The 35-year-old cold case of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews, who vanished from her Greeley, Colorado home just days before Christmas in 1984, has been solved with a stunning revelation that has sent shockwaves through the true crime community and the nation. The remains of the young girl, discovered in July 2019 by construction workers preparing land for an oil and gas pipeline, have led authorities to a suspect who was once a prominent political figure and a youth pastor at the very church the Matthews family attended. Steve Pankey, a 69-year-old former candidate for governor of Idaho, now faces charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping, a development that has unraveled a web of lies, manipulation, and a decades-long quest for justice.
The case began on December 20, 1984, when Jonelle, a vibrant and independent 12-year-old, was dropped off at her home at 320 43rd Avenue Court after participating in a school choir concert. She had been battling a cold but insisted on attending the event, eager to give gifts to friends and enjoy the holiday spirit. Her father, Jim Matthews, was at her sister Jennifer’s basketball game, while her mother, Gloria, was out of town caring for an ill relative.
Jonelle was last seen wearing a red blouse, dark gray sweater vest, charcoal gray skirt, light blue ski jacket, and house slippers. After a friend’s father, Russell Ross, dropped her off around 8:15 p. m.
, Jonelle flashed the lights to signal she was safe inside. But within an hour, the home fell silent.
At 8:30 p. m. , records show Jonelle answered a phone call from a teacher trying to reach her father, a principal at Platte Valley Elementary School.
She took a message and then settled into her favorite spot on the living room couch, next to the Christmas tree, with a space heater warming her and her shawl draped over her shoulders. When Jim returned home around 9:30 p. m.
, he found the heater on, the shawl discarded, and her shoes neatly placed by the couch—but no sign of Jonelle. A frantic search of the house revealed nothing, and police arrived within 15 minutes of his call. They found no evidence of a struggle or forced entry, but footprints in the snow outside the living room windows indicated someone had been watching her.
Initial theories that Jonelle had run away were quickly dismissed. Jim Matthews insisted his daughter had no reason to leave, noting her excitement for an upcoming sleepover and a church Christmas presentation. The police focused on her birth mother, Terri Vierra-Martinez, who had given Jonelle up for adoption at just 13 years old, but she was cleared after investigators confirmed she had no knowledge of the disappearance.
The case went cold, despite national attention from President Ronald Reagan, who mentioned Jonelle by name in a 1985 speech about missing children, pleading with the media to help locate her.
For 35 years, the Matthews family clung to hope, but in 1994, they had Jonelle declared legally deceased. They eventually moved away—Jim and Gloria to Costa Rica, Jennifer to Washington—unable to bear the pain of staying in Greeley. Then, on July 23, 2019, a construction crew working on a pipeline dig 15 miles southeast of Jonelle’s old home unearthed a set of human remains.
DNA testing confirmed they were Jonelle’s, and a bullet hole in her skull revealed she had been murdered. The discovery reignited the investigation, and authorities quickly zeroed in on a man they had long suspected: Steve Pankey.
Pankey, who lived just two miles from the Matthews home in 1984, was a youth pastor at the Sunny View Church of the Nazarene, the same church the family attended. He had inserted himself into the investigation early on, offering to help but demanding immunity in exchange for information. In a critical slip, he mentioned that footprints in the snow outside the Matthews home had been covered with a rake—a detail never released to the public.
Despite this, police lacked probable cause to arrest him at the time. Pankey later ran for governor of Idaho in 2014 and 2018, and for lieutenant governor in 2010, using his political platform to maintain a public profile.
In interviews following the discovery of Jonelle’s remains, Pankey denied any involvement, claiming he had never known the Matthews family. He told reporters he first heard of Jonelle’s disappearance on December 26, 1984, while driving back from California. But his ex-wife, Angela Hicks, contradicted this, stating that the couple had not left for their trip until December 22, and that Pankey had taken an unusual interest in the case upon their return.
She recalled him forcing her to read newspaper articles about the disappearance and digging in their yard for an unexplained reason. A vehicle stored on their property later caught fire and burned completely, adding to the suspicion.
Pankey’s behavior over the years only deepened the mystery. At his son’s funeral in 2008, he reportedly said, “I hope God didn’t allow this to happen because of Jonelle Matthews.” Angela Hicks, who was still married to him at the time, dismissed the comment as grief, but it later became a key piece of evidence.
In a 51-minute interview with KTVB, Pankey spoke casually, with one arm draped over a bench, and made several alarming statements. He referred to the case as a “murder” before it was publicly known that Jonelle had been killed, a slip that many viewers saw as an admission of guilt. He also mentioned his “gay background” repeatedly, seemingly to deflect suspicion that he would target a young girl.
Pankey’s story became increasingly convoluted. He claimed that his father-in-law, a groundskeeper at a local cemetery, had told him about a cop who needed to bury a body, and that he had reported this to the FBI. But he refused to provide details without immunity, and his attorney warned him against obstruction of justice.
In a statement to KTVB, Pankey named several people he believed were suspects, including Russell Ross, the father who drove Jonelle home, and even himself. He accused the Greeley Police Department of manipulating evidence to frame him, saying, “I don’t think they have a really good suspect and I’m somebody they don’t like, so I think that’s it.”
On October 13, 2020, a grand jury indicted Pankey on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping. He was arrested in Twin Falls, Idaho, and held without bail in the Ada County Jail, awaiting extradition to Colorado. The indictment came after a thorough investigation that included a search of his home, where police seized a DVD of his son’s funeral, among other items.
Pankey’s Patreon account, where he supported true crime podcasts like “The Trail Went Cold,” which had covered Jonelle’s case, further fueled speculation about his obsession with the crime.
The Matthews family, who had long sought closure, finally received answers. Jim and Gloria returned to Greeley to lay their daughter to rest, but the pain of knowing she had been dead for 35 years while they held onto hope was devastating. “We’ll keep hanging on,” Jim had said in 1985, but the truth was far darker than they ever imagined.
Jonelle’s murder, which occurred just days before Christmas, shattered the holiday spirit for a community that had rallied around the family. The discovery of her remains and the subsequent arrest of Pankey have brought a measure of justice, but the case raises troubling questions about how a man with such a public profile could evade detection for so long.
Pankey’s trial, which is expected to begin in 2024, will likely delve into the events of that cold December night. Investigators believe he entered the Matthews home through an unlocked door or window, abducted Jonelle, and then shot her before burying her body on a remote piece of land. The motive remains unclear, but evidence suggests he may have been driven by a twisted desire for control or a need to silence a witness.
Pankey’s history as a youth pastor, his political ambitions, and his repeated attempts to involve himself in the case all point to a man who believed he was above the law.
The true crime community has been captivated by the case, with many noting the eerie parallels to other solved cold cases. The Jonelle Matthews story has been featured in documentaries and podcasts, highlighting the role of forensic science and persistent detective work in cracking decades-old mysteries. The use of DNA testing to identify her remains and the careful analysis of Pankey’s statements have been crucial in building the case against him.
But the most chilling aspect is the realization that a predator was hiding in plain sight, attending the same church, living in the same neighborhood, and even running for public office.
As the trial approaches, the public is left to grapple with the horror of what happened to Jonelle. She was a bright, sassy 12-year-old who loved Christmas and had big plans for her future. Her disappearance left a void in her family and community, and her murder has now 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓭 the dark underbelly of a case that seemed unsolvable for so long.
The Matthews family, who have shown remarkable resilience, are now preparing to face Pankey in court, hoping to finally understand why their daughter was taken from them.
The investigation into Pankey’s past has revealed a pattern of suspicious behavior. He had been accused of assault by a piano player at the church, and his ex-wife described him as controlling and secretive. After Jonelle’s disappearance, he reportedly watched the police investigation from a distance, even commenting on the footprints in the snow.
His decision to run for political office may have been an attempt to gain power and influence, but it also brought him under scrutiny. The Greeley Police Department, which had long suspected him, finally had the evidence needed to make an arrest.
The case has also highlighted the importance of community involvement in solving cold cases. The construction workers who found Jonelle’s remains were doing routine work, but their discovery changed everything. The subsequent DNA testing and forensic analysis provided the breakthrough that had eluded investigators for decades.
The Matthews family, who had never given up hope, finally had the closure they needed, even if it came in the form of a tragic truth.
Steve Pankey’s arrest has sent a message that no crime, no matter how old, is beyond resolution. The justice system, though slow, has proven that it can bring perpetrators to account, even when they try to hide behind a facade of respectability. As the trial unfolds, the world will be watching, eager to see if the man who once sought to lead a state will be held responsible for the murder of a child.
For Jonelle, her family, and the community of Greeley, the long wait for justice is finally over, but the scars of that cold December night will never fully heal.
