Dateline: Footprints in the Snow - A detailed case overview
Dateline: Footprints in the Snow explores the story of Jonelle Renee Matthews, a 12-year-old girl who disappeared on December 20, 1984. That evening, she was performing at a concert for Christmas at Denver's IntraWest Bank.
Her father was reportedly at her sister's basketball game at the time when the Dateline: Footprints in the Snow subject reached her home with one of her friends. However, when Jonelle's father went back to their residence, he could not find her.
It was over three decades later, on July 24, 2019, when the remains of Jonelle Matthews were discovered by construction workers, 15 miles away from her home. The complete investigation behind the murder of Jonelle Matthews is documented in Dateline: Footprints in the Snow. The episode is set to make its release on May 23, 2025, at 9 pm EST on NBC.
What is the story of the Dateline: Footprints in the Snow subject, Jonelle Matthews?
As reported by The Denver Post, Jonelle Matthews was born on February 9, 1972, in Santa Barbara, California. She was born to a young mother named Terri Vierra-Martinez, who gave her up for adoption.
As per The Colorado Sun, she was adopted by Gloria and Jim Matthews. Along with an elder sibling named Jennifer, the Dateline: Footprints in the Show subject started living in the city of Greeley, Colorado.
According to Craig Press, on the evening of December 20, 1984, Jonelle went to perform at a Christmas Concert at Denver's IntraWest Bank. She was reportedly a member of Greeley's Franklin Middle School Honor Choir.
As per the same outlet, Jonelle's mother was out of town, while her father had gone to attend Jennifer's basketball game at the Greeley Central High School. Jonelle returned home with one of her friends after the concert. Reportedly, the Dateline: Footprints in the Snow episode subject's father Jim Matthews, reached the residence at around 9:30 pm.
Jim found the garage door open, and when he went inside, Jonelle was nowhere to be seen. As reported by the Greeley Tribune, it was around 10:15 pm when authorities reached the Matthews residence.
After interrogating the crime scene, they found footprints on the snow behind the windows. This indicated that someone was looking at Jonelle from the window while she was inside the house. Upon initial investigation, authorities did not find any signs of forced entry. Even the Dateline: Footprints in the Snow subject Jonelle's shoes were intact.
As reported by The Denver Post, the authorities initially investigated Terri, the Dateline: Footprints in the Snow subject's birth mother. However, even after a decade of investigation, when Jonelle was not found, she was declared dead in 1994, as reported by The Denver Post.
The discovery of the Dateline: Footprints in the Snow subject Jonelle Matthews
As reported by The Greeley Police Department, it was on July 23, 2019, when construction workers discovered the remains of Jonelle Matthews, 15 miles away from the Matthews' former residence.
As reported by Colorado Public Radio, after Jonelle's disappearance, her parents moved out to the Philippines and later took their retirement in Costa Rica. As reported by The Denver Post, after testing the DNA sample found in the remains, the Weld County Coroner's Office identified it to be belonging to the Dateline: Footprints in the Snow subject Jonelle Matthews.
As reported by The New York Times, forensics discovered a gunshot wound to her head, which was declared to be the cause of her death. As reported by the Idaho Statesman, the investigation into Jonelle Matthews' case restarted after the discovery of her remains.
It was on September 13, 2019, when the Greeley Police Department revealed that Steven Dana Pankey was the prime suspect behind the murder. Reportedly, Steven Panky used to live in Greeley at the time of the murder. In 2010, he ran for the lieutenant governor of Idaho, and in 2014 and 2018, he ran for the position of governor.
As reported by The New York Times, upon interrogation, Steven Dana Pankey said that he was at home with his wife on the evening of the disappearance. The Dateline: Footprints in the Snow culprit added that they were planning to go out of the town the next day for a Christmas visit.
However, upon interrogation, authorities discovered that Pankey was lying. As reported by The New York Times, it was on October 13, 2020, when Steven Dana Pankey was charged with abduction and first-degree murder of Jonelle Matthews.
Until his extraction, he was kept at the Ada County Jail in Boise. As reported by CBS News, it was on October 30, 2020, when Pankey was put in front of a Colorado Courtroom in Greeley.
As reported by the Coloradoan, it was on October 31, 2022, when Steven Dana Pankey was found guilty of the murder of Jonelle Matthews. As reported by KREM, Pankey was sentenced to 20 years to lifetime imprisonment.
As per Colorado Department of Corrections, Stevena Dana Pankey is currently serving a sentence incarcerated at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility located town of Ordway, Crowley County, Colorado.
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