December 20 - The Abduction and Murder of Jonelle Matthews

On the night of December 20, 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews returned home from a Christmas choir performance in Greeley, Colorado — and vanished before her father got home. Her shoes were by the heater, the TV was on, and a message was left by the phone. But outside, someone had tried to cover their tracks — literally — by raking over footprints in the snow.

For decades, Jonelle’s face was one of the first in the milk carton campaign, symbolizing the fear and heartbreak of missing children in the 1980s. It would take 35 years for her remains to be discovered — and nearly 38 before someone was convicted in her case.

In this episode, we trace Jonelle’s story from that ordinary December night through the long cold case, a surprising suspect, and the trials that finally brought answers to a family and community that had waited far too long.

#truecrime #jonellematthews #coldcase #missingchildren

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