Left and Center: Marjorie circa, 1984
Right: Age Progressed to age 41
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: May 27, 1984
Missing From: Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: April 7, 1976
Age: 8 years old
Height and Weight: 4’0″ and 60 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Hazel eyes, Marjorie has a speech impediment, she has a strawberry birthmark on the right side of her back near her hip, a scar on her right arm, and she has crooked teeth, Marjorie was known to use the “Christy” and was more commonly known by the name
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A turquoise/blue colored body suit; some reports indicate she was wearing a bathing suit at the time of her 1984 abduction
NCMEC Number: 601802
Details of Disappearance
Marjorie was last seen in Greenacres, Florida on May 27th 1984. Her mother, Jennie Johnson, made her and her older sister, Allie, believe they were going to Disney World the previous day. However, Jennie did not have the money to take them there but instead took them to Dubois Beach in Jupiter, Florida. They took fruit, sandwiches, and blankets with them. They returned to their home on the day she vanished.
Jennie brought her two daughters food from the fast food restaurant known as Wendy’s and when they got back to their house, both her and Allie fell asleep to take a nap. Marjorie ate her food and then searched their home for loose change. She reportedly left their residence in the 200 block of Broward Avenue on foot at approximately 2:30 pm that day. She was heading to the Belk’s General store that was located two blocks away from her residence at the time in the 300 block of Swain Boulevard.
Marjorie was going to the store to purchase cat food for the two cats, Boo Boo and Skeeter, she had at home. She went to the store frequently, sometimes going as many as four times a day. A clerk at the store recalls selling the cat food to Marjorie between 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm that day. After paying for the cat food, she looked at the new Fourth of July smoke bombs that had been put on a shelf near the chewing tobacco. She then left the store alone.
Marjorie was seen talking to two other girls outside of the store and they all appeared to be watching other children play with fireworks they had brought from the store. Investigators believe she might’ve stayed at the store until as late as 6:00 pm to play video games or she might’ve gone to a nearby park after leaving the store. She was never seen or heard from again.
At 8:30 pm, Allie woke up and noticed Marjorie was not in the bedroom with her. They both shared a bedroom as they were afraid of the dark. When she couldn’t find her sister anywhere, Allie woke up her mother who was immediately concerned. They searched the house first since Christy had a habit of hiding in the home and scaring people when they found her. She was not inside the house, however.
Jennie called at least 50 people who knew Marjorie but none of them had her or knew where she was at the time. Afterwards, they began searching the neighborhood along with neighbors. They searched ditches, culverts, and the trunks of vehicles. They also checked the store where the clerk told them about Marjorie coming in earlier during the day to get cat food.
Marjorie was reported missing at 10:15 pm and searches soon began for the girl. Extensive searches of the area and the efforts of over 200 volunteers failed to turn up any signs of her. Several wooded areas were searched with some law enforcement officers on horseback. One search also included 20 tracking dogs as police searched the area west of Jog Road between 10th Avenue North and Forest Hill Boulevard. None of these efforts uncovered Marjorie, however.
Several psychics were also used in the search but their visions failed to lead investigators down a concrete path in the case. Missing Children Organizations also became heavily involved in the case. The Adam Walsh Resource Center and the Child Keyppers of Florida helped to pass out fliers with Marjorie’s photograph on them as well as urge the media to continue reporting on the case so people will keep a lookout for the child.
Investigators have ruled out the possibility that Marjorie was taken in a custody battle. Her mother and father had divorced in 1977 and he lived in Atlanta, Georgia at the time his daughter went missing. Police ruled him out as a suspect early on in the investigation. They also discounted any theory that Marjorie had left on her own accord and suspected early on that foul play was involved in the case.
On May 30th 1984, police focused on an area of undeveloped land north of Jog Road and 10th Avenue North after receiving a tip from a man who claimed he had been having visions of the girl. The man reportedly said “I saw a K-9 go out there the other day but he didn’t go where he should have gone.” The man was brought to help in the search and led investigators through the mud. It was noted that he became visibly upset and his behavior was “indicative of feelings of remorse or of wanting to undo.”
No evidence was found during the search and the man’s information was not useful in general. He was questioned by police and was quickly ruled out as a suspect in the case. Eventually, police were able to recover what they suspect to be Marjorie’s turquoise colored body suit in a swampy wooded area near her home.
Investigators believe Marjorie was abducted by a non-family member. According to information received by witnesses, Marjorie was possibly seen speaking with an unidentified man outside the convenience store shortly after she made her purchase. The man supposedly offered her money to go inside the store to purchase fireworks or sparklers. No one saw if she left with him or not, however.
The man was described as being Hispanic who stood somewhere between 5’6″ and 5’8″ and appeared to be of medium build. He also drove a faded blue car at the time. This man was considered the first suspect in the case and the FBI assisted in efforts to locate him in 1984. A man who spoke Spanish was questioned by an interpreter in connection to her disappearance. He traveled to Miami, Florida voluntarily for the interview and is not a suspect in the case.
Police have named multiple people as suspects in Marjorie’s presumed abduction over the years. In June of 1984, police named two brothers, Charles “Chuck” and Willis Rambo, as suspects in the case.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office 561-688-4013
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children