'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQH/8QAIBAAAgEDBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAURBhIxYQcUUf/EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT/xAAZEQADAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhIBQVH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMzj15tijAtEJVSrEew43kc56PwVS3kKVmJW1QIpOQonbA64pSk23Q8LnR//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dateline re-examined one of Colorado's most chilling cold cases—the vanishing of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews from her Greeley residence on Dec. 20, 1984. The case enthralled the nation nearly from the beginning and has baffled detectives for decades. Jonelle had only just come home from a school concert with the school choir when she disappeared, and it launched a massive search and ultimately found her to be one of the first faces shown on milk cartons during the early national effort to find missing children.
In the segment, Dateline investigated the chilling question that had gone unanswered for 35 years: What became of Jonelle Matthews? The probe was up in 2019 when human remains were found by construction workers in Weld County. A test proved that they belonged to Jonelle, and she was shot in the head and murdered, authorities announced. The find proved to be the breakthrough in a decades-spanning case that had perplexed officials and terrorized a community.
Trending
Jonelle Matthews' disappearance in 1984
According to Dateline, Jonelle Matthews was left at home by a family friend at around 8:30 p.m. on December 20, 1984. An hour later, her dad, Jim Matthews, came home to an empty house, no struggle, no evidence of struggle. Shoes were left by the heater, TV still turned on, school books in place—but Jonelle was nowhere to be found.
Lack of breaking or witnesses made the case difficult right from the beginning. The local government, with the addition of the federal government, opened a rapid investigation, but no one stepped forward with any information. Weeks went by before Jonelle's case became a national story. President Ronald Reagan himself spoke about her during a 1985 speech about the missing American children crisis.
Dateline showed that her photo was displayed on posters that were distributed across the country, and her case was one of the first to be highlighted in a new campaign on milk cartons featuring missing children. The case lost steam at the national level despite the publicity, within a couple of years, without leads or evidence.
A 2019 startling discovery
Dateline showed that Jonelle's destiny remained a secret for almost 35 years. That was resolved in July 2019 when construction workers building a pipeline on a farm some 15 miles southeast of Greeley in Weld County discovered human remains. The remains lay approximately 15 miles from where Jonelle was last seen. A DNA analysis confirmed they belonged to Jonelle, and an autopsy determined she was killed by a gunshot to the head.
The finding reignited the public's interest and encouraged scientists to return to talking to people who had previously been interviewed, like Steve Pankey, a Greeley resident turned Idaho transplant who had twice tried to run for governor in that state. Pankey had a protracted and peculiar history with the case, making public declarations containing private information and publishing information voluntarily considered disturbing to the authorities.
Who is Steve Pankey?
According to Dateline, Steve (Steven) Pankey was a neighbor of the Matthews family in 1984 and was said to have developed a keen interest in Jonelle's disappearance over the years. He was never said to be personally known to the family, but he persistently inserted himself into the case. He provided numerous interviews, wrote about it on the Internet, and provided tips to police that, as prosecutors alleged, included information never published.
Pankey was indicted and arrested by a grand jury in 2020. Pankey was accused of felony murder and kidnapping for the murder of Jonelle. Prosecutors accused Pankey of having committed the act and remaining silent about it for so long. His defense team, however, claimed they were not part of the crime and questioned the being no physical evidence implicating him at the scene of the crime.
The trial and conviction, as depicted in Dateline
As per Dateline, Pankey's initial trial was initiated in 2021 but resulted in a mistrial when the jury could not decide on the charge of murder. But the second trial that was conducted in 2022 did not have the same outcome. Pankey was convicted of felony murder and second-degree kidnapping by the jurors. He received a life sentence.
During the trial, the prosecution referenced Pankey's strange acts, such as his first explanation of where the body was buried and how he offered to share information that had yet to be released to the public. Even without DNA or direct forensic connection, prosecutors maintained that his words and actions were a central theme of the case.
The national impact and Dateline's role
Dateline's Jonelle Matthews exposes—"The Girl in the Blue Dress" and "Footprints in the Snow"—got it right in depicting an actual timeline, public outcry, and long investigation that finally brought justice. The shows followed not only the facts of the case, but the emotional toll that the Greeley community went through. They emphasized how Jonelle's vanishing helped to establish missing children cases at the national level, particularly by using early use of milk cartons and national campaign publicity in the 1980s.
The case is still unparalleled in terms of length, continued public interest, and ultimate breakthrough to a conclusion. It shows the manner in which decades-old cases can be progressed with perseverance and new evidence.
Jonelle Matthews' tale is one of profound tragedy, national interest, and ultimate justice. Her 1984 vanishing shocked a neighborhood and a nation. Her rediscovery in 2019 reopened a window to justice that most thought would never be opened again. The 2022 conviction of Steve Pankey brought long-sought closure to her family and the Greeley community.
As Dateline went out of its way to recount with care and detail, the case illustrates the value of sustained effort toward unsolved crimes and the transfer of authority of forensic and investigatory practice. Although all those years have gone by, Jonelle's account reminds us that the pursuit of truth never really stops.
Also read: Dateline: Suspicion in Silver City – 5 harrowing details about Cassy Farrington’s murder explored
Reply
