Former Idaho governor candidate investigated in 1984 killing

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A former candidate for Idaho governor says he's under investigation in connection with the 1984 killing of a 12-year-old Colorado girl.

Steve Pankey, who ran as a Constitution Party candidate for governor in 2014 and again as a Republican in the 2018 primary, told the Idaho Statesman this week that he's under investigation in the death of Jonelle Matthews of Greeley, Colorado.

Pankey said he reached out to the newspaper because he is a public figure, and he wants his story to be heard in case he is arrested. He said he's concerned that police mistrust him.

"I'm trying to be transparent," he said. "I have nothing to hide."

Matthews was reported missing on Dec. 20, 1984, after returning home from performing a Christmas concert with her classmates. Her body wasn't found until earlier this year, when construction workers excavating for a pipeline in a rural part of Weld County, Colorado uncovered her remains.

Read more: https://magicvalley.com/news/state-and-regional/former-idaho-governor-candidate-investigated-in-killing/article_4168315d-d640-52c4-9db2-fea926c0bc03.html