PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Detectives say they may be getting closer to answers in one of South Florida’s most heartbreaking cold cases.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced a new person of interest in the disappearance of Christy Luna -- a case that has remained unsolved for more than 40 years.
Christy was 8 years old when she disappeared on May 27, 1984.
Investigators say she was last seen walking home from a corner store in Greenacres after buying cat food.
Despite search efforts, multiple suspects and years of investigation, Christy was never found.
Detectives with the PBSO’s cold case unit say they are focusing on Warren Gilbert Williams Jr., a former Lake Worth resident who died in 2016.
Investigators say Williams had a criminal history involving child sexual abuse.
They also say he was building a concrete slab near the area where Christy disappeared and was reported missing the same day she vanished.
Williams was 46 years old at the time.
Deputies did search the property connected to the tip, but officials said no human remains were found.
Christy’s mother, Jennie Johnson, says she has never stopped hoping for answers.
“In the back of my mind, to be able to cope with this, I think that a couple wanted a little girl and took her,” Johnson said. “That’s how I cope. I mean in the back of my mind, I’m thinking you know, I try not to think the worst because it’s it’s just too hard to deal with.”
Detectives say the investigation is still active and there are several suspects they continue to look into.
PBSO say they want to learn more about Williams and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
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