It took nearly four decades, but justice has finally been served for Jonelle Matthews, a 12-year-old girl whose disappearance baffled investigators since 1984.
Fox News reported that the conviction of Steve Pankey in 2022 concluded a haunting saga that was unwound over years of curious involvement and apparent deceptions.
Jonelle Matthews vanished from her Greeley, Colorado home on December 20, 1984, after returning from a school holiday concert. This disappearance happened just five days before Christmas, casting a shadow over the festive season.
Last seen at around 8 pm, Jonelle was engaged in her school's Honor Choir and church, embodying the innocence and community spirit of a heart wrenchingly young life abruptly disrupted.
Being one of the early cases to feature on milk cartons, Jonelle’s disappearance attracted wide public attention. The investigation initially yielded little in terms of leads despite extensive efforts to trace her whereabouts.
It wasn't until 2019 that a breakthrough came; her remains were discovered in a rural area near Greeley, Colorado. DNA technology confirmed her identity, and the cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head, reclassifying her status from missing to murdered.
The spotlight turned towards Steve Pankey, initially just another community member, but later revealed to be harboring deeper connections to the case.
Pankey, a neighbor to Jonelle Matthews, oddly interjected himself into the investigation repeatedly, demonstrating a suspicious preoccupation with the case details.
This peculiar behavior included complete media bans in his home a year before Jonelle disappeared, creating a stark contrast to his later obsession with news coverage of the case.
Despite being out of state in California with his then-wife, Angela Hicks, during the actual timeframe of Jonelle’s disappearance, Pankey’s interest seemed unwavering. As years passed, he moved through various states, continually keeping track of updates in the investigation, a fact later recounted by officials and his ex-wife alike.
Angela Hicks, reflecting on her experiences, noted Pankey’s peculiar behavior and obsessive following of media reports concerning Jonelle.
Her cooperation with authorities in keeping the investigation active significantly shaped the development of the case, leading detectives to reconsider Pankey’s potential involvement.
By 2020, sufficient evidence had accumulated, culminating in Pankey’s arrest and subsequent charge with murder, kidnapping, and false reporting.
The trial, held in 2022, saw him found guilty of felony murder and second-degree kidnapping, among other offenses. Scheduled for possible parole in 2040, Pankey's conviction marked a significant, albeit delayed, victory for law enforcement.
Comments by retired lead detective Robert Cash illuminated the chilling nature of Pankey’s engagement with the case.
Described as a man who taunted police with hints and misleading information, Cash portrayed Pankey as someone who found perverse satisfaction in manipulating law enforcement perspectives, which inadvertently kept the case in the spotlight.
Cash’s reflections highlighted a sinister aspect of Pankey's personality, suggesting that his interference in the investigation was a macabre form of engagement — a way to relive his alleged crime without facing immediate consequences.
The community of Greeley and the nation followed the developments of Jonelle Matthews’ case through decades, experiencing a range of emotions from hope to despair.
The resolution brings a somber form of closure to a tale that lingered in the collective memory of a community and demonstrates the endurance and eventual success of law enforcement efforts in solving cold cases.
“It highlights the callousness of the crime, the absolute lack of empathy or humanness in Steve,” remarked Cash, capturing the broader sentiment about the gravity of the case and its resolution. The detective also emphasized the impactful role of modern forensic science and patient, determined investigative work in bringing culprits to justice, regardless of the passage of time.
As Angela Hicks mused in reflection, the documentaries and true-crime podcasts circulating about the case often missed nuanced details, which she felt compelled to address by participating in the investigation. Her insights proved crucial in painting a fuller picture of Pankey’s peculiarities and possible motives.
Pankey’s trial and the details shared by those who knew him best painted a portrait of a man who thrived on control and manipulation, extending even into the most tragic circumstances.
His chilling remarks to his wife, comparing Jonelle’s appearance to hers, underscored a disturbing facet of his interactions with those closest to him.