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Dateline NBC will air a new episode this week on Friday, May 23, 2025, at 9 pm ET. The episode, titled Footprints in the Snow, is set to explore the decades-old case of Jonelle Matthews, a 12-year-old girl who went missing after a Christmas concert in Greeley, Colorado, on December 20, 1984.
Her disappearance, which gained national attention, became one of the earliest cases tied to the missing children milk carton campaigns, according to a CBS News report dated July 26, 2019. Despite extensive investigations, the case remained unsolved for over 30 years until her remains were discovered in 2019.
The new Dateline episode follows how modern forensic techniques and persistent investigative work led to the arrest and conviction of Steven Pankey, as detailed in The Independent report dated November 9, 2022, and CBS News coverage dated August 6, 2022.
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Pankey was ultimately sentenced to life in prison for Jonelle’s murder. Hosted by Keith Morrison, the broadcast will feature firsthand accounts from family members, law enforcement, and courtroom testimony, bringing the long-unsolved mystery to a full circle.
What happened to Jonelle Matthews, the 12-year-old girl at the center of this week's Dateline NBC episode?
It was a cold night in December 1984 when Jonelle Matthews vanished from her house in Greeley, Colorado. She had just returned from singing in a school Christmas concert and was dropped off by her friend’s father. Alone in the house for a short while, she picked up a phone call around 8:30 pm that evening.
An hour later, her father walked into a quiet living room with the heater still running and the TV still flickering. But Jonelle was nowhere to be found. Outside in the snow, investigators spotted footprints near a window. The case gained national attention, and Jonelle's photo became one of the first to appear on milk cartons.
Even President Ronald Reagan mentioned her in a 1985 speech. But leads ran dry, and the case went cold for decades. Then, in July 2019, a construction crew digging in a field southeast of Greeley made a grim discovery. They found human remains later confirmed to be Jonelle’s.
Her body showed a gunshot wound to the head, and she was still wearing the clothes from the night she disappeared. As reported by CBS News on August 6 2022, that discovery reopened the investigation and brought a new name to the forefront.
Steven Pankey had previously lived in Greeley before relocating to Idaho, where he later launched two unsuccessful campaigns for governor. He had inserted himself into the case for years, and his behaviour had long raised red flags.
How Steven Pankey became the focus of the investigation
Steven Pankey, who resided about two miles from the Matthews residence in 1984, drew attention as a suspect after continually involving himself in the investigation over the years.
Authorities stated that Pankey demonstrated a strange obsession with the investigation, making claims about confidential details such as the raked-over footprints, information never made public at the time.
His ex-wife also testified that Pankey had made their family leave town abruptly after Jonelle disappeared and forced her to read news coverage about the case aloud during their trip. Pankey was indicted in 2020 and later convicted in 2022 for the murder and kidnapping of Jonelle Matthews.
Dateline examines the road to justice
This week’s Dateline NBC episode, Footprints in the Snow, airing on May 23, 2025, at 9 pm ET, explores the decades-long mystery and resolution of Jonelle’s case.
Pankey’s conviction, based largely on circumstantial evidence and his own incriminating statements, brought long-awaited closure to a case that haunted the Matthews family and the Greeley community for 35 years.
As noted by The Independent report dated November 9, 2022, Jonelle’s sister said:
“This closure, this verdict, and just going home knowing that when we leave Greeley, a big part of our life, our big part of our story, has a conclusion... that just feels really good.”
Dateline retraces the critical developments, from the discovery of Jonelle’s body to the complex trials that followed.
Stay tuned for more updates on Dateline.
