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

[Fred Jones]

In the recent 3 1/2 Hour Interview that Pankey did with Unfound Podcast Host Edward Dentzel. Pankey brings up that listened to the Killer Vibes Podcast where they talk about the Jonelle Matthews case. In this episode that aired in May 10th 2019 (Before Matthews body was found) they Podcast Hosts talk about their chance to speak Detective Robert Cash and the developments that brought this moving forward...very interesting.

 

[Fred Jones]

For those questioning whether his son Carl was murdered and the validity of that because there are no headlines to be found. The simple answer is that
Carl Wesley Pankey changed his name in 2008 in Idaho (CV-2008-312).

 

[Fred Jones]

Steve Pankey was also involved in another high profile murder case in Idaho, where a girl killed both of her parents. Pankey claimed that police were tampering with evidence in the case and the Former Blaine County Sheriff responded:

"Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling adamantly denies a claim made by a former apprentice mortician regarding evidence tampering in the Sarah Johnson murder case.
"I didn't even take his allegations seriously because he's made so many over the years that are borderline ridiculous," Femling said Monday, referring to Steven D. Pankey, who was present at the 2003 Johnson crime scene assisting the Blaine County coroner.
"There was absolutely no evidence of tampering in that case," Femling said."

Here is another article regarding the case and what happened:

"In court papers they say a witness has come forward, through a letter he wrote to 5th District Judge Barry Wood, asserting that the day Johnson's parents were found dead Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling was overheard telling Prose-cuting Attorney Jim Thomas, "Well, I guess I've got to move evidence to make a case."

The witness, Steven Pankey of Shoshone, was then working as deputy coroner and apprentice mortician, according to an affidavit he signed July 27. In that affidavit, he described overhearing the conversation and says he contacted Johnson's attorneys, saying he had important information about the case, but was never contacted by anyone on her defense team."

 

[Fred Jones]

Here is History of Pankey's campaigns:
Twin Falls County Sheriff- Republican Party 2020
Idaho Governor- Republican Party 2018
Idaho Lieutenant Governor-Republican Party 2018 (Switched to Governor Run)
Idaho Governor- Constitutional Party 2014
Idaho Lieutenant Governor- Republican Party 2010
Lincoln County Sheriff- Constitution Party 2008
Sought Larry Craig’s vacant United States Senate Seat- Under Constitution Party 2008
Shoshone City Council 2007

In his last failed campaign for Governor in 2018, Pankey spent at least a quarter of a million dollars:

"Steve Pankey of Twin Falls, a Republican candidate for governor, offers a test case on the value of newspaper advertising. Since November, he has been running full-page ads in the Idaho Statesman and will continue to run those through May 13 — spending about $250,000. He says he can cover the bill."

The article also brings up Pankey's adoration for reviled Former U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy:

"Politicians will bring up a variety of issues, but he’s the first I’ve seen who puts Joseph McCarthy — the anti-communist demagogue from the 1950s — in his campaign literature. Essentially, Pankey says that McCarthy really was a good guy whose reputation was soiled by Edward R. Murrow and the rest of the liberal media.

“Decades later, released government files would show Senator McCarthy’s Communist-Globalist claims were accurate, but the truth was not worthy of TV news,” Pankey says."

The full context is still available on the Pankey for Idaho website.

 

[Fred Jones]

Mr. Pankey is very litigious, a simple search of "Pankey, Steven" on the Idaho Repository website will reveal that and he has alluded to that in his many interviews.

However here are some of his more interesting motions that he has made in court representing himself (Pro se):

 

[Fred Jones]

A Quick Facebook Search will show you that Mr. Pankey rarely shares stories or articles on Facebook but when he does they are all political. However in mid August 2019 at about the same time he admitted in the Unfound Podcast that he was visited by Greeley Police Department Detectives Robert Cash and Mark Prill at his home in Twin Falls...Pankey began sharing other stories all about the Jonelle Matthews case.

 

[Fred Jones]

Pankey's Criminal History in Idaho are as follows:
CR-1997-6926 | State of Idaho vs. Steven D Pankey- Disturbing The Peace (Guilty)
CR-1997-7039 | State of Idaho vs. Steven D Pankey- Theft By Acquiring Lost Property- Dismissed by Court

In the Unfound Podcast, where Pankey gave a 3 1/2 hour interview. He claims that he went into a local Blaine County Bank vomited because of a Upper Hiatal Hernia, they then had him arrested for disturbing the peace. However he claims that one of the tellers was related to someone in Law Enforcement and they knew that the FBI had recently questioned him in the JonBenét Ramsey Case, so this was their way of retaliating against him.

 

[Niner]

@Fred Jones - and thank you for all those informative posts!

 

[Luckyzmom]

Welcome to WS. Fascinating posts Thanks very much

 

[SAMS]

.

 

[PayrollNerd]

To say this dude has issues is an understatement. If he didn’t do it, then why use Jonelle as part of his “platform” to get media attention. This crap just doesn’t pass the sniff test. It stinks to high heavens. Who wants someone so obviously bat s*** crazy to represent them anyway.

Poor Jonelle, she can’t even Rest In Peace and her family simply gets punished every time this narcissist opens his mouth.

 

[evilwise]

Last night I thought @Fred Jones was just shilling a podcast but today I must say this is by far the most illuminating info I've seen on Pankey. This all really paints a picture of a weird character who sticks his nose into all kinds of business including criminal investigation which, combined with his local and frivolous litigiousness makes it easy to see why law enforcement would have a dislike for him as he claims.

Someone who constantly stirs up this much crap around him for his whole life would almost certainly have left some additional circumstantial evidence if he was the type of person who would go after 12 year old girls. Looking at all this, he seems to me much more the type of person who gets murdered than a murderer. I would however say that the actual killer has benefited greatly from the smoke screen of Pankey's "no such thing as bad publicity" media presence but it seems much more likely his motives are pure egotism than intentionally interfering with the investigation.

Of course that's assuming that Pankey himself didn't buy the "final cut" of all this info with the not-anonymous contribution disclosed in the first post. He himself might even be Fred here. If so, hi Steve.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Crazy like a fox perhaps ? Still a side show for sure. MOO

 

[crhedBngr]

@Fred Jones :

Thanks for all of the updates. And, welcome to Websleuths!

 

[oviedo]

I still think something was found with her remains that "sort of" led them to him. I hope something is going on somewhere....
JMO

 

[crhedBngr]

I still think something was found with her remains that "sort of" led them to him. I hope something is going on somewhere....
JMO

Yes, absolutely.

 

[Fred Jones]

Last night I thought @Fred Jones was just shilling a podcast but today I must say this is by far the most illuminating info I've seen on Pankey. This all really paints a picture of a weird character who sticks his nose into all kinds of business including criminal investigation which, combined with his local and frivolous litigiousness makes it easy to see why law enforcement would have a dislike for him as he claims.

Someone who constantly stirs up this much crap around him for his whole life would almost certainly have left some additional circumstantial evidence if he was the type of person who would go after 12 year old girls. Looking at all this, he seems to me much more the type of person who gets murdered than a murderer. I would however say that the actual killer has benefited greatly from the smoke screen of Pankey's "no such thing as bad publicity" media presence but it seems much more likely his motives are pure egotism than intentionally interfering with the investigation.

Of course that's assuming that Pankey himself didn't buy the "final cut" of all this info with the not-anonymous contribution disclosed in the first post. He himself might even be Fred here. If so, hi Steve.

I respectfully disagree, I think Pankey has for years been disregarded for his strange, eccentric, aloof behavior just like Robert Durst did. If you have not seen the HBO Documentary Series "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst", I would highly recommend it. Many also thought Durst was not a threat or simply wrote him off but he was very intelligent, in fact his behavior allowed him to go under suspicion.

 

[evilwise]

Pankey is no Robert Durst. Durst is an introvert, Pankey is an attention seeker. Durst was intimately associated with multiple missing adults. Pankey, as far as I've seen, has no more direct connection even to Jonelle than might be expected in a modest sized community and no other connections to missing persons than those he himself pushed his way into.

We are accustomed, especially in these modern times, to law enforcement keeping playing their investigations close to their chests but in 30 years we haven't seen any physical evidence and only the most tenuous of circumstantial evidence to connect Pankey with this crime. Yeah, he does exhibit some of the "returning to the scene of the crime" category of behaviors we've seen killers exhibit but he doesn't exhibit any of the other killer traits in thirty years. What he does exhibit is an uncontrollable attraction to media attention to the point of actually encouraging suspicion whether it be conscious or otherwise.

 

[Fred Jones]

Person of Interest Steve Pankey just did another interview with KMVT News about his latest run for Twin Falls County Sheriff.

"Although, he ran for public office before and lost, like Idaho's governor and once for Lincoln County sheriff, he said he feels pretty confident he will win this time."

 

[Legally Bland]

Person of Interest Steve Pankey just did another interview with KMVT News about his latest run for Twin Falls County Sheriff.

"Although, he ran for public office before and lost, like Idaho's governor and once for Lincoln County sheriff, he said he feels pretty confident he will win this time."

From the link:

Pankey said he is the anecdote to the "empty suits bozo law enforcement" that he believes are present in the Twin Falls County.

BBM. I really hope he said 'anecdote' and it's not a typo by the journalist.