"And now, after over 30 years, the Matthews knew that finding Janelle wasn't going to be finding her alive. But this is more than they thought they would ever get. They finally had their daughter back and could properly lay her to rest." — Ashley Flowers
"He says that he never met the Matthews family in his whole life, never knew them, never knew Janelle, even though they lived just minutes away from one another." — Ashley Flowers (referencing Steve Panky's statements)
"Without a deal, this may never be resolved." — Steve Panky (quoted from online comments)
This episode of Crime Junkie meticulously recounts the 1984 disappearance of Janelle Matthews, a 12-year-old girl who vanished after a Christmas concert in Greeley, Colorado. Despite attending school and a concert on December 10th, 1984, Janelle disappeared between 8:00 PM and 9:30 PM after being dropped off at her home. Key details at the scene included an open garage door, her shoes left behind, and slippers and potentially a heater left on, suggesting she was inside her home when she went missing. The investigation initially focused on her father, Jim, and later her biological mother, but yielded no definitive answers for years.
The narrative follows the painstaking and often frustrating investigative process, highlighting the passage of time, the limited resources of local law enforcement, and the immense emotional burden on the Matthews family. The discovery of a piece of scalp two months after the disappearance, with inconclusive forensic results, and the heartbreaking task of identification by Janelle's mother underscored the difficulties. Despite extensive searches, media appeals, and the case being featured on milk cartons, Janelle remained missing, leading to her legal declaration of death ten years later.
The case experienced a resurgence of attention in 2018, leading to renewed police efforts and the release of a concert video. The discovery of Janelle's remains in July 2019, eighteen miles south of Greeley, finally provided a breakthrough. Subsequently, Steve Panky was named a person of interest. The episode delves into Panky's statements, his past legal entanglements, and his voluntary involvement with the investigation, including his own commentary online suggesting a resolution might require a "deal." As of the episode's recording, Panky remained a person of interest, and the case, while having found Janelle's remains, still awaited a definitive resolution regarding her homicide.