Missing
William Perez Sr.
Perez, approximately 1990; James "Chris" DeAngelo
Date and time person was reported missing : 10/02/1990
Missing location (approx) :
Wilmington, Delaware
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
Hispanic
DOB : 08/30/1963 (57)
Age at the time of disappearance: 27 years old
Height / Weight : 5'8 - 5'9, 155 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : Three gold necklaces and a plain gold wedding band.
Medical conditions : Perez has a history of marijuana and cocaine abuse.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Hispanic male. Black hair, brown eyes. Perez's nickname is Willy. He has a one-and-a-half-inch white scar above his right eye in the eyebrow. He has a previous bone fracture from a car accident.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Perez was last seen in Wilmington, Delaware on October 2, 1990. He spoke to his wife of nine years on the phone at 2:30 p.m. and said he would meet her in an hour to take her shopping. From the background noise during the call, she believes he was at a bar, possibly the Scoreboard Bar & Grill in the 500 block of Maryland Avenue, where he was a regular.
Perez had made prior arrangements to meet a friend there. The friend arrived at 2:45 p.m. and he was gone, but his brand new blue and silver 1990 Astro van was parked crookedly on Bird Street, just around the corner of the bar, with the windows rolled down. Perez has never been heard from again. His wife reported him missing on October 6.
After a local newspaper ran an article about Perez's disappearance in November 1990, a woman thought she recognized his picture. She said she'd seen a man resembling Perez driving an old, beat-up pickup truck down State Route 896. This sighting has never been confirmed. Perez's wife stated he'd dropped out of sight before, but never for longer than a few days.
James Christopher "Chris" DeAngelo was convicted of Perez's murder in 1999. He allegedly shot him to death after Perez came to his house to collect on a debt. DeAngelo's wife and a friend helped him dispose of the body and clean up the crime scene.
DeAngelo had been charged with first-degree murder, but was convicted of a lesser count of second-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison. A photo of him is posted with this case summary.
Perez had lived in the Wilmington area for most of his life before his disappearance and attended Catholic schools within the city. He lived in the Melody Meadows area near Glasgow, Delaware with his wife and two children. His wife describes him as a very friendly, generous person who lent money to people in need.
His body has never been found. Police believe it was first buried in a shallow grave in the marshes near Interstate 95, then later dug up, dismembered and dumped in the Christina River.
Other information and links : ncy
Wilmington Police Department
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Wilmington News-Journal
5 October 12, 2004. May 7, 2019; picture added.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
