Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate indicted in 1984 murder of 12-year-old Colorado girl

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Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate indicted in 1984 murder of 12-year-old Colorado girl

By: Crystal Bonvillian, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Updated: October 14, 2020 - 12:39 PM

GREELEY, Colo. — A man who twice ran unsuccessfully for Idaho governor has been indicted in the 1984 kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old girl whose skeletal remains were unearthed last year in rural Colorado.

Steven Dana Pankey, 69, was arrested at his Twin Falls, Idaho, home on Monday in connection with the death of Jonelle Matthews. He remained Wednesday at the Ada County Jail awaiting extradition to Colorado.

Matthews was abducted from her Greeley home the night of Dec. 20, 1984, following a Christmas concert at her middle school. Her whereabouts were a mystery until July 2019, when her remains were discovered by an excavation crew digging an oil and gas pipeline in an area of Weld County.

Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate indicted in 1984 murder of 12-year-old Colorado girl

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