Girl on the milk carton: Who is Steve Pankey? Shocking revelations about the convicted murderer of Jonelle Matthews
USA: It took the police 35 years to solve the case. Murder case from The girl on the milk carton also known Jonelle Matthewswho disappeared from her Greeley, Colorado Residence in December 1984, according to Fox News.
On July 24, 2019, the girl’s human remains were found by oil workers in Greeley. When the remains were sent to the lab, they were confirmed to be Jonelle’s remains. Her cause of death was reportedly a gunshot wound to the head, according to Fox News.
“The Girl on the Milk Carton,” a new true crime docuseries that will air as a two-part special, is scheduled to premiere on Oxygen on August 25 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The show will examine the long-unsolved murder of “The Girl on the Milk Carton.”
Jonelle Matthews Disappearance
The 12-year-old girl disappeared from her home in Colorado in 1984. After her disappearance, her name and face were printed on a million milk cartons to spread the word and get a lead on the case. However, the strategy did not work, she was declared dead 10 years after her disappearance.
Steve Pankey found guilty
In 2022, Steve Pankey was found guilty of kidnapping and killing 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. Pankey is known by nicknames: father, husband, used car salesman, failed gubernatorial candidate, and convicted murderer.
On December 20, Jonelle disappeared from her home in Colorado after returning from a Christmas concert where she performed with her school choir. After several decades, the most shocking thing is that Pankey took an interest and wanted to help the police in this case.
Who is Steve Pankey?
In 1984, Pankey, a married father from Greeley, Colorado, lived about two miles from the Matthews’ home. His ex-wife, Angela Hicks, testified that Pankey was extremely controlling during their marriage and forbade her from driving or listening to the radio or television.
Pankey worked as a security guard and used car salesman. Over the years, he had several run-ins with police. According to CBS News, Pankey was arrested just one day before Jonelle’s disappearance for making a scene at a bank. He also had other “unusual” encounters with authorities.
“He was extremely controlling and did not allow me to drive or listen to the radio or television during most of our marriage,” Angela Hicks testified in court, KUSA reported.
Three years after Jonelle’s disappearance, Steven Pankey moved to Idaho with his family. He twice sought the state’s highest office, according to the Idaho Statesman, but failed in both attempts, running for governor in 2014 and again in 2018, Oxygen.com reports.
According to Oxygen.com, Pankey’s 2018 campaign poster described him as a Republican candidate with “traditional core values and a biblical and constitutional perspective.”
How Steve Pankey emerged as a suspect in Jonelle Matthews’ disappearance
Hicks testified to Pankey’s eccentric behavior around the time Jonelle disappeared. Just one day after the disappearance, he suddenly announced a family trip to California, despite previously having decided against it. During that time, he “abandoned” their two Great Danes and was never seen again. The trip was cut short after an argument with his father, and on the return trip, Pankey showed great interest in news reports about the missing girl, forcing Hicks to listen to and read numerous articles about Jonelle’s case.
Hicks reported that the sudden trip to California was announced the day after Jonelle’s disappearance, an invitation from Pankey’s parents for Christmas. The trip was unexpected because Pankey had previously decided not to come.
Concerned about her two Great Danes, Hicks learned from Pankey that he had “abandoned” the dogs and they were never seen again.
Pankey abruptly ended the trip after a disagreement with his father, and the family drove back to Colorado on Christmas Day. During the drive, Pankey asked Hicks to turn on the radio.
“As I was flipping through, I came across a part of a news report that said a girl had disappeared from Greeley, Colorado, and he wanted to hear that,” she testified, as quoted by Oxygen.com.
“And then he wanted me to keep flipping through the channels to see if he could hear more about it,” Oxygen.com quoted him as saying.
When the family returned to Greeley, they stopped to buy several newspapers. Pankey became fixated on the articles about Jonelle’s disappearance and asked Hicks to read them over and over again.
“I remember him making me read each of them at least three times,” she told the court, quoted by Oxygen.com.
About a month after Jonelle Matthews’ disappearance, the pastor of the local church announced that he had received a message from God that the girl would be found alive. Steven Pankey then shouted “false prophet” and had to be removed from the church.
Pankey’s behavior in the case has attracted attention over the years. He once confessed to his wife that he felt targeted by the police because he did not want to reveal what he knew about Jonelle.
During his son’s funeral in 2008, Pankey mentioned Jonelle, showing rare emotion.
“That’s the only time I’ve seen him so emotional,” testified a witness identified by KUSA as Hicks. “He was so moved. He leaned over, kissed the urn and said, ‘I hope God didn’t let this happen because of Jonelle Matthews.'”
Pankey was arrested and tried in 2020, with mixed results. His first trial in 2021 ended in a hung jury, but the following year he was found guilty on several counts. He was convicted of second-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, murder and making false statements to authorities, according to The Coloradoan.
Pankey was arrested and tried in 2020, with mixed results. His first trial in 2021 ended in a hung jury, but he was found guilty on several counts the following year.
According to The Coloradoan, he was convicted of second-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, premeditated murder and making false statements to authorities.
On July 24, 2019, the girl’s human remains were found by oil workers in Greeley. When the remains were sent to the lab, they were confirmed to be Jonelle’s remains. Her cause of death was reportedly a gunshot wound to the head, according to Fox News.
“The Girl on the Milk Carton,” a new true crime docuseries that will air as a two-part special, is scheduled to premiere on Oxygen on August 25 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The show will examine the long-unsolved murder of “The Girl on the Milk Carton.”
Jonelle Matthews Disappearance
The 12-year-old girl disappeared from her home in Colorado in 1984. After her disappearance, her name and face were printed on a million milk cartons to spread the word and get a lead on the case. However, the strategy did not work, she was declared dead 10 years after her disappearance.
Steve Pankey found guilty
In 2022, Steve Pankey was found guilty of kidnapping and killing 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. Pankey is known by nicknames: father, husband, used car salesman, failed gubernatorial candidate, and convicted murderer.
On December 20, Jonelle disappeared from her home in Colorado after returning from a Christmas concert where she performed with her school choir. After several decades, the most shocking thing is that Pankey took an interest and wanted to help the police in this case.
Who is Steve Pankey?
In 1984, Pankey, a married father from Greeley, Colorado, lived about two miles from the Matthews’ home. His ex-wife, Angela Hicks, testified that Pankey was extremely controlling during their marriage and forbade her from driving or listening to the radio or television.
Pankey worked as a security guard and used car salesman. Over the years, he had several run-ins with police. According to CBS News, Pankey was arrested just one day before Jonelle’s disappearance for making a scene at a bank. He also had other “unusual” encounters with authorities.
“He was extremely controlling and did not allow me to drive or listen to the radio or television during most of our marriage,” Angela Hicks testified in court, KUSA reported.
Three years after Jonelle’s disappearance, Steven Pankey moved to Idaho with his family. He twice sought the state’s highest office, according to the Idaho Statesman, but failed in both attempts, running for governor in 2014 and again in 2018, Oxygen.com reports.
According to Oxygen.com, Pankey’s 2018 campaign poster described him as a Republican candidate with “traditional core values and a biblical and constitutional perspective.”
How Steve Pankey emerged as a suspect in Jonelle Matthews’ disappearance
Hicks testified to Pankey’s eccentric behavior around the time Jonelle disappeared. Just one day after the disappearance, he suddenly announced a family trip to California, despite previously having decided against it. During that time, he “abandoned” their two Great Danes and was never seen again. The trip was cut short after an argument with his father, and on the return trip, Pankey showed great interest in news reports about the missing girl, forcing Hicks to listen to and read numerous articles about Jonelle’s case.
Hicks reported that the sudden trip to California was announced the day after Jonelle’s disappearance, an invitation from Pankey’s parents for Christmas. The trip was unexpected because Pankey had previously decided not to come.
Concerned about her two Great Danes, Hicks learned from Pankey that he had “abandoned” the dogs and they were never seen again.
Pankey abruptly ended the trip after a disagreement with his father, and the family drove back to Colorado on Christmas Day. During the drive, Pankey asked Hicks to turn on the radio.
“As I was flipping through, I came across a part of a news report that said a girl had disappeared from Greeley, Colorado, and he wanted to hear that,” she testified, as quoted by Oxygen.com.
“And then he wanted me to keep flipping through the channels to see if he could hear more about it,” Oxygen.com quoted him as saying.
When the family returned to Greeley, they stopped to buy several newspapers. Pankey became fixated on the articles about Jonelle’s disappearance and asked Hicks to read them over and over again.
“I remember him making me read each of them at least three times,” she told the court, quoted by Oxygen.com.
About a month after Jonelle Matthews’ disappearance, the pastor of the local church announced that he had received a message from God that the girl would be found alive. Steven Pankey then shouted “false prophet” and had to be removed from the church.
Pankey’s behavior in the case has attracted attention over the years. He once confessed to his wife that he felt targeted by the police because he did not want to reveal what he knew about Jonelle.
During his son’s funeral in 2008, Pankey mentioned Jonelle, showing rare emotion.
“That’s the only time I’ve seen him so emotional,” testified a witness identified by KUSA as Hicks. “He was so moved. He leaned over, kissed the urn and said, ‘I hope God didn’t let this happen because of Jonelle Matthews.'”
Pankey was arrested and tried in 2020, with mixed results. His first trial in 2021 ended in a hung jury, but the following year he was found guilty on several counts. He was convicted of second-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, murder and making false statements to authorities, according to The Coloradoan.
Pankey was arrested and tried in 2020, with mixed results. His first trial in 2021 ended in a hung jury, but he was found guilty on several counts the following year.
According to The Coloradoan, he was convicted of second-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, premeditated murder and making false statements to authorities.
