Preview of “The Girl on the Milk Carton” sheds light on one of the most shocking missing persons cases (exclusive)

Preview of “The Girl on the Milk Carton” sheds light on one of the most shocking missing persons cases (exclusive)

The big picture

  • The disappearance of Jonelle Matthews rocked a small Colorado town in 1984, resulting in a heartbreaking case that shook the community.
  • The case took an unexpected turn decades later when police arrested the killer, a former gubernatorial candidate named Steve Pankey.
  • The girl on the milk carton
    not only sheds light on the tragic loss of a young life, but also shows the courage of Pankey’s ex-wife to come forward.



A dreamy and picturesque layer of snow quickly turns into a nightmare in an exclusive preview for Collider on oxygen‘s upcoming special, The girl on the milk carton. It’s a quiet night in a small Colorado town in 1984, and a team of cops are doing everything they can to find clues where none are obvious. The first nudge police have in the right direction is the assumption that their missing person is just that – missing, not a runaway. Unfortunately, inside the house is as quiet as can be, and there are no signs of forced entry on either side of the doors or windows. While the lack of these puzzle pieces hampered the investigation at the beginning, it also led them to believe that whoever escaped with the teenage girl must have known her family’s schedule, and maybe even been a familiar face.


Earlier this month, we partnered with the network to release the exclusive first look trailer for the two-part series, which will be released on August 25. A heartbreaking case, the story follows the mysterious disappearance of Jonelle Matthewswho was kidnapped from her family home at just 12 years old. The crime occurred at the beginning of the Milk Carton Initiative – a plan that involved printing the faces of missing children on the backs of milk cartons. Although Matthews’ case would not have a happy ending, her story brought the community together and was even addressed by the President at the time. Ronald Reagan.

Although the story of Matthews’ kidnapping does not have a happy ending, decades later the police take up the unsolved case again and finally catch the murderer. Although he had been on their list of suspects since the first days of Matthews’ disappearance, Steve Pankey was finally brought to justice, mainly thanks to his ex-wifewho always suspected that her partner might be involved in the case. Documentary series It is not only about the woman’s courage to take a step forward, but it also sheds light on the young life that was lost.



August was an exciting month for the true crime fans out there, as Oxygen recently premiered a new season of The real murders of Atlanta. On Netflix, the story of Laci Peterson is the focus in American Murder: Laci Petersonwhile the man convicted of her murder hopes to change Peacock’s mind Face to face with Scott Peterson.

Check out the exclusive preview of The girl on the milk carton above and tune in to Oxygen on August 25 to watch the two-part series.

Watch on Oxygen


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *