Who was Jonelle Matthews?

Jonelle Matthew was adopted by Jim and Gloria Matthews in the 1970s. The family was friendly by nature, and as children in the late 70s and 80s, Jonelle and her older sister (Jim and Gloria Matthews’ biological daughter) had the most wonderful childhood, playing, riding bikes, etc. Jonelle was the star among her friends and also in her neighborhood.

She was a super active child, physically stronger than other children her age and determined to achieve something in life, unlike other children who just want to play. In conversation among the family members and neighbors who knew the family, they said that the family was very intelligent and had children like Jonelle and Jennifer who were well behaved.

The family attended church every week. No one in the family or even in the neighborhood could have guessed what would next change the fate of the Matthew family.

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What happened on the night of December 1, 1985?

On the evening of December 20, 1984, Jonelle was walking to school with her best friend Deanne and other children. The school choir was playing Christmas carols on the local cable television station. Jim, Jonelle’s father, was attending his daughter’s baseball game at her school and her mother Gloria was visiting her father in another part of town because of his illness.

Deanne’s father left Jonelle in her house, not realizing that the garage door was slightly ajar. At around 8:30 a.m., Jonelle received a call from her father and wrote down the message. At around 9 p.m., the abduction took place, and when father and sister reached him, they found the house empty.

Jim searched the house and rooms thoroughly, but Jonelle was nowhere to be found. This was not something girls often did, as they left a note for their parents. Later, they called the police. They found some footprints in the snow that needed to be covered up; Jonelle’s stockings, her shoes and the heater on her chair were also on.

The Milk Carton – Missing Children

In the 1980s, there were many cases of child abductions. There was a missing children section on milk cartons, which made the whole town worry about their children. The local newspapers were full of missing children.

It was also at this time that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was established and children with known parents began to shed light on child abduction cases; previously this had been limited to local areas.

Was the perpetrator caught?

Jonelle’s case also shed light on this matter, and later, 35 years after she was last seen, something emerged that shocked the world. Around July 2019, a construction site near Greeley caught the attention of workers. They found the remains of the body that had been shot directly in the head. Upon examination, it turned out that the bones were Jonelle’s.

It was revealed that Matthews’ neighbor had committed the crime. Steven Dana Pankey, a candidate in Idaho, had committed the gruesome crime. His ex-wife also confessed after years of keeping quiet about the sadist’s obsessions. He was brought to justice, but many children are still missing.

Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with any kind of abuse, please contact your nearest mental health professional or NGO or talk to someone about it. There are several helplines for such cases.

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