Found Deceased CO - Jonelle Matthews, 12, Greeley, 20 Dec 1984 *arrest 2020*

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Missing Since: December 20, 1984 from Greeley, Colorado
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: February 9, 1972
Age: 12 years old
Height and Weight: 5'3, 115 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Jonelle has a scar on her chin. She wore a full set of braces on her teeth at the time of her 1984 disappearance. Jonelle's ears are pierced. Some agencies may spell her first name "Janelle" or "Jonell" and her last name "Mathews," or give her age at the time of her disappearance as fourteen.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A light blue ski jacket, a red blouse, a dark gray sweater vest, a charcoal gray skirt and house slippers.

Details of Disappearance

Jonelle was dropped off by friends at her family's residence in Greeley, Colorado on December 20, 1984 at approximately 8:15 p.m. She was returning from a Christmas choral program at a nursing home and was to wait for the rest of her family to arrive at the home. Her older sister and her father, Jim Matthews, were at a basketball game and her mother, Gloria Matthews, was visiting relatives out of state. Jonelle was last heard from at 8:30 p.m., when she spoke to an acquaintance of her father on the phone.
​

Jonelle's father, Jim Matthews, arrived at the house at approximately 9:30 p.m. and discovered she had disappeared. Jonelle's stockings and shoes were on the floor and the television and lights were turned on. She had also taken a phone message for another family member. The garage door was discovered open and investigators located footprints inside the garage and around the back of the family's home. Authorities suspect that an unknown intruder or intruders broke into the residence and abducted Jonelle that evening. She has never been seen again.
​

Jonelle's biological mother, Terri Vierra-Martinez, located the child's adoptive parents in 1997. Vierra-Martinez learned about Jonelle's disappearance at that time. She also discovered that law enforcement had kept her under surveillance for six weeks after Jonelle's 1984 abduction. Authorities were not permitted to give Vierra-Martinez any information concerning her daughter's case at the time due to adoption laws. Vierra-Martinez is not a suspect in Jonelle's disappearance. She has become friends with Jonelle's adoptive parents. Jim and Gloria believe that their daughter is deceased and have held a memorial service for her.
​

Media reports stated that several investigators theorized that Jonelle was sexually assaulted inside her residence on the evening of her 1984 disappearance. They believed that she may have been murdered by the unknown attacker(s) and her remains were incinerated to hide the crimes. Other investigators believed that Jonelle was abducted and taken elsewhere. Her case remains unsolved. ​

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Greeley Police Department
303-350-9670​

Charley Project
NCMEC

 

[amber1]

Her story breaks my heart. The family has held a memorial service for her.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

25 years later, Jonelle Matthews disappearance still baffles

Two and a half decades later, there are still no answers.

The 12-year-old girl who disappeared during Christmas week in 1984 is still gone, and there is no real hope that she will ever be seen again.

On the night of Dec. 20, 1984, Jonelle Matthews sang Christmas carols with her school choir and was taken home by a friend. When her father came home an hour later, she was gone.

No trace has ever been found of Jonelle; no arrests, no evidential DNA, no answers.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20091220/NEWS/912209983/1002&parentprofile=1001

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

NCMEC: http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

Jonelle at Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/matthews_jonelle.html

 

[Stella]

Never heard of this one before. Alot has been left out of this story. Why do they think she was raped in the house and why do they think she was incinerated?

 

[Richard]

Jonelle Renee Matthews
Missing since December 20, 1984 from Greeley, Weld County, Colorado.
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: February 9, 1972
Age at Time of Disappearance: 12 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3 (160 cm.); 115 lbs. (52 kg.)
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown curly hair; brown eyes.
Marks, Scars: Her ears are pierced. She also has a scar on her chin.

Clothing: Matthews was last seen wearing a light blue ski jacket; red blouse; dark gray sweater vest; charcoal gray skirt; and house slippers.
Dentals: Matthews had braces on her teeth at the time of her disappearance

Circumstances of Disappearance

Matthews performed in a middle school Christmas concert and was dropped off by friends at her west Greeley home at 20.15. (8:30 PM)

Jonelle took a phone call from a teacher at her father's school at 20.30. But when her father got home about 21.30, he found the garage door open, and Jonelle was gone. The lights and the television were turned on inside the house, but there was no sign of Matthews.

Her stockings and shoes were on the floor. The Greeley police discovered footprints in the garage and in the back of the house.

Jonelle was adopted by the Matthews' when she was a baby.

Investigators

If you have any information concerning Matthews' whereabouts, please contact:

Greeley Police Department
Detective Bill West
970-350-9611

All information may be submitted on an anonymous basis.

Agency Case Number: 84-41032

NCMEC #: NCMC601837
NCIC Number: M-141276311

Please refer to these numbers when contacting any agency with information related to this case.

Source Information:

The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
Longmont FYI
The Doe Network: Case File 198DFCO

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/198dfco.html

 

[dreamweaver]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/22109365/detail.html
'snipped'
GREELEY, Colo. -- Two and a half decades later, there are still no answers.

The 12-year-old girl who disappeared during Christmas week in 1984 is still gone, and there is no real hope that she will ever be seen again.

On the night of Dec. 20, 1984, Jonelle Matthews sang Christmas carols with her school choir and was taken home by a friend. When her father came home an hour later, she was gone.
trace has ever been found of Jonelle; no arrests, no evidential DNA, no answers.

This year, police have made arrests in two of Greeley's longtime mysteries: the Mary Pierce slaying and the Tina Tournai Sandoval disappearance. Those two cases will likely go to trial next year.

But not the Jonelle Matthews case. There are still too many unanswered questions.

Her parents, Jim and Gloria Matthews, had Jonelle officially declared dead in 1994, 10 years after her disappearance. There was a funeral service, and dozens of family friends said goodbye.

But in recent years, little has happened with the Matthews case. It's still considered an open case in the Greeley Police Department.

"We occasionally get a tip on the case, but that usually involves a body that was recovered somewhere," said Lt. Brad Goldschmidt. "If the body was old enough, they might contact us because Jonelle is still considered a missing person. But we haven't had anything for a few years."

Goldschmidt said Jonelle's DNA is on the national database now, in case something turns up, but they had no DNA from a suspect at the scene of her abduction. Her photo -- and an "age progressed" photo of what she would look like at 37 years old can be found on the Web site for The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

On the night she disappeared, Jonelle was driven home from a middle school concert by a friend and her mother. They dropped Jonelle in front of the house in the 300 block of 43rd Avenue in the Pheasant Run subdivision, and noted that the garage door already was open. The friends watched her walk into the house. They were the last people known to have seen the girl.

While she was home, she took a teacher's message for her father, who was the principal at Platte Valley Elementary School in Kersey.

Jim Matthews came home about an hour later, after attending a basketball game for his older daughter, Jennifer. He found Jonelle's shoes and a shawl near a space heater in the family room. Usually, when she watched TV, Jonelle would sit close to the heater.

'snippet'
The Matthews still remember Jonelle's birthday, and still have the Christmas ornaments she made in elementary school. They hang them on the tree each Christmas.

..more at link..

 

[not_my_kids]

The 12-year-old was taken from her home Dec. 20, 1984, after she returned from a Christmas concert at a nursing home with her middle school choir. Her mother, Gloria, was out of state visiting her parents; her father, Jim, attended the older sister's basketball game, and the plan was to meet back at the Matthews home later that night.

Jonelle was dropped off by a friend about 8:15 p.m. that night, and she took a phone call from a teacher at her father's school at 8:30 p.m. But when Jim Matthews got home about 9:30 p.m., he found the garage door open, and Jonelle was gone.

She liked to watch television in the finished basement of the Pheasant Run home, with her shoes off and a small heater pulled close to keep her warm. When Jim walked into the basement, he found his daughter's shoes, the heater, the television; Jonelle was gone.

Jim called the Greeley police, and it began a frustrating search that would last for years, crisscross the nation and yield no results.

~more at link
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20030126/NEWS/301260002

And another
http://www.truecrimereport.com/2009/12/jonelle_matthews_disappearance.php

 

[theforgotten]

Bumping for Jonelle....

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Kayleah Wilson case: Search evokes 25-year-old dashed hopes


As days go by and the disappearance of 12-year-old Kayleah Wilson continues to be a mystery, it brings back haunting memories for the police officers involved in another child disappearance in Greeley 25 years ago.

On Dec. 20, 1984, Jonelle Matthews, a 12-year-old middle school student, disappeared from her west Greeley home. She has never been found.

More: http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100402/NEWS/100409918/1002&parentprofile=1001

 

[mysticrose]

The 12-year-old was taken from her home Dec. 20, 1984, after she returned from a Christmas concert at a nursing home with her middle school choir. Her mother, Gloria, was out of state visiting her parents; her father, Jim, attended the older sister's basketball game, and the plan was to meet back at the Matthews home later that night.

Jonelle was dropped off by a friend about 8:15 p.m. that night, and she took a phone call from a teacher at her father's school at 8:30 p.m. But when Jim Matthews got home about 9:30 p.m., he found the garage door open, and Jonelle was gone.

She liked to watch television in the finished basement of the Pheasant Run home, with her shoes off and a small heater pulled close to keep her warm. When Jim walked into the basement, he found his daughter's shoes, the heater, the television; Jonelle was gone.

Jim called the Greeley police, and it began a frustrating search that would last for years, crisscross the nation and yield no results.

~more at link
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20030126/NEWS/301260002

And another
http://www.truecrimereport.com/2009/12/jonelle_matthews_disappearance.php

BBM above.... I wonder if they ever talked to this teacher or searched this person's house. It would be apparent that this person would know she was alone in the house.
She took the call at 8:30 pm and dad got home at 9:30 to find her gone , I would want to talk to this person again

 

[dogperson]

I noticed she was adopted. I didn't see anything about the birth parents. Is it possible they tracked her down & abducted her? The reason I ask is my brother adopted a little girl back in the 1980s because her mom went to prison & lost custody. Her mom's extended family found her & harrassed them to the point that they moved out of state & legally changed her name. So that's what made me think of that angle.
Also, I wonder if the teacher was interrogated. The teacher would have known that she was home alone.

 

[arcana07]

I noticed she was adopted. I didn't see anything about the birth parents. Is it possible they tracked her down & abducted her? The reason I ask is my brother adopted a little girl back in the 1980s because her mom went to prison & lost custody. Her mom's extended family found her & harrassed them to the point that they moved out of state & legally changed her name. So that's what made me think of that angle.
Also, I wonder if the teacher was interrogated. The teacher would have known that she was home alone.

1. If you look at the Charley Project writeup of the Jonelle Matthews disappearance, it will detail how in 1984, the Colorado police investigators put the biological mother under surveillance for several weeks or months. She was cleared as a suspect in the case and she and Jim and Gloria (the adoptive parents) became close friends after ca. 1995 when she found out about what happened to the child she gave up for adoption. (This is also when she found out she had been investigated at the time of Jonelle's disappearance.)

2. Wow, I never really entertained the idea of whomever called the house at 8:30 also being responsible for what happened to Jonelle. I don't know why, but for some reason I feel that if the teacher was female then she probably would be beyond suspicion, but if the teacher was male then I wonder if the police department adequately looked into whether he was responsible for Jonelle's disappearance. Maybe I'm being stereotypical or maybe it's just the sexual assault angle some of the investigators are working, but I do wonder what gender that teacher was.

3. Speaking of, I too wonder why those investigators theorize the sexual abuse and incineration theory. What evidence or proof have they come up with to come up with that idea? Might these investiagors have persons of interest already in their crosshairs they've just been trying to find evidence against? God, I'm hoping they're wrong and Jonelle just got kidnapped by someone who wanted a girl to raise or maybe they needed an indentured servant and she's still alive with minimal psychological damage. But it's probably best assuming the worst happened and that what will eventually be recovered are human remains that will be transported back to the poor girl's final resting place.

 

[Kat]

I just wanted to add also to your wonderful well thought out post arcana. A female perp can't be ruled out in an abduction either even if the motive is thought to be sexual abuse.

Sandra Cantu is just one.

 

[mistagee]

I knew one of the men who investigated on this case. The caller had nothing to do with the case, and had been investigated. Many many details are left out of the case. The rape theory is from the fact that the stockings and I think the underwear were also found at the scene. There was also a sign of a struggle there. I believe a blanket was also missing from the scene. Jonelle was either killed or incapacitated and then taken from the scene. The investigators knew this because there were only one set of footprints at the scene. The investigative techniques of the police department were good, but they didnt really have the insights they have today. There is a strong possibility that someone who saw her at the concert stalked her and followed her home. That is where I think the suspect came from.

I think gasoline or lighter fluid were missing from the house or spilled around the garage and that is why the investigators felt she had been incinerated. It is kinda hard to burn soemone outside in the middle of winter, so I dont get this whole line of reasoning....

There were many children kidnapped from Colorado, Iowa and other nearby states with no explanation. It may be a serial killer or even a government prostitution ring that Johnny Gosch was forced to be in. Or Jonelle was simply stalked and murdered by someone at the bank concert. That has always been my theory in this case.

1. If you look at the Charley Project writeup of the Jonelle Matthews disappearance, it will detail how in 1984, the Colorado police investigators put the biological mother under surveillance for several weeks or months. She was cleared as a suspect in the case and she and Jim and Gloria (the adoptive parents) became close friends after ca. 1995 when she found out about what happened to the child she gave up for adoption. (This is also when she found out she had been investigated at the time of Jonelle's disappearance.)

2. Wow, I never really entertained the idea of whomever called the house at 8:30 also being responsible for what happened to Jonelle. I don't know why, but for some reason I feel that if the teacher was female then she probably would be beyond suspicion, but if the teacher was male then I wonder if the police department adequately looked into whether he was responsible for Jonelle's disappearance. Maybe I'm being stereotypical or maybe it's just the sexual assault angle some of the investigators are working, but I do wonder what gender that teacher was.

3. Speaking of, I too wonder why those investigators theorize the sexual abuse and incineration theory. What evidence or proof have they come up with to come up with that idea? Might these investiagors have persons of interest already in their crosshairs they've just been trying to find evidence against? God, I'm hoping they're wrong and Jonelle just got kidnapped by someone who wanted a girl to raise or maybe they needed an indentured servant and she's still alive with minimal psychological damage. But it's probably best assuming the worst happened and that what will eventually be recovered are human remains that will be transported back to the poor girl's final resting place.

 

[Lilachaze]

On the night she disappeared, Jonelle was driven home from a middle school concert by a friend and her mother. They dropped Jonelle in front of the house in the 300 block of 43rd Avenue in the Pheasant Run subdivision, and noted that the garage door already was open. The friends watched her walk into the house. They were the last people known to have seen the girl.

So the person who took her could have already been the house waiting for her? If that’s the case the person must have known she’d be alone. Someone who knew the families plans?
Just my thoughts.

 

[amber1]

Also one of my theories, along with someone following her form the concert.
The gov't ring is also a theory, but I feel the other two are more probable, any other mssing kids/ persons in that area around the same time span?

 

[Kristin83]

A recent, very detailed article:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcas...ed-vanished-declared-dead/5758/#disqus_thread

I want these kids to come home.

 

[Tessie]

I noticed she was adopted. I didn't see anything about the birth parents. Is it possible they tracked her down & abducted her? The reason I ask is my brother adopted a little girl back in the 1980s because her mom went to prison & lost custody. Her mom's extended family found her & harrassed them to the point that they moved out of state & legally changed her name. So that's what made me think of that angle.
Also, I wonder if the teacher was interrogated. The teacher would have known that she was home alone.

I have just seen this thread. We lived in Weld County when this happened and I don't think I ever heard about it or if I did, I forgot.

Edited ~ I should have read all the way through. I do remember Beth Miller and maybe somewhere in the back of mind after reading the cold case file I do remember.

 

[Roni]

Thank you so much for the article Kristin83 this was the first missing child I searched for, my husband and friends went out for months and still praying today for answers and Justice.