Man In Custody for 1984 Greeley Cold Case Murder

At the age of 12, Jonelle Matthews was last seen alive on December 20, 1984 after performing at a Christmas concert.

The remains of Matthews were found by construction workers in Weld County while digging a pipeline in July of 2019.

No arrests had been made for decades in the disappearance of Jonelle Matthews — but that all changed on Tuesday.

According to the Greeley Tribune, a Twin Falls, Idaho man named Steve Pankey is facing first-degree murder and kidnapping charges for offenses committed from December 20-21, 1984.

The indictment for Pankey according to court records occurred on October 9, 2020. Charges are shown as first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and sentence enhancers for using a weapon in a violent crime.

Pankey became a person of interest in the case in September of 2019 and a search warrant had been executed on his home that month. Pankey conducted numerous interviews with media outlets where police state that there were a lot of inconsistencies in his statements.

Source: Greeley Tribune