Criminology - Jonelle Matthews

Episode Date: November 15, 2020

A few days before Christmas in 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Renee Matthews disappeared from her home in Greeley, Colorado. For nearly 35 years, Jonelle's whereabouts remained a mystery. Then, in July 2019 construction workers found her remains, and very recently, an arrest was made in her case.  Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the disappearance and murder of Jonelle Matthews. It was a long and puzzling road for investigators. Year after year they were unable to figure out what happened to Jonelle. Then, her body was found, and not long after they developed a suspect and made an arrest.  You can support the show at patreon.com/criminology An Emash Digital Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Criminology is a true crime podcast that may contain discussion about violent or disturbing topics. Listener discretion is advised. Hello, everyone, and welcome to episode 135 of the Criminology Podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson. And this is Mike Morford. Mr. Morford, how are you doing? I'm doing good. How about you? I'm doing really well. Everybody in the family's healthy. I mean, I think right now, you know, that's the big thing. I think if you've got that, you're good.

Yeah, that's all you can ask. for my family and i just moved down to florida were officially floridians that feels good but still have a lot of unpacking and settling to do so it's not like the work is over with that that's a lot of work man anytime you uh move especially as far as you moved yeah that's that's a halt the ride wasn't fun but once you get there it's behind you it feels good you know what will be fun is not have having to shovel snow you will not miss that i guarantee it Well, we just got here and got our first hurricane, so there is that. But luckily, yeah, there's other things.

Yeah, there's, there's some other things. But you won't have to shovel snow. That's for sure. That's one thing I won't miss. More if we continue to see some great Patreon support. Let's give some shoutouts. We had Tim Grimes jump out at our highest level. Cynthia Dango, Angela Perpingen, Kim Roka, Kathy Ray, and Chrissy A.

So, again, that's a lot of great stuff. support. We really appreciate it. Yeah, big thanks to everyone that has supported the podcast so far and anyone that's considering it, they can do so by going to patreon.com slash criminology. Just a reminder, CrimeCon is holding a virtual event on November 21st. It's called House Arrest. Basically a way for you to meet up with your true crime friends virtually and blow off some steam. So if you'd like to attend, go to CrimeCon.com to buy your pass for House Arrest. and use our promo code at checkout to save 10% on your pass. That promo code is Criminology 2020.

All right, buddy, it's time to dive into this case. A few days before Christmas in 1984, 12-year-old Janelle Renee Matthews disappeared from her home in Greeley, Colorado, after performing in a school holiday concert for nearly 35 years. Janelle remained a missing person until July. July 2019, when construction workers found her remains, and very recently an arrest was made in her case. But it was a long and puzzling road for investigators to get there. Greeley, Colorado is roughly 60 miles northeast of Denver, with about 109,000 residents. It's the county seat of Weld County and the 12th largest city in the Centennial State.

Greeley is home to the University of Northern Colorado in Ames Community College. The town was named after newspaperman Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune, who arrived in Colorado in 1859 during Pike's Peak Gold Rush. It was here where Jim and Gloria Matthews decided to raise a family. The couple met and married in California in 1967. Within 18 months, they welcomed their first daughter, Jennifer. In 1972, they adopted a six-week-old baby, and named her Janelle Renee.

The Matthews had lived in several places before Greeley, including Beirut, Lebanon, and Central California. In 1978, Jim took an administrator job at Day Spring Christian School, now Day Spring Christian Academy, in Greeley, Colorado. The family moved into a four-bedroom by-level home at 320-43rd Avenue Court. It sounds like a cliche. more, and we mention it in many cases that we cover, but Greeley was a safe city where residents left their front doors unlocked and children parked their bicycles on the front lawns and they

walked to and from school. As you and I have discussed, a lot of these cities back then were different than many are today. A lot of the precautions that we take today to stay to stay. We take today to stay safe, people didn't worry as much about them back then. In June 1978, the Matthews joined the Sunnyview Church of the Nazarene and Greeley. A couple of years later, 1980, Janelle befriended Deanna Ross, who had recently moved to Greeley with her father, Russell, and her brother Brent. Deanna and Janelle attended the same elementary school and quickly realized our families belonged to the same church. The girls were complete opposites of one another.

Deanna was shy and an introvert, while Janelle was friendly and outgoing. Not long after they became friends, Janelle introduced Deanna to the musical Annie. Janelle loved the sing and act in church skits, and her favorite band was Minuto, the first ever Latino boy band. When Deanna Ross and Janelle Matthews started classes together at Franklin Middle School, they joined the honors choir. Her family has described Janelle as theatrical, stubborn, and strong. Her mother, Gloria, told Aaron Udell of the Fort Collins, Colorado, and in September 2019, that Janelle was strong physically. She was strong-willed all throughout her life, even when she was a little girl.

She knew what she wanted and she let you know. For example, she would give Gloria a detailed request before each birthday, such as what color and flavor of the cake she wanted. then she would immediately plan for her next birthday. Things continued to look up for the family. In 1984, Jim became principal at Platt Valley Elementary School in nearby Cursey. That year, as Christmas time approached, Janelle grew more and more excited. She loved Christmas and the traditions that went with it. She couldn't wait to attend school on Friday, December 21st, 1984, so she could give her

friends the cross-stitched gifts she had made. She was also scheduled to perform in a Christmas play at church the following week, and her presents were already sitting under the family Christmas tree. Janelle did not know that her mother, Gloria, had braved the busy department stores to buy her a highly sought-after cabbage patch kids doll. On Thursday, December 20th, 1984, Deanne and Janelle performed in a school Christmas concert that was held at Intra West Bank of Denver. Gloria was out of town visiting her sick father, and Jim had attended Jennifer's high school basketball game. Jennifer was a junior in high school, so sadly, Janelle participated in the concert without her family prison, but that didn't mean that she wasn't excited about it.

After the concert, Russell Ross, Deanna's father, drove Janelle home. On the way, Janelle excitedly talked about Christmas. with Deanna. They arrived at the Matthews residence at around 8 p.m. Janelle hopped out of Russell's truck and said to Deanna, I'll see you tomorrow. Russell and Deanna noticed that the garage door was half open, but Deanna later said that it wasn't unusual for the door to be halfway open. Janelle entered the home and flipped on the light to let Russell know she was inside. Once they knew Janelle was in, Russell and Indiana drove away. Around 9.30 p.m. Jim Matthews arrived home from the basketball game and went downstairs.

He saw the television on and Janelle's shoes and shawl near a space heater in the living room. The pair of panty hose she wore to the concert had been taken off and draped over the couch. Jim yelled out, hi Janelle, but he received no response. He walked to the kitchen and saw that Janelle had taken a phone. message at 8.30 p.m. from one of Jim's teachers at Platte Valley Elementary School, who was sick and in need of a substitute for the following morning. Janelle had written the phone message on a blackboard near the telephone. Jennifer Matthews, who had written separately from her father, arrived home at 10 p.m. and her father immediately asked her if she

had seen Janelle. But she told him she hadn't seen her. Jim started to get worried because Jennifer and Janelle always told their parents if their plans had changed. He started calling Janelle's friends, including Deanna, but she had no idea where Janelle might have been. Jim Christie then called the family's pastor Jim Christie for advice, and Christy encouraged him to call the police. A short while later, Greeley police officers swarmed the Matthews home. The police dusted the home for fingerprints, but found no evidence of forced entry or any other evidence to lead them to Janelle. Authority stayed at the house most of the night, but Janelle still had not returned the following morning. A Greeley police officer escorted Jennifer to school, and by the time she arrived, kids were already talking about Janelle after hearing the news on the radio.

The next day, her disappearance ran in the newspapers. Mike Peters is a journalist who covered police and crime for the Greeley Tribune for about 40 years. Every morning he started his day at the Greeley Police Station to flip through the crime logs. On the morning of December 21, 1984, as he drove to the police station, he saw several police cars outside of a home not far from his residence. Mike Peters has chronicled this case from the very beginning in the Greeley Tribune. When he arrived at the police station, he asked what was going on, and they told him they had a missing girl. According to the Fort Collins, Coloradoan, Peters covered Janelle's story heavily in its early days and helped in the search for her in January 1985.

Peters and his then-teenage son trudged through Greeley searching for Janelle. He also stuffed missing posters of Janelle into envelopes with his then-eight-year-old daughter. Peters wrote about 40 to 50 stories in Janelle's case over the next few decades. Peter said that after Janelle vanished without a trace, Greeley's parents began driving their kids to and from the same. school. Before the disappearance, most of the kids would walk to school. Despite strong interest in the case, Greeley police rarely released updates, which was common practice in 1984, but they did tell Peters that while there was no sign of a struggle inside the Matthews home, they did find signs

of possible foul play at the scene. But they refused to elaborate. It was later revealed that police had found footprints in the snow outside of the home, but they never led authorities to a suspect. Behind the scenes, police were scrambling to find out what had happened to Janelle and who was responsible. Jim Matthews was briefly a suspect until the police verified he had been at the basketball game at the time Junel was dropped off. He also took and passed a polygraph test. They also interviewed Gloria and Jennifer, Janelle's mom and sister. In a criminal investigation, Investigators first need to clear the family of any involvement, if possible, before moving on with the case and then interviewing other potential suspects. Police quickly ruled out Janelle's family entirely.

Detectives had nothing to work with in the Janelle Matthews case. They had hardly any evidence. They didn't have a body. Her disappearance came only six months after the establishment of the National Center for Missing and Exhibition. exploited children or NCMEC in a two-year study from 2014 to 2016, the center found that 90% of missing children reported to the center are safely recovered within six months. And 98% of its cases involve a child running away or being abducted by a family member, usually in some type of custody dispute. But only 1.6% went to.

missing under unknown circumstances like Janelle Matthews. While police didn't have a suspect, they were confident that Janelle had not run away. By January 1985, about 2,000 posters with Janelle Matthews' photo were dispersed throughout the country, mostly via truckers. The posters featured a $20,000 reward for information leading to the girl's whereabouts. One month after disappearance, 60 Greeley churches, including the church the Matthews attended, held prayer vigils for Janelle. Investigators continued searching for the 12-year-old girl without any luck. They had no suspects at the time either. The FBI investigated similarities between Janelle's case and those of other children, but nothing came from it.

A countrywide search, sponsored by a group called the Friends and Relatives of Janelle Matthews, took place on February 9, 1985. Janelle's 13th birthday. The group had requested property owners to search their properties and check garages, irrigation ditches, outbuildings, and wells. But they found no evidence or clues to Janelle's whereabouts the following month in March 1985. Then President Ronald Reagan called on editors of community newspapers to help locate missing children. Reagan said,

well over a million American children disappear from their homes or neighborhoods every year, causing, as we can all understand, heartbreaking anguish. Parents cry out for help, many threw letters to me. One such letter arrived from Jim and Gloria Matthews. Reagan briefly mentioned Janelle, saying she, quote, would have celebrated a happy 13th birthday with her family just last month. But five days before Christmas, Janelle disappeared from her home. Reagan called the newspaper crusade a mission of mercy and told editors that they had a great power for public service.

Even if it only finds one missing child, it's worth it. On Tuesday, April 2nd, 1985, House members in Washington, D.C. focused their televised session on the cases of missing children. The session aired on C-SPAN with millions of viewers watching from home. Four Colorado cases were publicized that evening. Janelle Matthews disappearance. 17-year-old Jennifer Ann Douglas, who disappeared while riding her bike in a Denver suburb on July 16, 1984.

Elizabeth Ann Miller, who was 14 years old of Idaho Springs, she vanished on August 16, 1983, while jogging near her family home. And 15-year-old Christopher Harvey of Andrews, Texas. He disappeared from his parents' summer home in Pegusa Springs, Colorado. on July 11, 1984. Jennifer, Elizabeth, and Christopher are still all missing. In September 1984, Anderson-Erickson Dairy in Des Moines, Iowa was the first dairy business to print photographs of missing children on its milk cartons when it featured 12-year-old

Johnny Gosh and 13-year-old Eugene Martin. Both boys disappeared while delivering newspapers on their paper routes and remained missing to this day. By March 1985, about 700 of the country's 1,600 independent dairies had adopted this practice, which continued into the

early 90s. Many of these dairies approached the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to establish a partnership to help spread awareness about missing children. Janelle Matthews was one of the first children to be

featured on the side of a milk carton. But this was a short-lived program for the NCMEC lasting only about six months. In September 1985, Jim and Gloria Matthews headed to Washington, D.C. to testify about what it was like to be parents of a missing child and what the couple went through after her disappearance. Their testimony was part of a campaign to raise more than $250,000 for the NCMEC. While the couple took comfort in knowing they might have, help other families of missing children. They were frustrated with lack of progress in

Janelle's case. Years passed and the case grew colder and colder, but Janelle's parents continued the search for their daughter, even appearing on the Hraldo Rivera show. Detectives remained stumped. They had no idea what happened to Janelle or who had taken her. In 1987, Jim and Gloria Matthews relocated to Washington State, but moved back to Greeley in October of 1991. In 1994, they had their daughter, Janelle, legally declared dead, and held a memorial service on December 20th, 1994, the 10th anniversary of her disappearance. Gloria said it was time to say goodbye.

The service was held at Sunnyview Church with about 250 people in attendance. At the service, friends and family passed pictures that showed Janelle in childhood and at school on reward posters and on a milk carton. A bloodhound donated to the Larimer County Sheriff's office in Fort Collins in Janelle's name also was presented at the memorial. The Ali Berralez Foundation donated the dog. The foundation donated search dogs to police departments and named them after missing children. By 2003, Jim and Gloria Matthews had moved again. This time to Kuwait. where Jim became an elementary school principal for the next few years. In August 2002, Jim was a principal at a Keensburg, Colorado school.

When he took a recruiting trip to Spearfish, South Dakota, looking for teachers for his school, a Kuwait recruiter asked him if he wanted a job. The Matthews loved to travel, so the decision for them was a no-brainer. Jim retired from 36 years in education and accepted the administrative position in Kuwait. And I'll be honest with you more, if I'm a little bit of, surprised that this was considered kind of a no-brainer decision to move all the way to Kuwait. And in fact, I was kind of surprised to find out that the Matthews had moved a number of times away from Greeley prior to that. My thought is that a lot of parents of missing children,

they don't want to leave that area where their child has gone missing. the hope is still there. And I wonder if in their hearts they accepted that she wasn't coming home and they wanted to move forward with her lives and not be mired in that pain of wondering what happened to her. I think sometimes it's healthier to try and move forward and maybe that's what they did. In the suburbs of D.C., a woman fails to show up for work and is found brutally murdered. I wonder what's emergency?

We just walked in the door and there's blood in the foyer. For the next two decades, the case remained unsolved until new technology allowed investigators to do what had once been impossible. A new series from ABC Audio in 2020, Blood and Water. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. At Giant Eagle, you may have spotted the stacker. With uncanny My Perks ability, she stacks up the perks to choose either dollars off or up to 20% off her entire grocery bill, the stacker, stacking up huge savings with my perks. Find your my personality and transform your shopping into free gas and groceries. Full details at giant eagle.com

slash my perks. Perks cannot be earned or redeemed on select items. Restrictions apply. At the time of Jim and Gloria's move to Kuwait, Jennifer Matthews, now Mogensen, was married and living in Washington before Jim and Gloria left the country. They notified the Greeley Police Department of their change of address in case something new came up in their daughter's disappearance case. Because Janelle was adopted, Gloria also informed Janelle's birth mother of their move. For the next several years, Janelle's case was in limbo and eventually went completely cold. By 2010, Jim and Gloria were living in the Philippines, but there were still no answer. and their daughter's disappearance.

Investigators made a fresh push in the case, and they asked the public for information and said that Janelle's DNA was in the national database codis in case something turned up. But they did not have DNA from a suspect taken from the scene of her abduction. Around that time, the NCMEC uploaded Janelle's aged progress photo, which showed what they thought she would look like at 37 years old to their website. Four years later, on the 20th anniversary of Janelle's disappearance, police renewed a call for information, but remained baffled over the case. Greeley police chief Jerry Garner told CBS4, quote,

this one is hard because there haven't been any details. There hasn't been anything that would point a smoking gun, so to speak, in any one direction. But authorities were hopeful at this time that things would be different. and someone would come forward with information. Unfortunately, nobody did. On December 20, 2018, Greeley Police Department announced it would take a fresh look at Janelle's case. They were hoping that more modern advancements in technology

would help solve the case as they re-interviewed witnesses. Police said they were specially interested in information regarding the choir activities on December 20th, 1984, and hearing from individuals who might have spoken with Janelle that night. The department notified its Facebook followers by posting grainy clips of CableVisions Holiday Wish broadcast, which showed Janelle Matthews singing at her choir concert directly before she was dropped off at home and vanished in a thin air. In January 2015, an advanced reporting class at Colorado State University watched the broadcast and decided to take on the case as their spring semester investigative project. The group spent weeks traveling back and forth to Greeley, speaking with investigators, and others associated with the case. Journalist Mike Peters visited the students and loaned them his file folder that contained clippings from stories early in the investigation to anniversary pieces that he had written on Janelle's disappearance.

The class studied the case with an open mind and realized that nothing would likely come from their. their work. Nevertheless, they finished their investigation and posted the project on a website in the spring of 2019. A few months later, something completely unexpected happened. In July 2019, the Matthews family heard the words they had longed to hear for 35 years. Janelle had been found. Around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23rd, construction workers installing a pipeline in Wold County discovered human remains. including a skull with intact braces-lined teeth. The body was discovered near the intersection of County Ridge 34-5 and 49,

roughly 15 miles southeast of Greeley. Janelle was wearing braces at the time of her disappearance. Pieces of blue and red fabric were also found near the remains. The night she vanished, Janelle wore a red blouse, navy blue sweater, and gray skirt. The next day, authorities confirmed the remains were those of Janelle Matthew. And they were now investigating a homicide. The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head.

Dental records were used in the identification process. The autopsy report, which wasn't released to the public until local media outlets filed requests with the court demanding its release, stated the skeletal remains were mixed with abundant dirt and debris when sent to McKee Medical Center. The skull and mandible were largely intact. The discovery of Janelle's body may have bought some peace for Janelle's family, but the killer was still out there, and for all they knew, could be deceased. Still, the family remained hopeful for an arrest. Jennifer Morgensen, Janelle's sister, described the discovery as, quote, a miracle, because it depended on the pipeline's location.

If it would have been dug one foot to the left or the right, she wouldn't have been found. Jennifer also said that she and her parents submitted DNA samples to investigators. Police have DNA from Janelle's biological mother as well. So the search for Janelle's killer was on. And really, it didn't take very long. In mid-September 2019, the Greeley Police announced they had a person of interest, a man named Stephen Panky, who was then 68 years old. Panky and his now ex-wife, Angela Hicks, had lived about two miles from Janelle's home in Greeley at the time of her disappearance on August 15, 2019.

Detectives traveled to Twin Falls, Idaho, where Panky resided to question him. Panky claimed he had tried numerous times to speak with detectives throughout the investigation, but he refused to talk with them when they showed up. Panky also made claims that he voluntarily submitted a DNA sample at the Twin Falls Sheriff's office several weeks after Janelle's remains were found. But a spokesperson for the Greeley Police Department said, At no point in time was a request made by law enforcement to obtain Steve Panky's DNA. Investigators obtained a search warrant and searched Panky's residence on September 4, 2019, with the Twin Falls Police Department and the Twin Falls Sheriff's Office. They seized computers, electronic devices, computer programs, and software, as well as emails,

diaries, letters, and other documents. It's unclear what evidence they may have found in regards to Janelle's abduction and murder, or what put Pankey on police radar to begin with. So the question is, who is Stephen Pankey? Stephen Dana Pankey was born in Ventura, California in 1951. to Dana Panky Jr. and his wife Ruth, according to Stephen Panky's website, his father was a minister who taught Steve traditional 1950s Christian liberty-minded core values. Panky's great-grandfather was B.F. Panky, the former lieutenant governor of New Mexico. In the early 1970s, Stephen Panky and

some of his extended family resided in the Greeley-Col. area. He was a youth pastor at the same church that the Matthews family attended, Sunnyview Church of the Nazarene until approximately June 1978. Panky had left the church before the Matthews family joined that summer. Panky had a brief stint in the army that took him to Fort Polk in Louisiana. By 1977, he was backing Greeley, where he worked as a car salesman of a Chevy dealership. In 1980, Panky resided at 27965, Wold County Road, 47.5, about 10 miles north from where Janelle's remains were found. He was living only two miles away from Janelle's home at the time she disappeared. In 1987, Stephen Panky left Greeley and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and ultimately to Idaho.

He has lived in several places in Idaho, including Ketchum, Shoshone, and Twin Falls. While living in Shoshonee in 2004, Pankey ran as a right-end candidate for Lincoln County Sheriff. Four years later, he ran again as a Constitution Party candidate. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Idaho in 2010. In a FaceTime interview with CBS4 journalist Kelly Wortham in December 2019, Steve Pankey said he was innocent and that he did not kill Janelle Matthews. He did admit that he frequently searched the internet for any information about Janelle's case,

but remained adamant. He had nothing to do with her murder. Panky once again said he offered to submit his DNA, saying, I assume that if I gave my DNA, that it would be kind of like a knockout blow that would say, this guy is not someone you need to bother talking to. At the time of the interview, the police hadn't said if any DNA was detected on the clothing found what Janelle's remains. They also wouldn't reveal why Stephen Panky was considered a person of interest. In August 2020, the 10th Judicial District Grand Jury started an investigation into Janelle Matthews' murder.

Police said Panky made many inconsistent statements and had info not released to the media about Janelle's disappearance and murder. On Tuesday, October 30th, Greeley Police Chief Mark Jones announced they, they, had arrested Stephen Panky at his home in Idaho for Janelle's 1984 abduction and murder. According to the indictment, police charged Panky with the following. Count one, murder in the first degree after deliberation. Count two, murder in the first degree felony murder. Count three, second degree kidnapping. Count four, crime of violence.

Count five, crime of violence. The indictment states that Panky owned a firearm in 1984, and armed with that gun, Panky took Janelle Matthews from her family home without her consent and against her will in December 20, 1984, between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. and that he shot Janelle intentionally and after deliberation. The indictment also states that Panky intentionally inserted himself in the investigation many times over the years, claiming to have knowledge of the crime, where his statements grew inconsistent and incriminating over time. Panky, quote, knew of and discussed a crucial piece of evidence from the Matthews House, withheld from the public by law enforcement.

Specifically, a rake was used to obliterate shoe impressions in the snow. The indictment also states that Panky had watched children walk home from the middle school that Janelle attended. Stephen Panky told investigators that he and his then-wife, Andrews, Angela Hicks were home on the night, Janelle went missing. He told them they were planning to leave town the next day for a Christmas trip to Big Bear Lake, California, to visit relatives, and they had already loaded their vehicle. He provided documents regarding the trip, but the police reported these documents contained false statements and superfluous details. Angela contradicted Pinky's story about the trip.

She told investigators they had an unexpected family trip two days after Janelle's disappearance. Panky had dumped their family dogs off at an unknown location before this trip and she never saw them again. On the drive home, she said that Stephen uncharacteristically listened to the radio, searching for news accounts of Janelle's disappearance. And when they arrived back in Greeley, Panky forced Angela to read the newspaper accounts about Janelle to him. According to the indictment, when the family arrived back home, Panky immediately began digging in their yard.

And two days later, a car on their property burst into flames. Panky then disposed of the vehicle at a local salvage yard. Angela also told investigators that in 2008, she heard Panky say, at his murdered some funeral. Quote, I hope God didn't allow this to happen because of Janelle Matthews. On Friday, October 20th, 2020, Stephen Panky appeared before Judge Timothy Kearns and Greeley for a brief hearing two days after he was sent there to face prosecution in the killing of Janelle Matthews in 1984. He was wearing an orange jail uniform and due to the coronavirus pandemic. appeared with a face mask.

Janelle's parents and sister watched the hearing remotely through video. Another hearing is scheduled for December 4th 2020. Panky's defense attorney Anthony Vierrez said he planned to ask the judge

to consider allowing Panky to be released on bond after the hearing to examine the evidence against him. After Stephen Panky's arrest, our friend Robin Wurter, host of The Trail went cold, who had previously covered Janelle's case on his show, discovered that Panky was a monthly Patreon supporter of his podcast, and it turns out Robin wasn't

alone. Panky was also a patron supporter of Stephen Pacheco's show over at Trace Evidence, and a handful of other podcasts. I think as podcast hosts, we sometimes wonder, could one of the bad guys we talk about ever listen to our show, but how shocking is it to find out that not only is an accused bad guy listening, he's a Patreon supporter. Yeah, I think as a host, that would be a little bit shocking. You know, you just wonder if he's seeking out shows that had covered the case because, you know, obviously, if it turns out that he did this, he has a morbid fascination with the coverage.

And it sounds like according to his ex-wife, he's had it since it happened. Yeah, almost like he's trying to find out what people know and what's out there. And I don't know if that's all that unusual, Morif, what do you think? For murderers to want to know what's going on with the investigation, what do police know, especially, you know, if you've gotten away with it for, you know, 20, 30, you know, 40 years, all of this new DNA technology that you and I have been talking about over the past couple years, it's got to have some of these bad guys a little more concerned than they were, let's say, 10, 20 years ago. On August 14th, 2019, after Janelle's remains were recovered, Jim and Gloria

Matthews buried their daughter in service at Lynn Cemetery and Greeley. They designed a gravestone with a big rainbow and hearts at either end, like pots of gold. It reads, beloved Janelle Renee Matthews, February 9, 1972 to December 20th, 1984. Jim and Gloria have both retired, and they're currently living in Costa Rica. Janelle's sister, Jennifer, still lives in Washington State with her family. After Janelle disappeared in 1984, Jim and Gloria started dead bolting their front door. they installed a new garage door system that locked. They tried to keep Jennifer's high school years as normal as possible.

Jennifer told Aaron Udell of the Fort Collins, Colorado in September 2019, that she, quote, never felt scared or anxious to be alone in the home and that she was glad her parents did not freak out and become overly protective of her. So more of another heartbreaking case, you know, of a youngster, a young girl who was abducted, murdered, and then her family had to endure so many years of really not getting any information about where she was. They didn't have her remains. They had no idea who had done this to her. And then so many years later, Janelle's remains were. were found. And I think as you mentioned during the episode, that had to have brought something to

the family. You know, I don't know if it brought peace. I don't know if it brought closure. Because I think all of that is probably different for everyone, every family of a murdered child. But you know it brought something because that's, that was something they didn't have before. Now they at least have her remains. They can bury her. And then, very quickly, they receive news that the police have a suspect. This person is arrested. So, you know, it's just kind of mind boggling that for essentially 35 years, there was very little in the way of information gleaned in this case and given to the family.

And then within a span of what, you know, less than one year. it all happened in 2019, all of this information and all of these discoveries are made. Yeah, I think it's awesome that we're seeing all these cases be solved after so long. A lot of times it's specifically because of DNA and genealogy. In this case, we don't know for sure if they have any of that because they've been tight-lipped about that. But we're going to have to stay tuned and see what happens as it goes through trial and through a court system to see what evidence they do or don't have.

Yeah, I think this is another one. We've had a number of cases like this that are ongoing. And there'll be ones to keep an eye on because my assumption is police have some things that are fairly strong. They must have in order to have, you know, arrested this guy. But we're going to have to wait, like you said, to trial to see what it all. is and how it all ties to him. But I know I'll be keeping an eye on it. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see where the case goes. But that's it for the case of the disappearance and

murder of Janelle Matthews. Thanks goes out to Debbie Buck at TruecrimeDiva.com for writing and research assistants in this episode. If you love the show and you haven't done so yet, take a minute, go out, give us a five-star rating. Keep telling your friends. about criminology. That word of mouth about the podcast really goes a long way. If you want to find us on social media, we're on Twitter with the handle at Criminology Pod. You can also find us by searching for Criminology podcast on Facebook or by joining our Facebook discussion group, which is called Criminology Podcast Discussion and Fans. So another episode of Criminology in the Books, but Morph and I will be back with all of you

next Saturday night with a brand new episode. So until then, from Mike and Morph. We'll talk to you next week. Take care, everyone.