5 chilling details about Jonelle Matthews murder case × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout SK POP Feature 5 chilling details about Jonelle Matthews murder case By Rupanwita Bhattacharjee Modified 06 Aug 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Jonelle's remains were discovered years later (Image via CBSNews) 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. 48 Hours@48hoursIt is every parent’s worst nightmare: A father comes home and realizes his 12-year-old daughter was nowhere to be found. Decades later, the still-grieving family hopes to bring the man suspected in Jonelle Matthews’ disappearance to justice. cbsn.ws/3A07SIq104It is every parent’s worst nightmare: A father comes home and realizes his 12-year-old daughter was nowhere to be found. Decades later, the still-grieving family hopes to bring the man suspected in Jonelle Matthews’ disappearance to justice. cbsn.ws/3A07SIq https://t.co/rOy7c8ioJu 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" Steven Pankey (Image via CBSNews) 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. CBS News@CBSNewsFormer candidate for governor suspected of murdering Jonelle Matthews admits he lied to investigators cbsn.ws/3F4G72f3718Former candidate for governor suspected of murdering Jonelle Matthews admits he lied to investigators cbsn.ws/3F4G72f 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 bankWeld County DA@WeldCountyDACHARGED: Nearly 36 years after 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews vanished from her Greeley home, the Weld grand jury has issued an indictment for her kidnapping and murder. An Idaho man is now in custody and charged in connection to this case. #WeldDAweldda.com/cms/One.aspx?p…126CHARGED: Nearly 36 years after 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews vanished from her Greeley home, the Weld grand jury has issued an indictment for her kidnapping and murder. An Idaho man is now in custody and charged in connection to this case. #WeldDAweldda.com/cms/One.aspx?p… https://t.co/dRqyfOt6fH 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. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Sayati Das × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? 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