The big picture

• The disappearance of Jonelle Matthews gave rise to the Milk Carton Initiative for Missing Children.
• Former suspect Steven Pankey was brought to trial after years of suspicion.
• Detective Robert Cash and Pankey’s ex-wife Angela Hicks speak out after the documentary’s release.

oxygen has officially released one of his most incredible true crime stories yet. The girl on the milk cartonThe two-part production follows the heartbreaking story of Jonelle Matthewswho, at just 12 years old, seemingly disappeared from her family’s home in Greeley, Colorado. It was winter, and police had little to lead on other than some footprints in the snow outside the house, which led them to believe someone had been watching the young girl through a window. Inside, there were no signs of a struggle, making the investigation even more confusing. In a small town north of Denver, the Greeley community rallied together to help the devastated Matthews family and find the missing girl. Matthews was one of the first missing children to join the Milk Carton Initiative, which involves printing images of missing children on the back of milk cartons to raise awareness of the case.

Unfortunately, Matthews’ story had a tragic ending more than 30 years after her disappearance when her remains were discovered by construction workers laying a pipeline not far from her home. When the murder investigation was reopened, a suspect from the past, Steven Pankeybecame more and more important. Pankey had interfered in the case during the first days of the search and his wife, Angela Hickshad become increasingly suspicious of his possible involvement. By offering her help to law enforcement, Hicks was able to work with the people who would eventually frame Pankey for Matthews’ murder.

During an online interview, I had the opportunity to ask some questions to both Hicks and the lead investigator on the case. Robert Cashwho were kind enough to share their stories with me. You can read what they had to say below.

Angela Hicks had long been suspicious of her husband

Hicks said she knew something was wrong from the beginning because her husband was so obsessed with the young woman’s disappearance. “At the time of Jonelle’s disappearance I knew something was wrong. Too many strange things were happening. But at the time I attributed it to Steve’s hatred of the Sunnyview Church and one of its members, Russ Ross.”

Over time, Hicks said, she became more and more suspicious of Pankey as he tried to interfere in the investigation and even “taunted” the police with things he thought would never be discovered. “It was in the 1990s when I became aware that Steve was mocking the police over the case and found that Steve filed numerous legal documents detailing the case.” Unfortunately, it also sounds like the case could have been closed years before Pankey’s actual arrest, but the police ignored Hicks’ concerns. “Through the local police (in Idaho, where I lived) I passed on information, but the Greeley police eventually turned me down“At that point, I was sure Steve was involved.”

When she realized that a sadistic killer was likely living under her roof, Hicks said she was “devastated when she realized that,” adding: “I was afraid for my life and that of my children if Steve realized I’d put the pieces together. I was so careful not to talk to anyone about it for fear it would get back to Steve.”

Detective Robert Cash has always been attracted to unsolved cases

Detective Cash was a detective for 18 years, of the 20 he spent in law enforcement. In his response to me, he said that while the Matthews case was the “most high-profile” of his career, because it finally got attention. Ronald ReaganAt the White House, each case was “important to him for different reasons.” Detective Cash shared a little about his experience with unsolved cases and said:

“Towards the end of my career, I had relative success in solving cold cases. Helping a victim find closure was always my goal. And in solving cold cases, that took on a special meaning. Victims of crimes that sometimes go unsolved for decades are deprived of their freedom. I’m always looking over their shoulders. Seeing victims regain their freedom after a case is solved is motivating.”

Detective Cash recalled the moment he realized the police had caught her husband, saying:

“The moment ‘We have him’ happened for me after
in conversation with Angela Hicks
for the first time. The immense amount of detailed information pieced together the investigation. Hiding in plain sight, Pankey unwittingly sealed his own fate. He could not thwart us as he did so many other people.
His constant aggressive claims and gaslighting
just pointed us in the right direction.”

Detective Cash explained how the milk carton initiative was launched in the Matthews case:

“The milk carton campaign
started with a family friend
who worked at a dairy in the Greeley area. This collaboration was just one example of how determined the Matthews family was to make the incident known around the world. For example:
News of Jonelle’s disappearance reached embassies around the world
. In the end, the worldwide attention the case received was too tempting for Steve Pankey’s narcissistic personality to resist. I think Pankey thought he would get ‘Bravo Boys’ from all the coverage. This intense campaign ultimately led to his downfall.”

The girl on the milk carton is now available on Oxygen.

Watch on Oxygen