SOLVED Cold Case With A SHOCKING Twist: True Crime Documentary & Solved Missing Persons Case
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- Today, we're covering a solved cold case with a SHOCKING twist no one could have possibly seen coming. In this true crime documentary, we're covering the haunting disappearance of Jonelle Matthews. In 1984, Jonelle completely vanished from her home. For over 3 decades, Jonelle remained a missing person. No trace of Jonelle was ever found, even after an investigation by detectives - that is, until 2019, when a construction team unearthed Jonelle and cracked this case wide open. After Jonelle was found, this cold case quickly began to unravel, and in 2020, this missing persons case was solved - but it wasn't like anyone had possibly expected. Join us for a true crime storytime covering the case of Jonelle Matthews.
[Video] [Imagery] supplied by Getty Images.
![일상 속 기분 좋음 [Proto disco meme]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DwmEIaZ7XGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
He was found guilty on Oct 31, 2022, and received 20 years to life. His earliest possible release will be 2042, at which point he will be 91. It's fairly safe to say that he'll die in prison.
Thank you. That is why I checked the comments.
If so, good riddance.
Finally 👍
Thanks for the info, but where’s the closure? Where’s the evidence that we need…
@@57abs 😊
this case has infuriated me for years. most kids up for adoption don't find good homes with loving family and Janelle got that, she was one of the lucky ones and it was ripped away from her... pisses me off... the entire thing pisses me off.
This case has infuriated me for years. Most kids up for adoption don't find good homes with loveing family and Janelle got that, she was one of the lucky ones and it was ripped away from her pisses me off.
And the best is the system is so corrupt. And this young lady managed to have that avoided for her. Only to wind up in the hands of a piece of SH... Any one not able to watch their own backs. Need extra help from the rest of us. We as adults must keep our eyes open. For the Children in our worlds. It is our duty. If you have kids in School find the time to get involved. I did this with a chronic disease. I was lucky because I wasn't working. There are parents stuggling. Having to work full time. Instead of judging those families. Help. We do not know peoples situations. Even if the home life is less than stellar. Don't have that stop you. From encouraging these children. Let them know that you are a Parent that listens. And have your eyes open. When a Child feels safe with the adults in their world. They are more likely not to become a victim. Or to ask for help if something feels wrong to them. Make friends with the other Parents. So you have others who you are in contact with. Incase you miss something. Or the other Parents miss something. Children are masters at manipulation. And we don't always know what they are feeling. So the more eyes the more safe they are. May you all stay safe and our Children grow up healthy and happy.
@@tayloranderson7547 Why did you copy word by word what the first poster stated? Were you trying to make a point that I must not understand? Have a good day.
Thats why?
satan is a cruel man.
Jenelle is such a tragic example of the family doing everything right to make sure she'd get home safe and having everything still go wrong. Poor girl I'm so sorry for her, her family and, their loss :'(
Remember, when you bring a child home, be sure than the parents are home. Wait with the child until they come back.
@EmpressKajal Yeah, i mean, if someone told you to keep an eye on his child, you wait until they come back to leave. You don't let a child alone in a house. That's stupid.
It's disappointing to consider that her death could have been prevented if the dad that dropped her off, I dunno, kept her around for an hour until her parents came back home? If I were in his place I would've asked her parents for permition to take her with me until they arrive
@@furiousdestroyah9999 you can say that with benefit of hindsight, but who knew this would happen with that poor little girl, I don't think it's okay to blame those guys for someone else's crime, they did everything in their hand including riding her home and making sure she enters her home safely, and don't forget it was a cold night, everyone just want to reach home as fast as possible and have dinner with their loved ones possibly near a warm and cosy fireplace. What happened was really very tragic and unfortunate, I'm sorry but can someone tell me what was motive for this heinous act? I honestly missed that part.
@EmpressKajal Depends on how old they are. I'm fairly certain that in most states, age 12 is acceptable to be left at home alone (at least in the US). Unfortunately there is no perfect answer. Tragic things happen everyday. Even if they had gotten her a sitter for those 2 hours, who is to say that they wouldn't have taken advantage of her? The world is a scary place. :/
what scares me the most is the fact that she wasn’t outside at late hours of night she wasn’t in a shady place with dangerous people around she was in her OWN HOME watching tv may her soul rest in peace i hope her family are okay!!
And to think of that creepy bastard peering in at that precious, Innocent little girl 💔💔💔
i mean, child neglect. ignore your child so often that this type of thing is possible. it sure af wouldnt have happened if the parents were protective of their daughter.
I hate how a lot of these cases get dismissed as a child being a run away!!! It boils my blood.
I know it's so sad😪
It's a product of experience with a lot of actual runaways. Kids can have so much happening in their lives that parents don't know. It can make their actions seem completely contradictory. I've taught three runaways over the years, and two were complete surprises. They all came home or were found and returned.
That said, *all* possibilities should be explored when a kid goes missing
I get so sick of the police saying girls are run away my self
@@christinerose4839 and you know what fucks me up that you have to wait 24 hours before you can reporting missing
@@brokensmilebrokendreams7778 not anymore, *in most places.* The old rule keeps surfacing, but police generally want to get started asap nowadays. Report it right away, regardless.
middle aged and elderly people always talk about the “good ole days when you didn’t have to lock your doors” but they don’t realize that they were just in the “good ole days of no technology and slow information spread”
exactlyyyy
You're right. There have been studies done that show the world is no more dangerous than it was 100 years ago.
There was not a 24 hr news cycle which allowed for people to not be on edge.
Yep!
Maybe things haven't changed much in big cities like New York, LA, Toronto ETC.. but in smaller towns they sure have! My town is has tripled in size & crime rates have gone up with it. Lots of crime & junkies now. They came here because it's so beautiful & has a temperate climate, but it's not so beautiful anymore. ☹
I wish I could get my little hometown back the way it was.
“Our kid is gone!”
She just left dw
“She didn’t even take shoes or a jacket!”
Hmm we think she left on her own
“She had so many activities coming up that she was looking forward to!”
Sounds like a runaway to me
“There are adult footprints all around the house!”
Still a runawayy
😩 bruh that had to be so infuriating
What exactly do they do if they're this bad at their job?!?!?!
I thought the same thing. That part really bothered me. They reported a MISSING PERSON to the dispatcher not a RUNAWAY.🤦♀️
She's dying to go to school right before christmas vacation to see friends and participate in activities even though she's sick because she loves her life and her community.....uhhh ma'am nope she ran away and wants none of this smfh criminal negligence if you ask me, had they acted immediately with an iota of competence who knows how the outcome could have been different
Ikr, it legit angered me. And "oh but there's no signs of forced entry" isn't any reason for that, obviously it was someone she knew or someone she thought she could trust (or heck, some children might even make the mistake of opening the door for a stranger), duh... Like aren't most crimes like this committed by someone the victim knows? Sheesh. Wonder if it had something to do with her race.... Considering the year it happened, I think it did. Or heck, maybe there really is a chance that Pankey's story about police being involved is true.
It’s so sad to think she lay there, fragile, cold, alone, dead, for 30+ years. It’s just heartbreaking.
He got life with parole
Imagine how many victims are still laying out dead,cold and alone in the world unfound 😢
@@nielss2773 No he didn't! His trial just started last month, October 2022!
@@ondreacounts2556 yeah and he got life with parole.
@@ondreacounts2556he got life with parole
I really appreciate how this channel speaks about the victims in deep detail instead of the criminal
As it should be. Poor little soul.
Yeah that's a big part of what keeps drawing me in.
~
Great observation, I agree 100%
Strongly disagree. To be clear, I don't "like" criminals or killers and I have an ocean of empathy for the victims. But they aren't the interesting part of true crime stories and I feel like everyone knows that if they think about it. In fact the most disturbing parts of these stories is that anyone could be the victim, they are ordinary people. I think this victim centric frame just helps the genre cope with its amoral foundation, meaning subject matter that is rather exploitative of actual human suffering.
I love the genre, just don't wanna have any delusions about it, that's all.
Dismissing missing children cases as runaways needs to stop. So much valuable time was wasted and could have turned this tragedy around just in time if law enforcement did their job properly and treat as a kidnapping first and not the other way around.
Even if they did run away, they're just children, police should be looking for them no matter the reason of disappearance
@Audacious Altair there is a case where an adult daughter of a sheriff went missing and within an hour there was a wide spread search for her and then a subsequent manhunt for the killer in a span of a night... I believe its in this channel... not saying the cop was wring of using his clout to expedite the search its understandable but every missing person case needs this level of urgency... especially minors
@Audacious Altair most only care about them and their family and their next holiday. It's disgusting. Whats even more disgusting is how people who are charismatic are labeled as trustworthy people in our society and hermits are nutjobs.
@@Vassilaco I agree: why should they think it doesn't matter, even if it really were "just" a runaway?
@@Vassilaco I bet you are right there!
Man.. Joenelle goes missing and they find a human scalp in a farm which does not belong to her.. well whom did it belong to then?! Plus the son of the man who murdered her was murdered too. That's a lotta crime in one area. :'(
I’m wondering who’s scalp it was? Did anyone investigate? Or just say eh, just an ordinary day.
You ever notice how most of these true crime documentaries always start of by saying something like "Glendale was the perfect community. It was a place where everyone knew their neighbor, and no one locked their doors." Then they go on to tell you about the most gruesome crime you'd ever heard of. Glad they didnt lie about this towns crime rate! People were literally being scalped! That place was VIOLENT!
@@vianka5549 totally, not every town just has scalps laying around like wtf was that about
Yeah it’s just a fucked town plain and simple
They obviously would have done a full examination of it to figure out who it was and another case would've been opened. They just didn't go into that because it's unrelated to this story.
for those watching in 2022, he's still on trial. He was charged with giving false information to police in Nov 2021 and awaits trial for murder and kidnapping (and another charge the 1st jury couldn't agree on). Trial starts early Oct 2022 and is set to be 5 weeks. I hope Jonelle gets justice, but even if he is found guilty I have a feeling we will never hear what actually happened that night.
Thanks for the update ! I really wonder what was in this man’s half cell brain to do what he did. May all inmates have a field day with him for many years to come! 😡
Thank you for the info!
Thanks for the update!
thank you for the information. i hope he gets sent to prison. sadly he was able to live his life freely all this years :(
We wont hear because 99% chance he'd pick up charges that would put him on the sex offender registry. I'm just gonna say it, this guy looks like a nonce. I cant wait for the day to come where this guy is on the news again for getting merked in prison.
Outrageous that the police treated her as a runaway and ignored the footprints in the snow. Poor Jonelle!
@Audacious Altair I noticed that too. They really didn't want to do their jobs, not even for an innocent 12 year old girl's sake. Sick!
They never ignored the footprints. How can you even say that. They collected data on the footprint but it was leading them nowhere. What are you going to do with footprints if it leads you to a dead end?
@Audacious Altair The found footprints showing an adult was standing behind the window watching her from outside.
@Audacious Altair I'm sure we will all agree that there are many murders that if the perpetrator does not come forward to confess, no one will ever find out who did it. And this is one of those. The development of DNA, advanced CCTV and Information Systems opened a whole new world in forensic investigation for homicides.
But even still there remains massive tonnes unsolved murder cases and the list still keeps growing.
If she was in slippers or not did not help in solving this case. Someone who saw something has to come forward. And according to the video too, the Police have had their eyes on their main suspect right from 35yrs ago when she went missing. So the police were still looking at this suspect in the background quietly, but they couldn't even find her body to follow up on.
The narrater only brings this suspect into the video later, but said the police have had him as a suspect for 35yrs, and he is still their only suspect up till today. Someone commits a murder and we all expect the killer to be found by the police, and sometimes its not easy for them. If no one gives them some key piece of information, sometimes they will not be able to find the killer.
@@rond5936 They downplayed the significance of those footprints by treating her as a runaway. Why would a 12 year old, who is home alone, sneak out a window instead of walking through the front door is my point.
Cops first thought is always “She ran away” or here “left on her own accord” shoeless. Coatless. Middle of winter. Duh???
@Theda Bara I don’t know if you have growing children, but they grow like weeds from one season to the next. 2 winter coats is doubtful
@Theda Bara it’s literally their job to figure that out lmao
@Jbone Philly SO WELL PUT ❤️
Because over 80% of children who are reported missing in the US come back after a few hrs up to a couple of days. Because of this, the police will start investigating a missing child case, but in their heads, they will only start to think the child is actually missing if he or she doesn't show up after 48hrs.
Parents call the police only to realise the child run to her Auntie or Friends house complaining about certain things her parents will not let her have. Like boyfriends or video games or not allowed to change tp a certain school.
@@AbbeyOnAtkins
So true
I bet the biological mother was heartbroken over this too. I'm sure she gave up her child because she wanted the best for her.
I was thinking the same thing and I know that the adopted family had to feel bad for what had happened.
I hear ya... it's so sad💔
@Theda Bara we put. Ph Lou or he
@@aminataliep6736 is this English?
@@aminataliep6736
What on earth are you talking about!?? It doesn't makes sense...
I lost my 2 yr old in a mall years ago for 5 mins… I thought I’d lose my mind. I thought he was with hubby, hubby thought he was with me, I can’t even imagine what these parents go through when their children never return… My hearts breaks for them.
I am so sorry to hear that. Words are inadequate here.
Please tell me you found them?
⛔🛑EVERY CASE OF A CHILD MISSING SHOULD BE TREATED AN ABDUCTION AND NOT A RUNAWAY, REGARDLESS OF A CHILDS HISTORY OR CIRCUMSTANCES❗️🛑⛔️
@Theda Bara and you don’t see an issue with that? Lmao ok
@Theda Bara they have the resources to work on these things and take issues seriously, but spend more time oppressing the poor and minority communities with bullshit tickets, finding every person to drain money from the pockets so they can get some money in theirs, instead of allocating their efforts to legitimate problems. It’s a business, Theda. And this business benefits from crime. The have quotas to meet every month. How can you meet a quota when you’re busy trying to locate one particular missing child that you may never find? The whole system is fucked.
@Theda Bara LMAO idk what is wrong with your head but it is not in a good place, or a smart one. You gave no logical rebuttal against any part of my argument Please find therapy and research the reality of the system. Have a good day
@Theda Bara so your telling me a kid who was born with a very wealthy and healthy and great loving and caring family and also didn’t have to work or stress for anything in life will run away from home when he has everything sorted for life, your a goon pal kids run away when they have mental health issues or are getting abused and stuff just because so many people run away from home doesn’t mean that it is a normal thing in life get a brain screwed on and then sit behind your screen making comments that make no fucking sense, wether the kid has run away or not the police has enough funding and enough people employed to let 10 officers and a few dogs look for clues and any leads people with no common sense like you make me giggle
I think I agree with this
Jonelle's case reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons where the nun says 'everyday we light a candle for him' and Bart says 'Have you tried 'looking' for him?'.
When I was younger I would’ve laughed at that
Now it just makes me uncomfortable
If God existed, then why did she go missing?
@@hollyhayes1313 Because people are evil. Human beings have the ability to make decisions as opposed to animals. This man is a murderer. God said, "do not kill" he told us and yet there are so many murders and people condemning themselves. That's the best I can put it.
@@hollyhayes1313 Because people have free will and do this shit on their own. How are you confused?
@@aaliyah9090 Then if they did it themselves, the Devil didn't make them do it. And if there is no Devil, then there is no God either.
Someone tried to take me when I was 5. 1982. My aunt left me in the car when she ran into a gas station. She came out and saw the guy carrying me under his arm and chased him. He dropped me. The police never caught him. The police were great though. They had officers outside my home for weeks after just in case he knew me and tried again.
That is so scary! I bet you still wonder what could have happened to you if you aunt hadn't stopped him...
A woman tried to stand with the parents in front of the school when kids were handed over and tried to flee with my brother who was then 3. My mom always gets there ahead of time and hence she chased the woman and got him. She pretended that she got the wrong child but then ran. Scares Me even today!
That sounds harrowing. Last year, someone tried to take my neighbor’s daughter from the waiting room in Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV. She was able to subdue him with a kick to his groin, and other people helped hold him down until police came. It hit really close to home.
I am so sorry... Blessings sent
Lucky girl but definitely creepy shit, this is not how it goes for many innocent children out there. :'(
my dogs once "went missing" for 8 hours and I was going crazy.. I cant even begin to imagine how extremely hard it must be for parents when they child disappears. for years. this is heartbreaking..
Did they run off?
Particularly with the bloody cops insisting on her being a "Runaway" - WHY? What did she ever do to show them She was a runaway? She came from a happy family and was living a happy life. They wasted weeks following her birth mother?!!!!
💯💯💯💯
What happened to the dogs? Did they get out of the house or smth?
Wait we really want to know what happened to the dogs…they just disappeared for 8 hours?
Being kidnapped from your home is even scarier...dang
I get impression that American homes are poorly secured 🧐
@@cherryrotella3714 true🗿
@@cherryrotella3714 not in my home I got security cameras all around with 2 best friend retired patrol dogs that’ll rip your face off and not to mention everyone in my home knows how to properly use a gun in case of self defense and knows where they’re kept I always carry mine
@@evaristo.everardoosorio.ro654 lucky
@@evaristo.everardoosorio.ro654 thanks for helping me prepare 😈😈
I hate a lot of things about this case but what bothers me THE most is that his wife knew, she KNEW what he did and she kept quiet and allowed that family to suffer.
Denial , she was hoping he buried his ' gayness' .
@@guineagallante7974 ikr
a
@Duke Cally TH-cam. right as u r and as polite as u were in ur reply thats the honor of comments and opinions we all get to share what our thoughts are and if the person stating their comment are big enough to share their thoughts they will be big enough to come back and say it later but this is what we do most of us. We r human and I say this in the nicest tone.
I think presuming is one way investigators catch their perp and without thinking like that we might not catch a lot of bad guys.
@Duke Cally I agree with u. Its just after seeing so much in one lifetime u can't change what naturally develops in how u suspect people to be more negative then positive. The best of us can be fooled so easily and more people are developing/being born with narcissistic behavior. Nobody wants to be fooled especially the people investigating these cases they work to hard to get to the truth and it sucks to be wrong.
Its easier to investigate a case assuming someone is guilty so u can ultimate all the facts. Yes its backasswards and not what any investigator will admit to how it works but this is why they call it suspects
How one day I will
Evil does not take time off around the holidays-a sad and depressing truth.
If evil took time off for Xmas it wouldn’t be evil now would it ?
@@soph5669 beat me to it salut
@@soph5669 It could still be, but I've faced evil before away from the holidays so I have a different POV.
True. Poor sweet child (Johnelle) she opened the door to evil I believe that's why she opened the door because she knew him, in social situations, and that's why, the house was in no disarray, or no signs of struggle. 😑
Rest in peace Angel baby.😢💐💖
The devil don't sleep , get sick , tired , bored , or give up . And he is always hungry to devour us .
It's depressing. Jenelle had everything. A biological mother who gave her up so she could have a better life, loving and devoted adoptive parents and a great life with friends. It's just so heartbreaking.
Everything that could go so well with an adoptive child born into the situation she was in did go well. Only for some creepy predator ruin all of that. I also feel for the parents both biological and adoptive because they did everything right regarding Jonelle.
I remember the announcements in grade school- to watch out for strangers in cars offering candy, that the police had been notified. One time I stayed late after school and walked home alone, my teacher saw a car following me slowly and got in his car to pick me up and drive me the few blocks to my home safely. It is very likely that I owe him my life. (Also- what is up with Panky making everything about himself?!? The narcissism of this guy is astounding!)
What if your teacher that picked you up was a killer???!!! Your very lucky!! Thank gd
Well! Aren't you the lucky one! ( We just ran!)
@@christineberry3076 outrun a CAR? Maybe u can, I never could.
Thank god Greeley has changed!!😂
@@Stranger_Than_Fiction299 cut through a neighborhood or someones backyard if youre in a cul de sac and evading a car
I think he's the same guy who called home pretending to be a teacher . He just called to make sure jonelle was alone in the house
I was thinking the same thing, the phone call that late at night was strange. (Especially at the time, it definitely would be seen as rude to call that late, especially when you aren't a relative.)
I was just about to comment this
My dad never allowed us kids to answer the phone when we were little, for reasons like this.
I think these are very good observations, I wouldn’t be surprised
It says right in the video that it was a teacher calling in sick. The guy left his number and name. It would have taken 5 minutes for the police to run it down, plus the call could have been verified by records or even phone bills back then. No. It was a teacher calling the principal to say he was sick and wouldn't be in. I'm sure he got calls all through the night like that lol
she's literally the only one who actually looks happy to be singing there. everyone else looks miserable lmao... just goes to show how enthusiastic she was about those kinds of events compared to the average joe. that somehow just makes it even more of a shame
Your picture looks like Willow from Buffy the vampire Slayer (:
@@olgreg94 Lol i'm making a weird facial expression in that pic, definitely don't look much like her irl but i see what you mean :P
It truly does! She had a rare light around her and inside of her that would’ve have been great for this world. So sad.
ikr
My thoughts are . The dad went to other daughters basketball game..there's tons of games every year..only 1 Xmas production. He should have went to watch Janelle.
Imagine sitting in your house in the living room, watching tv, home alone, and someone is outside your window watching you in the dead of night. That’s so scary. How do people get so evil smh
My granddaughter went missing. The sheriffs department sent a motorcycle, helicopter, dog, detectives all in about 45 minutes! We went to all the neighbors and no luck. The one house we did not go to because she was not suppose to be home is where she was found. She was only 5 and I asked the neighbor why she would let her in her house and allow her to cross the street. She told me that she was told that I had given permission, so she believed my granddaughter and let her in. The police were not angry, and let me know to not feel bad. It was a good exercise for them.
Keep an eye on that neighbor
I'm so glad to hear that your granddaughter was found safe and sound. Thank God.
So that neighbour didnt react in 45 min while the search was happening? With all the noise a helicopter makes? Anyway I'm really glad there was a happy ending.
That neighbor is SHADY.
I’m pretty sure they like these where the child is found. Props to the department for reacting so well!
Someone tried to kidnap me when I was 6 in 1981. Lots of scary shit happened in the 1980s with kids going missing.
Me too in 85, I was 14yrs. Old. He tried to pull me into the car. I fought him off and ran home and told my mom. Police came....I gave description of him and the car but didn't get a plate #. So it went no where.
Same! I was about 8. Scariest thing that’s ever happened to me
Same... also in Greeley Colorado
I had a tutor in elementary school that was a very handsie old perv. Nothing horrible I suppose, just the type to place his hand on your knee or lower thigh or sit with his arm around me. He then tried to convince my parents I needed after school tutoring and thankfully they were wise enough to call bs at that point. 100% confident he would have done atrocious things to me had he got me into his house. At the time I was very upset because I thought of him as a friend and he had a very well trained dog that would come to school with him. He would always show me all of the cool tricks his dog knew. I was far too young to understand his intentions but I am very thankful for my intuitive parents!
@@katybug6572 I do but not often enough. Thank you for your kind words!
I knew he did it when he said the night that he and his wife were driving back from California was the first time he had heard of jonnelles disappearance or existence... you remember the exact day you heard of girls disappearance that you "didnt know" 35 years ago?
He gave a lot of superfluous detail which is something liars do.x
Yes , he was distancing / disassociating himself from Jonelle's life. As in I first became aware of her existence through the radio .
@@susanlansdell863 It's their way to sugar coat the bull - - - - !
On top of that he specifically said when he drove back from Colorado and thats where they found her body
Exactly. He’s trying too hard to seem innocent. His dumb wife isn’t any better.
For those who may see this. He was currently just sentenced to life in prison. I just read up on it. He got sentenced on Halloween
Scooby doo lets us know MONSTERS ARE ALWAYS HUMAN !!!!!!
Ha haaa haaa it's true ! There's no meaner monsters than the 2 legged ones ! They use their intelligence to do evil .
I like scooby doo
This statement is the absolute truth.
So does most of Dean Koontz 😳😒
But what about zombie island they were real but yea true
These types of police are one of the reasons why kidnapped kids end up dead.
You have about 24 hours to find a kidnapped child and bring them home alive. Kidnappers don’t keep them alive very long at all so it’s difficult for anyone.
really? so its the police fault predators kidnap kids? so the police are telling them to go kidnap kids, think about what you said if it were so easy you go and do it
@@tylerdennis7476 it's not that it's easy, more so they're always trying to find a way to cast doubt on parents who clearly know their kids. This was the stupidest case to try and apply the runaway theory to, but they refused to let it go instead ot taking the parent's word. Obviously this isn't applicable to every kidnappings case, but come on.
Lazy at doing their jobs. This guy excuse is disgusting...He is a disgusting pig that is a psycopath and sadist.
@@tylerdennis7476
PERHAPS
Poor baby girl. She had so much life to live. Such a waste of a bright young girl. The family's grief can not be measured. That man is a monster!!!
In the 80's a guy my dad worked with had his son stolen out of the child's bedroom. The boy was only a few years younger than me. No trace of the child has ever been found in the last 35+ years.
some people out there know exactly what happened and might be still roaming around freely
That is terribly sad
What is the name of the kid
*80s
That is so incredibly sad 😢
What is the name of the child?
There was no sign of forced entry because he probably checked the window first, then rang the doorbell. Since Jonelle knew him from church she probably just opened the door for him. On a side note, how is this considered a "solved" case?
Solved means we know what happened, not that it was prosecuted.
Because he basically admitted to doing it he admitted someone told him a body needed to be buried and said it was a police most likely the man who shot janelle the pastor probably answer the door to help him pankey made it aware that he had help but kept the next person a secret which most likely is his father
Because he's in prison.
@@jamesharvey1720 but why did he did it
Fingerprints
A 13 year old child...pregnant. I can’t imagine how difficult this would be.
I wonder who got a 13 year old pregnant??????
I was supervisor to a young woman who had a child at 13. Then her daughter got pregnant at 13, so she was going to be a Grandmother at 26. I actually couldn't fathom it. They actually were a pretty happy family.
@@katybug6572 yeah it was..
@@toomanymarys7355
No way! That’s blaming the victim. A 12 year old child can not give consent. Often girls this young become pregnant because of sexual abuse not because they are promiscuous, Perhaps we should stop blaming them and focus on blaming the perpetrators, the rapist and the murderers.
Yeah, society these days is strangely intolerant considering besides the last 200 years in the west, around the world it would have been relatively normal.
I cannot understand why the cops didn’t double down on him when he knew something that wasn’t disclosed to the public ~ (the footprints in the snow, being raked over) … the incompetence of police never ceases to amaze me 🙄🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
I don't think it's usually incompetence but just laziness
@@cgyygc5433 laziness is a factor of incompetence.
@@cgyygc5433 Its actually the fact that the Law usually helps the bad guys way more than it does help Police to investigate.
@@xoresgaminghub5412 That is BS - and you know it. They had absolutely nothing to gain helping this pederast. But they would have gained a lot of stars on their report cards if they had solved the case. Now tell me again that they were not motivated to solve the case.
No, I think they were indeed badly trained - and that made them commit all those mistakes.
Wow! 12 year old gets home, turns heater on, grabs a shawl and takes off shoes. Footprints in snow outside lounge room.
Police : ‘She must have run away’.
Hard to believe anyone could be that dense.
They need to hurry up because I doubt sweet Jonelle is his only victim. There's sure to be more, probably before her and after.
ikr. how about how a human scalp was literally discovered in the town, but as soon it was seen as not belonging to Jonelle everyone was just like "well i guess this is useless" how about the fact that it might indicate that their is a serial killer living in your town! god these cops make Chief Wiggum look like a professional, they sat on mountains of evidence for years, I'm not saying we could have saved Jonelle but we could have at least caught this monster like 25 years sooner
Im wondering about his son that was murdered?? VERY strange!
If you were a kid in the 70’s & 80’s, you did not feel safe and you weren’t! MOST of my school friends were creeped on, pestered, molested. It was a terrifying time...
It happened so often but it just wasn't taken seriously. I remember being out in front of my house with my friends and a guy just pulled up in his car, rolled down his window and asked us to get in with him. We live in the boonies on a dead end street and it was right in front of my house with my parents home. This is not a new thing - people have been crazy for years 🤷
In the 60s too,I was molested at about 4 and a half yrs.,old.
I remember walking off the street and acting like a random house was mine many times just to make sure any car would think I was going home
It's so true. I had a very scary experience as a child that now, as a parent myself, I find even more terrifying. I feel like growing up during that time, kidnapping was a serious and far too common occurrence. That was during the "stranger danger" Era.
Plus, we had the satanic panic. The paranoia my parents had during that time bled over onto my brother and I. I had to sneak around to even listen to AC/DC.
I am from Idaho and I remember this guys signs all over when he was running for gov. There are so many people hiding in plain sight that are guilty of monstrosities against children and others. My heart hurts as a parent that this happens every day...
It sickens me that after murderers commit their crime, they’re out in the community living their day to day lives - UNBOTHERED. I couldn’t imagine being the family and having no closure for all those years. And a big F you to the police for not stepping up and treating it seriously from the get go.
Those days back when everyone left their doors unlocked? Yeah, they never existed. As long as humans have walked on 2 legs there have been monsters among us.
We never locked our doors. Even up until 2015, I didn’t lock my doors. Country people just didn’t mistrust others.
The first of them became guitar gurus. Jk.
@@annmaines4964 you being naive enough to trust your community doesn't mean there wasn't someone with evil intentions among them. Maybe your kids grew up without any problems like alot of families did. But that doesn't mean they were always safe. All it would've taken was a sick bastard to choose someone you care about instead of somebody else they'd decided to settle on choosing. Millions of other tragedies are enough evidence of that. So many of us are truly fortunate never to have had the unthinkable happen in our lives. That doesn't mean we shouldn't take every precaution to safeguard our loved ones.
@@RedceLL1978 I will completely agree with that statement.
locks are for honest people
Damn, can life throw a curveball...being the child of a minor (13 year old mom), then being adopted by a loving family and living the dream of a happy innocent kid...to being kidnapped in place you have always been safe and loved...Monsters in our own neighborhoods are out there for sure.
Youth pastor. Makes you think of how many other predators are out there hiding behind their religion. Parents, please don't think for a second that any "church" environment is a safe haven for your kids. It means nothing and if anything, you should always remain vigilant no matter who you entrust your children with, and where you entrust them to be.
Church folks are the worst people I've ever met
Do a little google on the Jehovah Witnesses child rape cases, you'll see you're correct.
Catholics too I guess.
Mormons wouldn't hurt either I guess
If they take payments for saving your soul, why trust them with your kids? Real monsters always hide behind innocent faces.
Incompetent police all over the world. My heart feels sad for the little girl who was killed and for her parents.
It’s funny how we’ve (especially here in America) built and taught this idea of respect and admiration for police as though they’re infallible. Yet they have shown their incompetence when it comes to the lives of people who have their trust so often. It gets drilled into us at a young age, only for cases like this to be a constant reality check. It’s also why I absolutely DESPISE boot lickers.
@@sosmooth13most of the cops are good at their job. If it wasn’t for them we’d be gone.
@@sosmooth13 no incompetance at all kids run away all the time kids dont usually get kidnapped withought any DNA sign of a stuggle or fingerpints a footprint in the snow outide doesent mean anything if i was walking into that scene i wouldd say she ran away if you were so better then the police youd be police officer and not a dickhead keyboard warrier
@@sosmooth13 It's not as often. Mlst police interactions are actually positive. We just like to watch the bad stuff more than the good. It gives us some sort of morbid curiosity. I love this channel, but I take my true crime alongside some distractions and positive news. Take a break every now and then It helps to get things into perspective. It's good to know that humanity in general is capable of good. Talk to a neighbor, invite a friend for food. Meet someone new. Pet a dog. Whatever you do, remember that there is more beyond just crime and the unfairness we so often see. Jonelle saw this... It's sad we lost her.
If this guy did it (and he was convicted for it), the girl was dead within hours. (see statements of wife at the time about there whereabouts).
If didnt matter one bit what the police did, as she was dead within hours.
there's a kidnapping in the neighborhood and a few days later your husband is digging a hole in the backyard and he won't tell you why... call the cops right away wtf
I could read him like a book.. just looking at him and the way he spoke. Watching him on here made me want tear him up. May that poor litt girl RIP. Prayers to her family.
I hit the screen where his face was . Makes me sick to my stomach.
I'd like to throw him to a pack of Wolves!
@@maudemathildeh335 Attack by really hungry alligators lurking about for a kill would be my choice to describe this killer. Slow and painful, just like what he did to this poor sweet unsuspecting child.
@@tessarix Yes excellent choice.
Imagine that ugly demon being the last thing jonelle saw....
Hey chief, we've got a set of footprints out here in the snow. Much too large to be Janelle's, seems that whoever they belonged to were watching the girl...
Stfu Jim, the girl ran away.. that's the only theory that keeps us from having to do actual work. Plus it's shark week and I'm not missing a single episode. Besides, do you know how hard it is to find a missing person. We're not the A-Team or rocket surgeons
Hi
Shark week!! 🤣🤣😂🤣
Top tier comment 😂
It's rocket scientists!!
There are so many cases where the police do not take family of those missing seriously and this is another example. RIP Janelle ❤🙏🏾
Wow! This is the best narration I've ever heard! I am so glad I gave this video a shot. You have a new subscriber right here.
"Gay Background" 😂 I'm sorry, this story is serious, but that excuse had me in tears!
I agree with you..its really a gay background...
He had a wife tho wth
It was him saying " everyone knoooows....it's all over the internet "
lol
@@somesquirrel1510 it happens son
My main question to the police would've been why would you treat this case as a runaway what means would she have to run away? She left all of her clothes her shoes in the middle of the night in the snow. That already sounds fishy to me.
It was just protocol back then. Most missing kids and even young adults back then were presumed runaways until proven otherwise. :/
It was pure laziness from law enforcement!
even if her clothes and shoes were gone, children, literal minors should always raise concerns. why would a young child just up and run off, theyre a minor, it should always be taken seriously. i could see a grown adult and them being like ( give it a day) but like a child?. negligence from the police. the first couple days are the most crucial.
This is my favorite voice the crew has. He's to the point and his voice reels you into the story.
His name is Russell Archey.
Thanks! 😊
This narrations are so good! I almost feel like I’m watching the history channel but better 😅
To me, it felt like I was listening to an audibook. 🙂
So, the police found footsteps in the snow that they aknowledged had been raked over in an effort to obscure them. Yet they STILL went 'nope, nothing suspicious here, must be a runaway case'?!
Wow.
How many other "runaways" are actually victims of heinous crimes like this, American law enforcement?
Makes you think just how many are out their waiting to be found and brought home.
Generally, most agencies have protocols gor runaways if not found within a certain amount of time; the case will be forwarded to a detective. In my agency's case, it gets forwarded to our Major Crimes department automatically.
Dude takes an obsessive interest in the case to the point of inserting himself in the investigation, gets caught with information that was not disclosed to the public, won’t give the police information he claims to know without immunity, takes a random trip after the disappearance of jonelle, lies about personally knowing her, watches children leave after school where she attends, his wife catches him saying something suspicious and then jonelle’s remains are found at the site of his former property….yeah, nothing suspicious here
Thank you! They dropped the ball on this one.
Dug in his yard afterward -- in the winter, when the ground is frozen solid. Car mysteriously catches fire, to conveniently destroy any evidence.
He's guilty.
And still 100 people in the comments section asking where the evidence is 😂
...and he was a volunteer with the church
Right?! All that and they ignored him?!
How many other victims has he had the opportunity to harm in these 30 years. He knew crime scene details! He’s the guy! How did they miss that!?
He must've had friends at the police station.
@@karentucker2161 yes and good friends who maybe do things together because this guy asked for immunity back when they first questioned him to talk? Obviously they were trying to cover this whole thing up. Probably was a group effort, so many times it is and they always try to make the narrative about one crazy person...
How did they miss that? If u so smart then u shud be the one who needs to solve this. Doubt that u can. I mean u only know a lil bit since u watch a 30minutes video.
Journalists may have known those details chatting to the cops. Family members too. Doesn’t prove squat
@@j0nnyismthey just have to ask "who did u hear that detail from?" And trace it back to a journalist or a cop.
If he has no reasonable explanation it's suspect.
Story is weird in beginning. You said dad went to basketball game with older daughter. But he came home before her. Also reported said PARENTS couldn't find her, but mom was out of town right?
The whole story is weird, and the place were she was found was very isolated (not connected to Pankey in any way) and would have been very frozen at the time of her death. Pankey has some obvious mental health issues, and he has put himself into this case for years (there are weirdos who do this sort of thing yet are not guilty) - and the police of that town have gone after him for years. We will see if there is any real evidence that connects him to the crime and where she was found.
I mean the daughter could of hung out with friends for a bit after the game.
@@4Mr.Crowley2 I was wondering what evidence they actually had on him as well. It will be interesting with all the crappy police work that was done.
@@4Mr.Crowley2 I agree 100%. I watched the 48 Hours show and apparently there is zero evidence connecting him to the murder. I don't mind a circumstantial case but even that kind of evidence is flimsy is this one. What is apparent, though, is that he has mental health issues.
How did his wife hear him say that at the funeral and keep living with him? Run!
She had just lost her son so she probably didn't process it at the time
Why are you so underweight? Make sure you eat!
@@TheBcoolGuy wtf is wrong with you! Ohh right, you are a man that's it
@@SG-pu3rx gender has nothing to do with that sentence.
Lol as bad as him...
This guy is the best narrator of them all. His voice and demeanor is so good for this type of narration. Holds your attention and easy to stay focused and keep listening.
Simply heartbreaking. Yet the numbers of missing kids even today is mind numbing.
And some people never get closure, they die without ever knowing what happened to their child. Truly heartbreaking 😢
1. Everyone knows that the first 48 hours after a crime are critical to solving it. All missing children should be given those first 48 hours as a possible abduction / homicide. If nothing comes of that initial intensive investigation, then depending on circumstances, it may be reasonable to consider them as runaways - but not the first 48.
2. I am not making a judgment call on his guilt or innocence, but I will say this: nowhere in this entire video was there a single piece of actual evidence to tie him to the crime, other than a link to property. Nothing was put forward even at a circumstantial level. In a small community like Greeley, you have to wonder if the police are equipped to handle an investigation of this magnitude - most are not.
3. There have been far too many instances in recent memory where it's been proven that police are not the 'pure as the driven snow' pillars of the community they pretend to be, but have indeed railroaded individuals (along with power hungry prosecutors) in order to close cases and have their careers benefit from it. I used to think that police and the justice system were there to find and punish the guilty to protect the innocent - I don't think that anymore.
D.I.Y.
No offense to you, but you must be incredibly naive to ever think that the police are on your side. There may be a few individuals who are, sure. But as a whole, police are nothing than another cog in the great machine of corruption and ambition.
Her body was foung buried in his property, where his wife saw him dig on.... That's more than an assumption for connecting him to her murder
Yes
The police, at least for the U.S., are there to enforce the law. The primary goal of police is not to protect people - it’s to make sure that the law is being abided. In some cases, protecting people goes along with enforcing the law, but in other cases it doesn’t. The police are not on the peoples side, they are on the governments
RIP Jonelle ❤️🥺
My girl Jodie's in the house ❤💯
Yas queeeen ☺️❤️
@@jodielouise3209
I love this channel , I miss the ewu fam but still love the channel !
Rest in peace.
@@captainknapton 1
It's TH-cam channels like this with such high quality content that keeps me from wanting to get cable tv. Great content 👌 👏
23:50 "...in 2008, Steve Panky's own son was murdered unexpectedly..."
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that most murders are unexpected.
A million children went missing throughout the US in the 80! Omg I can’t imagine how many go missing/ are abducted now ! Absolutely heartbreaking
Although hard to keep track of because they update the list infrequently (the last was in 2016), child kidnappings have decreased since it’s explosion in the 80s
A million a year.
@@brianarendon111 Yeah, they've decreased from a FULL million a year to only *3/4 of a million* a year! And when information on some of those 750,000 DOES eventually come up months or years later, a disturbingly high number of them wind up being linked with either human trafficking (or organ harvesting) rings operating on intercontinental scales, or they get immediately quashed and buried before they can ever reach a wider audience because they might incriminate ONE of the MANY *global pedophile networks made up of politicians and billionaires.*
What a *fan-FUCKING-TASTIC* improvement.
EWU! Just what I needed! Keep on uploading. Take care and stay healthy.
RIP Janelle. No one ever forgot about you. And you finally got justice.
Jonelle*
Lmfao you forgot about her pretty quick, couldn't even spell her name right, half assed statement for self serving purposes, get a life
The police failed this little girl. They should have done more interviews, finding records for the trip to California. The car that burned must have had Jonelle dna in it. And the hole he dug probably has his souvenirs in it. Did it get dug up ? They should have talked to his wife a long time ago. Her poor parents. Not knowing what happened to your child is worse than having to burying them. He spent to much time as a free man.
Well maybe his wife should have talked and not to remain silent till 2019.
His wife is completely an accessory after the fact!! She knew what was going on, and she hid the information rather than doing the right thing and coming forward!! All because she didn't want her life to change because her husband made a disgusting decision!! It angers me that she stayed silent for so long that she should be charged as well as him!!
Was just watching some other video n got this in my feed. I only like solved cases as it doesn't make me anxious. 🧐
Me toooooo
Same
Me too!
*UPDATE*: At the time of this writing (March 28 2021) Panky has been arrested due to his connection in this case!
how many years?
Only took about 30ish years.
Thank you for the update!!! I had just commented that I was disappointed that the case wasn’t solved...good looking out! God bless & be safe🙏❤️❤️💕
The mishandling of this case by the police is a crime in itself.
It seems like back then missing kids especially girls were easier to just assume they ran away. The fact that they gave it days for her to come home was insane. And then they turned to prayer instead of having a mass canvassing of the area. Like ok well you tried.... but you didn't
It still happens when it comes to Native people all arround the world, especially in Canada, America and Australia.
There was no database for missing children back then unfortunately. It was only after John Walsh had his son abducted and murdered did they eventually create one. He also went on to start the famous “Unsolved Mysteries” show helping to solve countless disappearance’s and murders!
@@philiptucker7590 He started America's Most Wanted, not Unsolved Mysteries.
jonelle was born in my hometown! may her soul rest in peace :(
14 minutes. I'm sorry, did they say 1,000,000 went missing each year in the 70s and 80s?? What in the world???
I imagine it'd be a lot easier to get away with it back then. Unfortunately 460k children still go missing every year in the United States. I can't fathom the reason on why people prey on children.
Remember, most of these were genuine runaways. There may not be great resources for abused kids now, but they were virtually non-existent in 70s and 80s. Kids had no choice but to try to make it on their own. Unfortunately that led many to be further abused or even killed.
This is very disturbing.
I had the same reaction. I can’t believe it. I always knew about missing children on milk cartons being a thing, but I could never have imagined those numbers of missing children every year back then.
Poor girl. She seemed so happy, and here family also suffered very much. May God give them peace and strength always.
The fact that nothing was unusual and there were no signs of break in or struggle probably means she knew the attacker, let them in, or they had a key 🔑 Other than her own parents and the parents of her friends that took her home , the only person that knew she was alone was the caller. How come the dad made it home b4 his other daughter when he was at her basketball game? Not accusing him of anything I just felt that was odd. And what about the poor “scalped” victim... this case and investigation is nuts. This poor girl was kidnapped and executed. There’s definitely more to this than meets the eye
i still dont fully believe that steve is the perpetrator even though he is highly suspected
exactly my thoughts.
About father getting home? Fairly easy - daughter meets friends, wants to hang out longer than dad wants to wait. Someone else drops her off.
Re the “scalped” victim - doesn’t mean a person did it. Animal scavengers often will drag the scalp off the body.
One thing is obvious, panky is innocent, and being set up.
What bothers me about so many of these cases is how utterly useless the police are with their initial investigations and their dismissive nature towards anyone without a badge.
Ugh, this guy is beyond a creep. Gives me the chills. 😨
Bet he's a Democrat.
The mere fact there were footprints leading to the living room windows and the police continued to treat the case as a runaway is fucking bonkers.
I think she was stalked
Yep. They covet what they see.
I believe you are right...
It’s great the family finally have answers and may get justice, but it took SO LONG. If that man is guilty, he got to live 35+ years free and without consequence, and that really pisses me off, especially knowing that the police always kind of suspected him but took so long to actually do something about it.
That intro and voice scared the crap out of me at 12 in the afternoon!! What the heck?
Me too. The intro scared me tf!!
Try starting it at around midnight, scared the crap outta me to and I watch these vids all the time in the late hours and early hours of the mornings. So glad she was found, even tho the poor girl had been murdered. Peace little one, peace. The Angels were with you for the men to find you and Angels surround you now and forevermore.
It's a shame that man got to walk around freely for 35 years after ending sweet Jonelle's life😢
Yeah, but he sweated every minute
I would consider this title misleading. I wouldn’t call this case “solved”
Agree! Not one bit - everyone is assuming he’s guilty.
This case must’ve been solved recently, cause I remember hearing about it.
At least the family got closure.
Body found in 2019 so solved in 2020?
I lived in Greeley CO for about 4 years and honestly this story is super on point with how useless and idiotic the police are there. Even back then
Reminds me of JonBenet Ramsey when they allowed her father to mess with the crime scene. I don’t think that case was ever solved
@rachelgarber1423 Not solved, but I believe the parents were exonerated by DNA evidence.
Update:
Oct. 31, 2022
A Colorado jury on Monday convicted an Idaho man of murder and kidnapping in the 1984 disappearance and death of a 12-year-old girl who was killed days before Christmas, a case that went unsolved for decades and haunted the tight-knit community of Greeley, Colo., where she lived.
Hours after the man, Steven D. Pankey, 71, a former Greeley resident who made a long-shot bid for the Republican nomination for governor of Idaho in 2018, was found guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping, Judge Timothy G. Kerns of District Court sentenced Mr. Pankey to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years, The Greeley Tribune reported.
It was the second time that Mr. Pankey had been tried in connection with the killing of Jonelle Matthews; the first ended in a mistrial last year after a jury did not reach an agreement on most counts for Mr. Pankey, Denver 7 News, a TV station, reported.
On Monday afternoon, after hearing the verdict, Jonelle’s parents, Jim and Gloria Matthews, told reporters that they were grateful for the jury’s decision.
“I just want to cry,” Ms. Matthews said, holding a framed photograph of her smiling daughter. She added: “God is the only one who can forgive evil, and I feel that this is evil.”
Source: New York Times
Broke my heart when I read that after so many years the pain is still so very real.
I'm glad they got him convicted. He was clearly guilty, but it lacked direct evidence. Just his own obsession on the case was his undoing, where even his wife testified against him. Telling investigators he had pleaded to her to read the news articles about Jonelle multiple times to him, despite never reading the news paper. He apparently also went out digging in the backyard which she still don't know what it was for. Well I think she does now.
I live in Twin Falls Idaho..! This is crazy I had seen him all over town over the years and got a bad feeling around him. He did it... Pretty sure.
He should also be tried and and sentenced for wearing that Wrangler shirt in public.
An absolute advertisement for being an unsavoury character of unsound mind. Creepy people wear creepy clothes!!! 🤮
@@anitastone168 THANK YOU!!! CLEARLY a subconscious confession that he IS a wrangler of children. I IMMEDIATELY said that outloud when I saw his shirt. Deep down criminals ALWAYS want someone to know what they've done. Or better yet, what they THINK that they've gotten away with!
I was looking for that comment !!!👌
Oh boy you're just so funny and clever! We have a comedian here folks! 😂😂 (just hoping you know how to take a joke! ) lol.💙💚👃👀
@@lauriesalinger4627 🤖
I just love listening the narrators voice. He could read a phone book and I would listen.
Pretty sure it's a computer generated voice
It's not a computer-generated voice. The narrator is Bill Kurtis. He is a journalist and news anchor who narrates a lot of these crime shows. I remember he was the narrator for the "Cold Case" show.
Sorry I meant the "Cold Case Files", not cold case show.
I bet it took so long for the town to investigate him specifically bc he was a town religious leader. He literally admitted to knowing evidence not released to the public, how tf was this guy not in the interrogation room on day one
@@xyz12345457 ya theres no use in explaning a lot of people in these comments thing they know better the the police that deal with these things everyday day in day out
I’m so glad investigation protocol has changed significantly!
I’m glad that these days, the attitude toward missing kids has changed somewhat.
@@coreym162 I’m saddened to hear that...
Oh heck no!! I get nervous leaving my dog alone for any amount of time....I was a latch key kid
Yup me too...
They didn't investigate for YEARS.. Even though her parents pushed that she isn't a run away. FFS the police always drops the goddamn ball i swear to god