prison, investigators conduct surveillance on him for approximately 30 days.

During surveillance:

• He is observed peeping into bedroom windows of homes with children.
• Detectives also witness him masturbating outside those windows.
• Later: He is arrested again for sex crimes. 
• Later released and moves to Ocala, Florida.
• Wonyetye eventually dies of natural causes.

Suspect: William Farris

1984

• William Farris lives in a house located behind the Luna residence.
• At the time, the area had no fences, allowing easy movement between yards.
• Possible scenario investigators consider: Christy may have attempted to visit a friend living behind the store. That friend was not home, but Christy did not know that.

Statements Made by Farris

• Farris allegedly said in 1984 that “one of these girls is going to disappear.” After Christy vanished, he reportedly stated:
• “They’ll never find her. She’s off of Alligator Alley.”

2010

• William Farris is arrested in Virginia for child molestation.
• He receives a life sentence.

Re-Interview

• Detectives re-interview him regarding Christy Luna.
• Initially he denies knowing Christy.
• Later he admits he did know her, because his wife babysat Christy’s best friend.

1985

• Case handled initially by Greenacres Police, later transferred to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO). Remains a high-profile unsolved missing child case with limited physical evidence. Numerous tips pursued over decades, but no breakthroughs. Becomes one of Palm Beach County’s longest-running cold cases.

2019 

• 35th anniversary: PBSO releases a documentary titled “The Lead: Finding Christy Luna” to generate public awareness and tips. Leads to a “credible lead” and an anonymous tip. PBSO conducts a major excavation/dig in a yard near her home where she reportedly played (across the street from where she was last seen). Search lasts several days with community/volunteer help (including high school football team members); no human remains or conclusive evidence found (some bones tested and ruled non-human).

May 27, 2023 

• 39th anniversary: PBSO posts updates and shares documentary clips, urging tips and emphasizing that someone knows something.

May 27, 2024 

• 40th anniversary: PBSO releases a new video appeal. Source
• Detectives reiterate belief in community-held information and continue active investigation under Cold Case Unit (led by Detective Bill Springer).

May 27, 2025 

• 41st anniversary: PBSO announces a significant new lead—a registered sex offender in Michigan (Jerry Alex Grof, aka Jerry Bailey) identified as a person of interest. His parole officer discovered a photo of Christy on his phone. Detective Springer travels to Michigan for interview. Grof claims he saw the image on the dark web. Investigators unable to confirm his (or his family’s) presence in Palm Beach County in 1984. PBSO publicly asks community for any memories of the “Bailey family” in the area during that time. Reward offered via Crime Stoppers (up to $15,000 for info leading to resolution).

Investigation History

• May 27, 1984 Initially handled by Greenacres Police Department; later taken over by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO).
• The case quickly became a high-profile missing child investigation with no strong initial leads or physical evidence, making it one of Palm Beach County’s most enduring cold cases.
• 2019 Over the years, PBSO pursued numerous tips, including a 2019 excavation/dig in a yard where she reportedly played (no results).
• In 2019 (35th anniversary), PBSO produced a documentary titled “Finding Christy Luna” to generate tips.
• May 27, 2024 On the 40th anniversary (May 27, 2024), PBSO released another video appeal emphasizing belief that “someone knows something.”
• In May 2025 (41st anniversary), a new lead emerged: A registered sex offender in Michigan (Jerry Alex Grof, aka Jerry Bailey) was identified as a person of interest after his parole officer found a photo of Christy on his phone. Detective Bill Springer traveled to Michigan to interview him. Grof claimed he saw the photo on the dark web, but investigators could not confirm his presence in Palm Beach County in 1984. PBSO publicly asked for anyone remembering the “Bailey family” in the area at the time to come forward.

March 11, 2026

• 10:00 a.m. Update: Today marks the 41st anniversary plus some months since her disappearance, but more significantly, on March 11, 2026, PBSO’s Cold Case Unit announced a new person of interest in the case. Source
• PBSO holding a press conference at 1:00 PM today at the PBSO Pressroom (3228 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach) to share details.
• Detective Bill Springer continues to lead efforts and has repeatedly stressed that someone in the community likely holds key information.
• No resolution yet no arrest, no recovery of remains, and the case remains open and active.

Contact Information for Tips

• Detective Bill Springer: 561-688-4013 or  [email protected]
• Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County (anonymous): 1-800-458-TIPS (8477) rewards up to $15,000 possible for information leading to resolution.
• PBSO main: (561) 688-3000

This case has haunted the family especially Christy’s mother, Jennie Johnson, who has expressed coping by hoping she was taken by a couple rather than harmed and the South Florida community for over four decades, with renewed pushes via podcasts, media coverage, and sheriff’s office efforts to encourage anyone with even small memories to come forward.