Hi, my name is Marjorie "Christy" Luna. I disappeared 33 years ago, at the age of 8. I was never found and this is my story… #Justice4Luna pic.twitter.com/xAfBV9mqpI — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 26, 2017 
 
 The day she disappeared, 8-year-old Christy Luna wore freckles, a turquoise body suit and no shoes. 
 
 It was Memorial Day weekend in 1984, and the girl was in search of some food for her cats, Boo Boo and Skeeter. Christy left her home in Greenacres, Fla., where she lived with her mom and sister, Allie, and walked the 500 feet down the street to Belk’s General Store. 
 
 Then Christy vanished. 
 
 For decades, detectives chased leads across the country, investigated at least four different men and kept in contact with Christy’s distraught but undeterred mother, Jennie Johnson, who was napping when her daughter disappeared. The girl’s face appeared on statewide billboards, milk cartons and America’s Most Wanted. 
 
 Still, the case stalled, producing no arrests and no Christy. 
 
 Without answers, the mysterious kidnapping haunted Greenacres, a small community in Palm Beach County, and the law enforcement officers who had dedicated careers and cabinet space to solving it. 
 
 So over the holiday weekend, on the 33rd anniversary of Christy’s disappearance, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department used an eerily unorthodox campaign to resurrect the girl’s story — by resurrecting the girl. 
 
 Beginning May 26, the date before Christy disappeared, authorities let her imagined voice “take over” their Facebook and Twitter to recount in real time what she could have been thinking and feeling during her kidnapping all those years ago. 
 
 “Let me take you back to 1984, the time when I was a happy child, living in Greenacres with mommy, my sister Allie, Mama Kitty and her babies,” the sheriff’s office tweeted Friday morning, pretending as though Christy had typed the words herself. “Who would have thought that tomorrow would be the day I disappeared and was probably brutally beaten, raped, sold or murdered?” 
 
 Let me take you back to 1984, the time when I was a happy child, living in Greenacres with mommy, my sister Allie, Mama Kitty & her babies pic.twitter.com/5c0Y8Zs6V0 — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 26, 2017 
 
 The tweets and Facebook posts in Christy’s voice continued through May 27, the anniversary of her disappearance, and May 28, when Johnson went on the news to plead for the safe return of her child. 
 
 Mommy is on the news, now they'll be able to find me, right!? Everyone is so worried. Breaks my heart to see this #Justice4Luna pic.twitter.com/5UKF498WT0 — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017 
 
 Allie is getting together with The Church where we do Sunday school. They are passing out papers with my picture on them. Thank you pic.twitter.com/iT5v18uTnh — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017 
 
 According to the tweets and newspaper accounts, Johnson let her daughters believe she was taking them to Disney World on May 26, 1984. They packed fruit, sandwiches and blankets and set off on a road trip. But instead of Disney, they went to Dubois Beach, a coastal park in the city of Jupiter. 
 
 “Guess what!!!???” one tweet read. “We didn’t make it to Disney! Mommy says we don’t have money.” 
 
 On May 27, they arrived home from their holiday trip, exhausted. Johnson got them Wendy’s fast food. Christy ate, but Allie, 10, went straight to bed in the small room the sisters shared because they were afraid of the dark. Johnson napped, too, while Christy searched for loose change and ventured to the store. 
 
 At 8:30 p.m., Allie woke up to an empty bedroom. She waited 30 minutes, reported the Miami Herald, then stirred her sleeping mother. 
 
 “Mommy,” Johnson recalled Allie saying, “where’s Christy?” 
 
 They questioned neighbors, searched dumpsters and visited Belk’s, where people said they saw Christy buy the cat food then step outside to watch other children play with fireworks. 
 
 The sheriff’s department tweets did not go into detail about what happened next, but offered an imagined inner dialogue that left some followers chilled and perplexed. 
 
 Wait, something doesn’t feel right… Someone keeps looking at me… Something is wrong; my heart is pounding . . . #Justice4Luna — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017 
 
 STOP!!! NOOO, DON’T DO THAT! — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017 
 
 Why are you taking me? Why are you doing this? Nothing will ever be the same after this… #Justice4Luna — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017 
 
 The remaining tweets seemed to speak directly to Christy’s mother. 
 
 Mommy & Allie went to my friend’s house and the neighbors. Mommy is holding my picture, asking them if they’ve seen me. It's about to rain.. pic.twitter.com/QLd40kIydy — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017 
 
 "911, what's your emergency?" – Mommy is calling the cops. Yes, ask for help. Have them look for me, mommy. I'm so scared! #Justice4Luna — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017 
 
 And in some tweets, the resurrected Christy spoke directly to followers interacting with her story: 
 
 Wow, that means so much. To think I was you're same age at the time and you were there trying to find me. Thank you. #Justice4Luna https://t.co/UoZit4iUtZ — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017 
 
 I hope so too Darlene, I'm so scared! https://t.co/gG9m6wOVkc — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017 
 
 While it seemed the reaction to the campaign was largely positive, eliciting thanks and emotion, others felt it was eerie. 
 
 “I like the idea behind this story thing,” one man tweeted to the sheriff’s office. “But it’s a little creepy.” 
 
 “Have you been hacked?” another tweeted. 
 
 And another: “Can you guys cool it with these bizarre tweets coming from a Missing Child/Adult?? We get it. It’s tragic. We hope she’s found. Just 2 Weird.” 
 
 By now, Christy would be a 41-year-old woman. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children developed a composite sketch of how she might look today, with blue eyes and wavy, chestnut brown hair. 
 
 It’s unclear what impact the social media campaign had on the case, although the goal was to inspire someone, somewhere to come forward with fresh tips that might lead to a break. 
 
 A similar effort by Canadian authorities inspired Anthony Rodriguez, social media manager for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department. He attended a law enforcement conference in California in April, where he learned of the social media campaign the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had launched on behalf of Kerrie Ann Brown, reported the Palm Beach Post. 
 
 Brown was 16 when she was raped and murdered in 1986. Her killer was never found. 
 
 Canadian authorities had the dead girl “take over” their Facebook and Twitter in October, which produced tips and leads but no arrest. 
 
 “It was absolutely worthwhile,” Tara Seel, spokeswoman for RCMP in Manitoba, told the Palm Beach Post. “There was no arrest but we definitely did get some action on the investigation.” 
 
 In Christy’s case, Florida authorities have thought for decades they knew who took her but were never able to establish enough evidence to prove it. 
 
 Victor Wonyetye was reportedly at a party in Christy’s neighborhood the day she disappeared, reported the Palm Beach Post. He worked at a golf course, then moved to New Hampshire shortly after, where that same year another 8-year-old girl went missing while walking to school. 
 
 The school, authorities said, was near the body shop where Wonyetye worked. 
 
 Florida law enforcement traveled to New Hampshire and compared the two cases, but the man was never charged in either. 
 
 Wonyetye later returned to Palm Beach County, where he went on trial in 1992 for indecent exposure and burglary charges unrelated to Christy’s disappearance. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison, the Palm Beach Post reported. 
 
 Authorities testified during the trial that prison inmates claimed that Wonyetye had admitted to killing Christy and the New Hampshire girl. He was released from prison in 2012. Eight months later, he died. 
 
 At a news conference in 2013, local authorities asked those who might have information about Christy’s disappearance to come forward, hopeful that with Wonyetye dead they might be less afraid. 
 
 “Just not knowing, not knowing where she is is torture,” Johnson said at the time. “I’ll never give up until it’s solved.” 
 
 Two other men, brothers Willis and Chuck Rambo, lived in the neighborhood and were also investigated, but no evidence linked them to Christy. 
 
 Jenny Sampson, one of Christy’s childhood friends, told TV station CBS 12 that a paranoia poisoned the neighborhood after her disappearance. 
 
 “You never even went to the grocery store or were out in public, or even just walked down the street without knowing that there was probably evil lurking,” Sampson told CBS 12. “You learned that evil was absolutely in your neighborhood.” 
 
 On Sunday, the sheriff’s office closed out its social media campaign with one last plea from Christy: 
 
 “Thank you for letting me share my story,” the final tweet said. “Now I ask you to help me. Share my story with others. Help my family find answers.” 
 
 Thank you for letting me share my story. Now I ask you to help me. Share my story with others. Help my family find answers. #Justice4Luna pic.twitter.com/a5LQ3oGaVi — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017 
 
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 Texas teachers give ‘most likely to become a terrorist’ award to 13-year-old ||||| Lindsey Baum, 10, disappeared at about 9:30 p.m. on June 26, 2009, while walking home from a friend’s house. Despite extensive searches in the hours and days after she vanished, no sign of her was ever found. 
 
 For almost nine years, the parents of Lindsey Baum circulated fliers with their 10-year-old daughter’s smiling face, hoping one day she would return home. 
 
 That wish disappeared Thursday when the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office announced a DNA analysis confirmed the remains of the girl, who lived in the small community of McCleary, as those found by hunters in a remote area of Eastern Washington last fall. 
 
 “We’ve brought Lindsey home,” said Grays Harbor County Sheriff Rick Scott, making the announcement. He released only sparse details about the discovery, omitting the exact location or piece of land on which the remains were found. 
 
 Authorities are now focused on finding the individual responsible for Baum’s death, whom Scott called a “monster.” 
 
 Relatives, friends and neighbors reacted to the news Thursday with devastation and prayers on social media and beyond, many calling it a necessary step for them to move on. Some recalled their memories following the case or connections to the Baum family. Others, too, who followed the case from a distance, offered condolences. 
 
 Asked how Baum’s parents reacted to the news, Scott said, “They were understandably devastated.” He said they had maintained hope she would someday be found alive. 
 
 The development marks a major milestone in what has now become a kidnapping and homicide investigation after years of authorities searching for answers on her disappearance, tracking down more than two dozen possible persons of interest, none of whom panned out as connected. 
 
 Scott said local authorities had turned the remains over to the FBI for DNA analysis months ago, but the analysis wasn’t done until recently because the remains weren’t connected to a known homicide case. 
 
 Baum disappeared at about 9:30 p.m. on June 26, 2009, while walking home from a friend’s house. Despite extensive searches for the missing girl in the hours and days after she vanished, no sign was ever found. 
 
 At the time of her disappearance, Baum was 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 80 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light-blue, hooded sweatshirt, bluejeans and black slip-on shoes. 
 
 Missing fliers include photos from that time, as well as one of how she may have looked now. At one point, the sheriff’s office was offering a reward of up to $35,000 for information on her whereabouts and for the arrest and charges against the person or persons responsible for her disappearance. 
 
 The case gained national attention, including a feature on the cover of People magazine and The Oprah Winfrey Show. 
 
 One woman, Tamara Sauer, said she grew up in the small town, now with a population of 1,600, and lived there when Baum went missing. Search parties canvassed wooded areas at all hours of the day and hung missing fliers all over. 
 
 The search also included helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft from the Washington State Patrol and search-and-rescue dogs. Authorities said they spoke to every resident and searched more than 150 homes. 
 
 “I just need my daughter home,” her mother, Melissa Baum, told an Aberdeen news outlet at the time. 
 
 McCleary is north of Highway 8, about 30 miles from Aberdeen and near the Capitol State Forest. 
 
 The fear among the community and Baum’s family at that time, Sauer said, is indescribable for those who did not live through it. 
 
 “When Lindsey disappeared, I saw McCleary transform in a way that was devastating,” Sauer wrote. “There were no longer kids outside playing or riding their bikes. The park was empty all the time. It was like the town turned dark and silent.” 
 
 A Facebook group dedicated to Baum requested privacy for her relatives, close friends and mother as they grieve. 
 
 In the yearslong quest to identify possible suspects, a process that included the release of several surveillance videos and news headlines, authorities in Grays Harbor County most recently investigated a possible link between Baum’s disappearance and three elderly Seattle brothers who were each charged last year with two counts of second-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexual conduct. Charging papers filed against the men said a search of their home turned up volumes of sexually explicit images and videos of young girls, along with girls’ clothing, shoes, toys and handwritten notes about girls being kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed. 
 
 The brothers also owned property in Shelton, about 30 miles from McCleary. 
 
 Two of the brothers, Edwin and Thomas Emery, pleaded guilty to the charges. Charges against Charles Emery were dismissed after he was ruled incompetent. 
 
 However, no link between the Emery brothers and Baum was ever established. 
 
 “A monster is still out there; praying for Lindsey’s family, with hope that they may find some peace through their grief and closure,” Grays Harbor County Commissioner Vickie Raines wrote on Facebook. “It is a very sad day, certainly not the outcome we’ve been hoping for.” 
 
 Scott urged anyone with information on the case to come forward. Tips can be phoned into the sheriff’s office at 360-964-1799, or emailed to baumtips@co.grays-harbor.wa.us 
 
 “Someone knows something,” he said. 
 
 The news wire services and Seattle Times news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this story.
– Florida authorities have let the imagined voice of an 8-year-old girl who went missing on Memorial Day Weekend in 1984 take over the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department Twitter account. Through a series of tweets with the hashtag #Justice4Luna, they led a social media campaign that included the tweets "HELP!!!" and "Why are you taking me? Why are you doing this? Nothing will ever be the same after this." The Washington Post calls it "an eerily unorthodox campaign to resurrect the girl’s story—by resurrecting the girl." And while many seem to agree that the tweets are disturbing, the social media response has been largely positive, with people thanking the department for trying to revive interest in the 33-year-old case. The last time anyone saw her, Marjorie "Christy" Luna had slipped out of her house in a turquoise swimsuit and walked to Belk's General Store to buy cat food while her mother napped, reports the New York Daily News. The Post reports that authorities suspect one Victor Wonyetye is responsible. He was at a party in her neighborhood the day she went missing and soon moved to New Hampshire, where an 8-year-old girl went missing while walking to school. He died in 2012 after being released from prison for indecent exposure and burglary, and inmates claim he admitted to killing both girls. Canadian authorities used a similar social media campaign in the hopes of finding a girl who went missing in 1986, and say it brought information that made it "absolutely worthwhile." (This cold case has had numerous twists.)