The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday named a person of interest in the disappearance of 8-year-old Christy Luna, who went missing on May 27, 1984.
Luna was last seen walking home from Greenacres general store after buying cat food.
Despite a massive search operation, nothing was found, and the cold case continues to intrigue the community even after four decades.
What the sheriff’s office said
On Wednesday, authorities in Florida named a new person of interest in the case.
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According to the sheriff’s office, Warren Gilbert Williams, Jr. has been named as a person of interest.
Williams was a Lake Worth resident who was 46 years old at the time Luna disappeared.
Sgt. Chris Karpinski, a supervisor in the sheriff’s investigative division, said in 2025, investigators received an anonymous tip from a person who knew Williams.
Evidence against Williams
According to an anonymous tip, Williams was remodeling a house in Greenacres the day Luna disappeared. Williams took a break to get a pack of cigarettes and did not return.
The person who provided the information said Williams built a concrete slab in his backyard, located on 16th Avenue North, about a week after Luna disappeared.
“He left the house and his remodeling efforts to go buy cigarettes at Belks General Store and never came back,” Karpinski said.
“That in itself, interesting information, but we have a lot of that information over the years that someone has been seen in the area and this and that,” he added.
“Suspicion existed through this circle of people that Mr. Williams knew over the years who discussed the possibility that he was involved in Christy’s disappearance,” Karpinski said at a news conference.
Williams had a criminal history
They also noted that Williams had a criminal history that included convictions in Florida and Alabama for child sexual abuse. Williams, who had been labeled a sexual predator, died in 2016 while serving a 10-year sentence in Alabama for sexual abuse.
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The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said before Williams’ death that he applied to be released from prison in 2016 because he had a terminal illness, but the application was denied.
Although Williams was named as a person of interest, the sheriff’s office said it searched the property, including the dog, excavated the property and used technology to scan the property, but no human remains were found.
Key things
- Christy Luna’s case remains unsolved despite extensive searches and investigations over the years.
- New information can emerge even decades later, potentially providing clues in cold cases.
- Criminal history can affect an investigation, as seen in the background of a newly named person of interest.
