Chapter 1: The Disappearance of Jonelle Matthews

Jonelle Matthews was born on February 9, 1972, at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, to Terri Vierra. Just six weeks later, she was adopted by Jim and Gloria Matthews, who relocated from California to Greeley, Colorado. Jim Matthews served as the principal of Platte Valley Elementary School in Kersey, Colorado.

Jonelle vanished from her home five days before Christmas in 1984. Earlier that day, her father had dropped her off at her middle school for a Christmas choir concert, which was being recorded for later airing on local cable. After the concert, her best friend Deanna Ross and Deanna's father drove Jonelle home. With her mother out of state caring for a sick relative, Jonelle arrived home at approximately 8:15 p.m., signaling to her friends that she had made it safely inside by flickering the lights.

Shortly after, at around 8:30 p.m., Jonelle received a phone call from a teacher at her father's school and took down a message for him. That was the last anyone heard from her. When Jim Matthews got home at 9:30 p.m., he found the house empty but with signs that Jonelle had just been there: her shoes were by the couch, the television was on, and the space heater was running.

Jennifer, Jonelle's mother, returned home at 10 p.m., unaware of her daughter's whereabouts. Concerned, Jim contacted the Ross family, but they had no information. He also called the church, where the pastor suggested he contact the police. Law enforcement arrived around 11 p.m. and began searching the area, initially assuming Jonelle had run away. However, Jim felt strongly that no child would flee just before Christmas.

The only physical evidence discovered were footprints in the snow surrounding their home, suggesting someone had been watching through the windows. Notably, the individual responsible for these footprints had attempted to conceal them with a rake—a detail that would later become significant in the investigation.

To help locate missing children, Jonelle's image and the date of her disappearance were printed on milk cartons, making her one of the first "milk carton kids." Her case remained unsolved until July 24, 2019, when construction workers discovered her remains 24 kilometers from her home. Identification was made possible through the braces she had been wearing at the time of her disappearance. Tragically, her clothing matched what she had worn to the choir concert.

An autopsy revealed that Jonelle had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The Greeley Police Department never forgot Jonelle, and even without definitive DNA evidence, one name stood out in their investigation: Stephen Dana Pankey, who displayed an unusual fixation on the case.

Chapter 2: The Investigation of Stephen Pankey

A few years after Jonelle's disappearance, Stephen Pankey relocated with his family to