Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings/Conspiracy Theories Book II

The Disappearance and Death of Janelle Matthews

Janelle Matthews was a12-year-old American girl who disappeared near Greeley, Colorado, onDecember 20, 1984. She remained missing for 34 years, until herremains were discovered on July 24, 2019, by construction workersputting in a new pipeline 15 mi (24 km) away from her home.

Disappearance

On the evening of December 20, 1984,Janelle was performing in a holiday concert at IntraWest Bank ofDenver as a member of Greeley's Franklin Middle School Choir. Herfamily was not present at the concert as Janelle's father was at hisother daughter's basketball game and her mother had flown east to bewith Janelle's ill grandfather.[ At 8:15 PM that evening, Janellearrived at her home in Greeley, Colorado, after getting a ride fromher friend DeeAnn Ross and DeeAnn's father. Shortly after 8:30 PM,Janelle answered a phone call and took a message for her father. Thephone call was the last time anyone was known to have spoken withJanelle.

Her father arrived home at 9:30 PM andfound the garage door open, but no one was in the house, althoughJanelle's shoes and shawl were near a heater in the family room, aplace she often sat. Janelle's older sister, Jennifer, got home at10:00 PM, but had not seen her. Their father began to worry, andcalled police. The police arrived at 10:15 PM and found footprints inthe snow, indicating that someone had been looking in the windows.There were no signs of a struggle or of forced entry. With snow onthe ground, Janelle's father thought it unlikely that she would gofar without shoes.

Family

The Matthews family lived at 320 43rdAvenue Court in Greeley, Colorado. The family consisted of Janelle,her adoptive parents Jim and Gloria Matthews, and her older sister,Jennifer. At the time of her disappearance, Janelle's father was theprincipal of Platte Valley Elementary School in Kersey, Colorado.

For several weeks after thedisappearance, police placed Janelle's birth mother TerriVierra-Martinez under surveillance, without telling her that herdaughter had gone missing. Ten years later and after Janelle wasdeclared legally dead, Gloria received a letter from the birthmother, requesting permission to visit the child she gave up foradoption, something Janelle always wanted. The birth mother had useda search consultant to help locate the child. The adoptive parentsnotified the birth mother about what happened, and the familiesbecame friends.

Years after Janelle's disappearance,Jim and Gloria Matthews retired and moved to Costa Rica. Janelle'ssister married and moved out of Colorado.

Public interest

The disappearance attracted publicinterest, including the President of the United States and members ofCongress. President Ronald Reagan mentioned Janelle Matthews in aspeech on March 7, 1985 from Room 450 of the Old Executive OfficeBuilding. She was mentioned in the Congressional Record for theUnited States House of Representatives on April 2, 1985, page 7224.In 2010, the Greeley Tribune published another summary of the missingchild—still not found. As recently as 2018, Greeley Police hadbeen re-contacting witnesses and applying the latest forensicadvances to learn what happened to Janelle. She appears in theInternational Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons' database.

A chokecherry tree was planted nearly30 years ago in front of Franklin Middle School, in memory ofJanelle. The tree is now gone, along with a plaque inscribed withJanelle's name.