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12-year-old Jonelle Matthews went missing from Greeley, Colorado, on December 20, 1984. The case went cold for a few months as there were no significant leads. Almost 35 years later, in 2019, her mortal remains were discovered. Apparently, Matthews was shot dead, and a man named Steven Pankey was arrested.
Pankey was charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in October 2020. However, he did not plead guilty. The retrial is scheduled for October 4, 2022.
Trigger warning: This article contains graphic information about violence.
This weekend, CBS 48 Hours will closely examine Jonelle Matthews' murder mystery. The episode is slated to air on Saturday, August 6, 2022, at 9:00 PM ET.
Here's CBS' synopsis of the tragic incident:
''A former candidate for governor is accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old girl. Does his decades-long fascination with the case mean he’s a true-crime junkie or a murderer?'' "48 Hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports."
Read on to find out some chilling facts about the murder mystery.
Here are 5 things to know about Jonelle Matthews murder case
1) Jonelle's father was initially made a suspect
Investigators focussed on Jonelle's adoptive father, Jim Matthews, in the initial days. However, he was cleared when they found nothing to indict him. Jim was also the first person to realize that his daughter was missing.
In an interview, Jonelle's sister, Jenniffer, claimed their family went through a very tough time after her sister's disappearance. When her body was discovered 35 years later, the family got the closure "they long deserved."
2) Pankey's knowledge of a rake turned out to be significant in the investigation
Steven Pankey, who lived near Matthews' house in Colorado, was arrested a year after Jonelle's remains were found. On October 9, 2020, an eight-page indictment was handed down against Pankey, and within three days, he was arrested on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder.
The indictment stated that Pankey was aware of a crucial piece of information about a rake in Jonelle's home that was withheld from the public.
The indictment states:
"Pankey knew of and discussed a crucial piece of evidence from the Matthews house withheld from the public by law enforcement; specifically, a rake was used to obliterate shoe impressions in the snow"
3) Over the years, Pankey tried to be involved in the investigation
In the years following Jonelle's disappearance, Pankey reportedly "inserted" himself in the case. He would even speak with the local media and anyone, for that matter, who was interested in his theories about her going missing.
Pankey even claimed that he was once arrested in a bank case so that he could be forced to be an informant in Jonelle's disappearance incident.
4) Pankey would force his wife to follow news updates about the case
Pankey's former wife, Angela Hicks, claimed in court that her husband's behavior was odd and unusual following Jonelle's disappearance. She added that her husband would force her to follow the news updates about the case.
5) Pankey was once arrested for creating a scene at a bank
A few days before Jonelle's disappearance, Pankey was arrested for causing nuisance at a local bank. He reportedly argued with a bank teller, and the police were called.
