Overview of The Deck — REMEMBERING: Marjorie "Christy" Luna (4 of Spades, Florida)
This episode of The Deck (Audiochuck) retells the unresolved disappearance of 8-year-old Marjorie “Christy” Luna from Greenacres, Florida, on May 27, 1984 (Memorial Day weekend). Host Kylie Lowe (presentation excerpted by Ashley Flowers) summarizes the original investigation, later witness revelations, renewed investigative leads, and ongoing advocacy by Christy’s mother and childhood friends who continue to search for answers more than 40 years later.
Key facts & timeline
- Date missing: Sunday, May 27, 1984. Christy left home in the afternoon to buy cat food at the nearby general store (Belk’s). She never returned.
- Initial searches: Family, local police, mounted units and canine teams searched neighborhood, woods, and nearby water; persistent rains reportedly complicated searching.
- Early witness accounts: Clerks at the store saw Christy inside buying cat food and watching kids play arcade games. Witnesses later placed her outside a house across the street from the store.
- 1984–1990s leads:
- Charles (“Chuck”) Rambo (31) and Willis Rambo (26) — local brothers who lived a block away — became people of interest after a child (Christy’s friend) disclosed sexual abuse by them. Both later pleaded guilty to lewd assault against that child and received probation (no jail time). Willis was later convicted in 1993 of sex crimes against his stepdaughter and is serving life. Neither was charged in Christy’s disappearance.
- Victor Wannetti — a convicted predator from New Hampshire who was in Florida during the time period; suspected by some due to travel violations and other allegations but never charged in Christy’s case; later died after being released from prison.
- William Ferris — identified by his wife after Ferris was arrested in Virginia for molesting grandchildren. She alleged suspicious comments he made around the time of Christy’s disappearance; Ferris denied involvement and later died in prison for unrelated crimes.
- Renewed attention through witnesses and social media:
- 2007: A former classmate, “Jennifer,” was jolted into memory by a broadcast and reported a traumatic childhood memory involving an assault in the park restroom the same day she believes Christy disappeared.
- 2009: Police worked sketches from separate incidents; no immediate breakthrough.
- 2016: Two childhood friends (Brenda and Jennifer) reconnected by Facebook, compared memories and sketches, and pushed the case back into investigators’ hands.
- 2019: A tip pointed to Guadalupe Martinez (deceased), whose family hosted fireworks nearby and whose property’s septic tank was investigated and excavated by anthropologists — no remains or evidence were found.
Main witness accounts & evidence threads
- Store sightings: Multiple store clerks recalled seeing Christy buy cat food and watch arcade games that afternoon.
- Park/bathroom incidents:
- Jennifer (then a child) described being attacked in the men’s restroom at the park; she said Christy barged in, shouted, and then Jennifer blacked out—she later realized traumatic memories had been conflated from two separate encounters.
- Brenda recalled a similar lure-attempt (man offering change to retrieve from the bathroom) a year earlier; she and Jennifer escaped and reported the man to police at the time.
- Sketches and old newspaper photos: Brenda and Jennifer later compared police sketches with archival photos of the Rambo brothers and believed the men they’d seen were the Rambos.
- Other witness details: An article stated a Hispanic man was seen speaking to Christy outside Belk’s the day she vanished; some witnesses reported seeing a man near the fireworks that day.
Suspects / persons of interest (summary & status)
- Charles “Chuck” Rambo and Willis Rambo
- Ties: Lived in Greenacres near Christy; convicted/pleaded guilty to sexual crimes against another child in the neighborhood. Witnesses connect one or both to luring incidents; Brenda and Jennifer identify them in archival photos/sketches.
- Status: Not charged in Christy’s disappearance. Willis is serving life for later sex crimes; Chuck reportedly lives in Tennessee and did not register as a sex offender (per reporting).
- Victor Wannetti
- Ties: Convicted predator in New Hampshire, was in Florida in the same period, and had been implicated by inmates in jail (later discredited). Possession of children’s underwear and voyeur photos found when arrested in NH.
- Status: Never charged in Christy’s case; died after later release from prison.
- William Ferris
- Ties: Lived behind Christy’s family in 1984; wife reported suspicious statements and timing; later convicted in unrelated child sexual abuse cases in Virginia.
- Status: Investigated but denied involvement; later died in prison for other crimes.
- Guadalupe Martinez
- Ties: Named in a 2019 tip; family hosted fireworks near where Christy was reportedly seen that day; tip led to excavation of his former property and septic tank.
- Status: Deceased; excavation turned up no evidence.
Investigative actions taken (notable)
- House-to-house canvass and searches of local parks, ponds, wooded areas; canine and mounted units employed.
- Interviews and polygraphs for family members — police reported cooperation and passed polygraphs.
- Warrants and searches connected with the Rambo residence and other associated properties (including digging near a well), but no incriminating evidence was recovered.
- 2019 excavation and forensic examination of a septic tank at a property linked to a tip (Guadalupe Martinez) — negative results.
- DNA/forensic status not detailed in the episode; investigators rely on witness recollections and historical reporting to seek corroboration.
Themes & investigative challenges
- Time and trauma: Decades passed; memories merged or faded, complicating witness testimony. Trauma caused conflation of two separate events in Jennifer’s account until reexamination years later.
- Community silence and normalization: Multiple residents reportedly knew of men who molested children but did not always report them formally—“family secrets” limited early documentation.
- Lack of corroboration: Despite credible witness recollections and multiple people of interest, forensic or physical evidence tying any suspect to Christy’s disappearance has not been publicly confirmed.
- Renewed advocacy: Social media and survivor outreach revived leads and encouraged other victims/witnesses to come forward years later.
Current status & calls to action
- Case remains unsolved; Christy’s whereabouts and fate are unknown.
- Christy’s mother, Jenny, continues to advocate; childhood friends Brenda and Jennifer now actively maintain awareness through a Facebook page (Missing Marjorie Christina “Christie” Luna) and collaboration with investigators.
- If you have information: contact Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-8477 (anonymous tipline). The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office also welcomes tips (contact details available in episode show notes / blog post).
Notable quotes
- “She can't speak for herself right now. She needs us more than ever. We are her voice right now.” — sentiment expressed by Christy’s friends and advocates.
- Detective William Springer: skeptical of jailhouse confessions and mindful of how child predators behave in custody — underscores need for corroborated evidence.
Where to find more / how to help
- Listen to this episode of The Deck for full reporting and audio interviews.
- Check the episode blog post for archival newspaper photos and sketches (as referenced in the episode).
- Contact Crime Stoppers (1-800-458-8477) or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office with any tips or information.
- If you grew up in Greenacres and had similar encounters or remember suspicious people/events from the Memorial Day 1984 timeframe, consider coming forward to help investigators.
If you want a compact timeline or a one-page printable summary suitable for sharing with local law enforcement or community groups, I can create that next.