Disappearance and death of Jonelle Matthews

On the evening of December 20, 1984, Jonelle was performing in a holiday concert at IntraWest Bank of Denver as a member of Greeley's Franklin Middle School Choir.[6][7][8] Her family was not present at the concert as Jonelle's father was at his other daughter's basketball game[8] and her mother had flown east to be with Jonelle's ill grandfather.[9] At 8:15 PM that evening, Jonelle arrived at her home in Greeley, Colorado after getting a ride from her friend DeeAnn Ross and DeeAnn's father. Shortly after 8:30 PM, Jonelle answered a phone call and took a message for her father.[8] The phone call was the last time anyone was known to have spoken with Jonelle.

Her father arrived home at 9:30 PM and found the garage door open, but no one was in the house, although Jonelle's shoes and shawl were near a heater in the family room, a place she often sat.[8] Jonelle's older sister, Jennifer, got home at 10:00 PM, but had not seen her. Their father began to worry, and called police. The police arrived at 10:15 PM and found footprints in the snow, indicating that someone had been looking in the windows. There were no signs of a struggle or of forced entry. With snow on the ground, Jonelle's father thought it unlikely that she would go far without shoes.[10]

The Matthews family lived at 320 43rd Avenue Court in Greeley, Colorado (coordinates 40.4298503°N 104.7492455°W / 40.4298503; -104.7492455).[11] The family consisted of Jonelle, her adoptive parents Jim and Gloria Matthews, and her older sister, Jennifer. At the time of her disappearance, Jonelle's father was the principal of Platte Valley Elementary School at coordinates 40.3912474°N 104.5586412°W / 40.3912474; -104.5586412 in Kersey, Colorado.

For several weeks after the disappearance, police placed Jonelle's birth mother Terri Vierra-Martinez under surveillance, without telling her that her daughter had gone missing. Ten years later and after Jonelle was declared legally dead, Gloria received a letter from the birth mother, requesting permission to visit the child she gave up for adoption, something Jonelle always wanted. The birth mother had used a search consultant to help locate the child. The adoptive parents notified the birth mother about what happened, and the families became friends.[2]

Years after Jonelle's disappearance, Jim and Gloria Matthews retired and moved to Costa Rica. Jonelle's sister married and moved out of Colorado.[12][13]

The disappearance attracted public interest, including the President of the United States and members of Congress. President Ronald Reagan mentioned Jonelle Matthews in a speech on March 7, 1985 from Room 450 of the Old Executive Office Building.[14] She was mentioned in the Congressional Record for the United States House of Representatives on April 2, 1985, page 7224. In 2010, the Greeley Tribune published another summary of the missing child—still not found.[15] As recently as 2018, Greeley Police had been re-contacting witnesses and applying the latest forensic advances to learn what happened to Jonelle.[16] She appears in the International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons' database.[17]

A chokecherry tree was planted in front of Franklin Middle School, in memory of Jonelle. The tree died after a few years, and is now gone, along with a plaque inscribed with Jonelle's name.[18]

After almost 35 years, excavators installing a pipeline discovered human remains at 4:50 PM on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, near the intersection of County Roads 34.5 and 49, at coordinates 40.239848°N 104.602514°W / 40.239848; -104.602514, about 15 mi (24 km) southeast of Jonelle's home. Based on DNA evidence, the Weld County Coroner's Office positively identified the remains as being those of Jonelle Matthews.[19][20] As of July 29, 2019, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had not released any information about Matthews' cause of death, but had stated that the case is being treated as a homicide. Authorities are searching historical records to determine who owned or lived on the land where the remains were found.[21]

News reports stated Jonelle "died from a gunshot wound to her forehead". After examination of the remains, the forensic report listed Jonelle's cause of death as "a gunshot wound to the head".[13][22]

On September 13, 2019, Greeley Police Department announced a "person of interest" in Jonelle Matthews' abduction and death: Steve Pankey, a former Greeley resident who ran for governor in Idaho in 2014 and 2018, and for lieutenant governor in 2010.

On Wednesday, September 4, 2019, Twin Falls, Idaho police searched Pankey's condo under a warrant that stated investigators had probable cause to believe that Pankey abducted and murdered Jonelle 34 years ago. Pankey and his former wife lived at 27965 weld county road 47.5 at coordinates 40.402283°N 104.611523°W / 40.402283; -104.611523, about 2 mi (3.2 km) away from the Matthews home, where Jonelle was last seen. Pankey had been a youth pastor at the church the Matthews family attended. Greeley Police Commander Roy Smith stated that Pankey "had made repeated efforts to speak with detectives" about the Matthews case. But after detectives traveled to Twin Falls on August 15, 2019, Pankey refused to answer questions. Commander Smith stated Pankey has not been charged with Jonelle's murder, but he is being investigated in relation to her death.[23][24]

On October 13, 2020, authorities announced that Steven D. Pankey had been indicted on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in Jonelle's death.[22] He is currently being held without bail at the Ada County Jail in Idaho, while awaiting extradition to Colorado.[13] Steven Pankey was 69 years old at the time of his indictment.[22]

Pankey already knew that he was a "person of interest" to the police in September 2019, when he was interviewed by the newspaper Idaho Statesman. Pankey claimed that he did not know Jonelle or the Matthews family, and only heard about them following the disappearance. He also claimed that on the night of Jonelle's disappearance, he and his wife were at their home. He said that they were planning to leave town the next day for a Christmas visit their family in California, and had already loaded their car.[13] The trip's destination was Big Bear Lake, California. Decades later, Pankey provided investigators with documents concerning this trip. Police reported that these documents contained "false statements and superfluous details".[22]

Pankey's ex-wife Angela Hicks[22] contradicted this narrative. She reported that they started their trip not on December 21, but December 22, two days following Jonelle's disappearance. She also said that this trip was unexpected.[13] Hicks said that they returned to Greeley on December 26, and that Pankey took an unusual interest in the disappearance case. She said that already on their return trip, Pankey "uncharacteristically listened to the radio, searching for news of the girl's disappearance".[13] She also said that after their return, Pankey forced her to read to him newspaper articles concerning the case.[13][22] According to the 2020 indictment statement, shortly following their return to Greeley, Pankey started digging in their yard. At about that time, a car stored on their property caught fire and the burned car "was disposed of at a salvage yard".[13]

A few months following Jonelle's disappearance, Pankey attended a church service. There, a minister claimed that Jonelle would be found safe. Hicks claimed to have heard Pankey muttering in response, accusing the minister of being a false prophet.[22] In 2008, Pankey's son was murdered. At his son's funeral, Hicks reportedly heard Pankey state: "I hope God didn't allow this to happen because of Jonelle Matthews"[13]

Jennifer Mogensen, Jonelle's older sister, said that while the family experienced "some closure" when they learned that Jonelle was murdered, she considers Pankey's arrest to be "another gift to our family". Mogensen's father was reportedly "especially excited to see justice".[22] Mogensen said that there was sibling rivalry between her and Jonelle in 1984, and that Jonelle's killing eliminated the possibility for the two siblings to grow closer.[22]

The police announced that Pankey had long been a person of interest in the case. Pankey repeatedly claimed to have knowledge of the crime, and had asked "for immunity in exchange for information". The criminal indictment said that he "intentionally inserted himself in the investigation many times over the years claiming to have knowledge of the crime which grew inconsistent and incriminating over time".[22] Pankey had claimed that at the evening of Jonelle's abduction, a rake was used to cover up the tracks left in the snow. Pankey also claimed to have watched middle school students walking home, returning from the middle school which Jonelle attended.[22]

Pankey gave an interview to the newspaper Times-News, where he said that he was being framed by the police. He said that he was targeted for his sexuality, identifying himself as a "celibate homosexual".[22] In 2018, Pankey had campaigned for the Idaho Republican Party's nomination for the position of governor of Idaho. His campaign website said that Pankey has studied criminal justice.[22]

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• List of unsolved deaths