Jonelle Renee Matthews
| Jonelle Renee Matthews | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 9, 1972[1] Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital[2] |
| Disappeared | December 20, 1984 (aged 12) |
| Body discovered | Along a rural route southeast of Greeley, Colorado |
| 🏡 Residence | Greeley, Colorado |
| 🏫 Education | Franklin Middle School |
| 💼 Occupation | Student |
| 🏢 Organization | Member of Sunny View Church of the Nazarene and Franklin Middle School Choir |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in |
| 💪 Weight | 115 lb 115 lb (52 kg) |
| 👴 👵 Parents |
|
| 👪 Relatives | Sister Jennifer |
Jonelle Matthews was a 12 year old girl, who disappeared on December 20, 1984.[3] She remained missing for 34 years, until her remains were discovered on July 24, 2019 by workers installing a pipeline.[4]
Disappearance
Jonelle was a member of the Franklin Middle School Choir, which performed at a local bank in the evening of December 20, 1984.[5][6] Jonelle's father was at his other daughter's basketball game.[6] Jonelle's mother had flown east to be with Jonelle's grandfather, who was ill.[7] At 8:15 PM, Jonelle arrived at her home in Greeley, Colorado, after getting a ride from her friend DeeAnn Ross and DeeAnn's father. Shortly after 8:30 PM, Jonelle answered a phone call and took a message for her father.[6] That phone call was the last time anyone heard from Jonelle.
Her father arrived home at 9:30 PM and found the garage door open, but no one was home, although Jonelle's shoes and a shawl were near a heater in the family room, where Jonelle often sat.[6] Jonelle's sister got home at 10:00 PM, but had not seen her. Their father began to worry, and called police. The police arrived at 10:15 PM. They found footprints in the snow indicating that someone had been looking in the windows, but no signs of a struggle or of forced entry. With snow on the ground, her father thought it unlikely she would go far without shoes.[8]
Family
Jonelle Matthews lived on the 300 block of 43rd Avenue Court in Greeley Colorado (coordinates 40°25′52″N 104°44′57″W / 40.431118°N 104.749082°W
) with her adoptive parents Jim and Gloria Matthews, and her older sister Jennifer. Her father was the principal of Platte Valley Elementary School in Kersey, Colorado.
For several weeks after the disappearance, the police placed Jonelle's birth mother Terri Vierra-Martinez under surveillance, without ever telling her that her daughter had gone missing. Ten years later and after Jonelle was declared legally dead, Gloria received a letter from the birth mother, requesting permission to visit the child she gave up for adoption, something Jonelle always wanted. The adoptive parents notified the birth mother about what happened, and the families became friends.[2]
Jim and Gloria Matthews, retired and moved to Costa Rica. Jonelle's older sister moved to Washington state is now Jennifer Morgensen.
Public interest
The disappearance attracted public interest, including the president and members of congress. President Ronald Reagan mentioned Jonelle Matthews in a speech on March 7, 1985, in Room 450 of the Old Executive Office Building.[9] She was mentioned in the Congressional Record for the United States House of Representatives on April 2, 1985, page 7224. In 2010, the Greeley Tribune published another summary of the missing child—still not found.[10] As recently as 2018, Greeley Police have been re-contacting witnesses and applying the latest forensic advances to learn what happened to Jonelle.[11] She appears in International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons' database.[12]
A chokecherry tree was planted nearly 30 years ago in front of Franklin Middle School. The tree is now gone, along with a plaque inscribed with Jonelle's name.
Found
After almost 35 years, excavators installing a pipeline discovered human remains at 4:50 PM on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 near the intersection of county roads 34.5 and 49, at coordinates 40°14′23″N 104°36′09″W / 40.239848°N 104.602514°W
, about 15 miles southeast of Jonelle's home. Based on DNA evidence, the Weld County Coroner’s Office positively identified the remains as Jonelle Matthews.[13][14] As of July 29, 2019[update] the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has not released any information about how Matthews might have died. Authorities are searching historical records to determine who owned or lived on the land where the remains were found.[15]
References
- ↑ "Missing Children". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Greenwood, Mississippi. 2 June 1985. p. 26. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kirk Mitchell (July 26, 2019). "Jonelle Matthews investigation: Chronicling the 34-year search for missing Greeley 12-year-old—The vivacious 12-year-old disappeared in 1984. Her remains were found this week". The Denver Post. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ↑ "Jonelle Renee Matthews (12) - Greeley CO, 1984". Websleuths. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ↑ P. SOLOMON BANDA (July 26, 2019). "Remains ID'd as those of Colorado girl missing 34 years". KUTV. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ↑ "Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI)—COLD CASE FILES—Jonelle Matthews". Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Peters, Mike (2 January 2010). "Greeley girl's disappearance still a mystery after 25 years". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Greenwood, Mississippi. (Greeley Tribune). p. 26. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ↑ Peters, Mike (7 December 1989). "Colorado girl's disappearance still a mystery". Rapid City Journal. Rapid City, South Dakota. (Greeley Tribune). p. 10. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ↑ Mike Peters (January 8, 2015). "Jonelle Matthews disappearance anniversary: Timeline of events". Swift Communications. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Ronald Reagan (January 1, 1988). Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1985. Best Books On Corporation. p. 253. ISBN 1623769442. Retrieved July 27, 2019. Search this book on
- ↑ "25 years after Greeley girl vanished, no clues". Greeley Tribune. January 1, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Joe Moylan (December 20, 2018). "Greeley police processing new evidence in Jonelle Matthews case, sending to CBI for forensic analysis". The Greeley Tribune. Swift Communications. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ↑ "198DFCO—-Jonelle Renee Matthews". The Doe Network. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ↑ Detective Robert Cash (July 25, 2019). "Remains Found in Weld County Identified". Greeley Police Department. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Kieran Nicholson (July 25, 2019). "Remains of Jonelle Matthews dug up by work crew 34 years after she vanished, Greeley police say—Then 12-year-old disappeared after middle school Christmas concert". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ↑ Joe Moylan (December 20, 2018). "Greeley police processing new evidence in Jonelle Matthews case, sending to CBI for forensic analysis". The Greeley Tribune. Swift Communications. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
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