Alternative Theories
Fisher FitzRandolph
With every mystery comes conspiracy. Whether it be Jack the Ripper or a small neighborhood crime, alterative theories are conceived and quickly passed through the grapevine. It seems that humans are innately intrigued by a farfetched, yet seemingly plausible explanation for a mystery.
In the case of Jonelle Matthews’, a 12 year old girl who mysteriously disappeared one night after a choir concert, multiple theories have surfaced over the years. Some hinge around overlooked pieces of evidence. Others rely on strange similarities and connections. Regardless, these are theories that have been investigated (some more thoroughly than others) yet not ruled out from the investigator’s efforts.
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As Sherlock Holmes said to Watson, “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”
Disclaimer: The nature of this piece involved a great about of research, from both professional and unprofessional sources. Each source has been cited with the respected link or attribution. While all efforts have been used to ensure honest and true facts, understand that many details come from online forums and other open source platforms, where anyone can post their perspectives and information. This article is meant to shed light on possible alternative theories, and it not in any way meant to accuse, insinuate, or implicate guilt on anyone.
The Scalp
On May 28, 1985 (just five months after Jonelle’s disappearance) a piece of scalp was found on a farm in southwest Greeley. The scalp fragment was said to of been the size of a half dollar with medium-length dark brown hair. The scalp fragment was brought to the porch of the farmhouse by a dog.
The scalp was reported to Weld County Sheriff Harold Andrews, who then waited two months before notifying the Greeley Police Department. Andrews said that he didn’t want to alarm anybody before determining whether the hair was human or not, and that is why he did not report the scalp for so long.
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Due to the delay, the farm was not searched for further evidence until the police were notified two months later. After an investigation by the Greeley police, the scalp was sent to be tested at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s laboratory in Washington D.C.. The results came back as inconclusive.
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Once the scalp was returned to Greeley, Gloria Matthews, the mother of Jonelle, analyzed the skull and hair fragment and concluded that it was not her daughters, as Jonelle’s hair had a more reddish tint.
“I am not saying that the hair is not Jonelle’s,” said Gloria Matthews in A Greeley Tribune story written by former reporter Mike Peters, who covered the case from the beginning, “but I am saying that I am 99 percent sure it is not Jonelle’s.”
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While Gloria Matthews concluded that it was not Jonelle’s hair, it is important to note that hair would change color and texture if exposed to the sun and weather over a long period of time.
No further details or information have been found regarding the scalp.
The Bones by the Railroad Tracks
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In 2014 human remains were discovered buried near train tracks that ran through northwest Greeley. The remains were found by a worker using a backhoe to remove a tree, according to an article in the Greeley Tribune by Sharon Dunn.
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Jonelle’s last know location was her home in the Pheasant Run neighborhood, which is also located in the northwest part of Greeley.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the murder site is commonly about a quarter-of-a-mile away from the child’s last known location and the body site is typically less than 200 feet away from that.
When interviewed, the police would not comment on the likelihood of the remains belonging to Jonelle.
The Missing Gasoline Canister
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Supposedly there was a canister of gas missing from the garage of the Matthews’ house on the night of Jonelle’s disappearance, according to an online thread that discussed the disappearance of Jonelle. People have theorized that the gas was used as part of the murder or could have been used for a getaway vehicle to distance Jonelle from her familiar surroundings.
There have been no legitimate records of this gas canister gone missing, and when Detective Robert Cash with the Greely Police Department, the lead detective on Jonelle’s case since 2013, was recently interviewed about the gas canister by a student reporter from Colorado State University, and he said there is no significance to those claims.
The Doe Network Connection
In 1990 a young woman was hit by a car and killed in Huntington Beach, California. This woman could not be identified and was considered a Jane Doe.
Jane Doe is the name attributed to a deceased woman who cannot be identified or named. Interestingly enough, this Jane Doe and Jonelle share strikingly similar stories and characteristics.
This Jane Doe who had recently arrived in the area, told people her name was Andrea and that she was looking for her birth parents. Jonelle was 1 month old when she was adopted by the Matthews from her 13-year-old birthmother, who lived in southern California. According to an article from the Denver Post, before Jonelle disappeared, she made comments to her friends about wanting to reconnect with her birthmother.
There is also a physically similarity; the Jane Doe had worn braces at some point, and Jonelle was wearing braces when she disappeared. Both the Jane Doe and Jonelle has pierced ears. Jane Doe was reported to have possible acne scars on her lower face, Jonelle had a scar on her chin. Both the Jane Doe and Jonelle had brown hair and brown eyes.
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The young Jane Doe was supposedly 19 years old when she died. Jonelle was abducted in 1984 and was 12 years old. In 1990, when the Jane Doe was killed, Jonelle would have been in the 18-19-year-old range.
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While this theory contains a large amount of uncertainty, it is possible to see the similarities. If this truly was Jonelle, it could be theorized that she either ran away to find her birth mom, or was abducted, escaped, then ended up in California, where she began to look for her birth mom.
Jonelle's Ride Home
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After the local concert Jonelle was dropped off at her home at 8 p.m. by her friend Deanna Ross and her father Russell Ross. Both Deanna and Russell noticed that the garage door was open when they arrived at the Matthews house, but confirmed that Jonelle made it into the house safely, according to an interview with Detective Cash with the Greeley Police Department. This was the last time anybody saw Jonelle.
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In a recent interview with the Greeley Police, an investigator said that a male was being reinvestigated related to Jonelle’s abduction.
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With the garage door being open, it could also be theorized that the intruder entered the house before Jonelle arrived and was waiting for her inside the house.
According to pollyklass.org, approximately 5% of all non-family abductions occur in the child’s own home or yard.
In this case, the perpetrator must have known that Jonelle was going to return to an empty home; the perpetrator must have been close enough to know the Matthews’ schedule.
Jonelle's Last Words
Thirty minutes after the Ross’ dropped Jonelle off someone called the Matthews’ home phone. Jonelle answered the phone at 8:30 p.m. It was a teacher from Platte Valley Elementary. The woman was calling to inform Jim Matthews, the school’s principle, that she was sick and not going to make it into school the next day.
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According to an article by Mike Peters, a reporter from the Greeley Tribune, Jonelle wrote this down on a piece of paper by the phone. This was the last time anyone heard from Jonelle.
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The Concert Video
In December 2018, the Greeley Police Department released a video of the choir concert that Jonelle sang in the night of her disappearance. While the video is seemingly mundane, there is one specific point that is cause for examination.
At 0:33 in the video, Jonelle makes an intentional facial gesture towards someone or something in the audience. The face she makes is somewhere between a grimace and a try-to-make-your-friend-laugh face. Regardless, she is clearly responding to something or someone she sees in the audience.
This is strange because none of the Matthews’ were in attendance (her mother was out of town, and her dad and sister were at a basketball game). It could be theorized that Jonelle saw the perpetrator in the audience and was acknowledging their presence. According to kidnapping statistics from the Polly Klass foundation, 97 percent of the time, a child is kidnapped by someone he or she knows.
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The video also seems to focus on Jonelle excessively. The camera is focused on the group of students she is singing with, and she is generally always in the frame. This leads the viewer to wonder who was behind the camera filming Jonelle so meticulously.
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Regardless, the Greeley Police released this video on the 34th anniversary of her disappearance. Simultaneously, there has been a sudden renewed interest in the Jonelle Matthews’ case, with the assembling of a task force and a new coverage by media.
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Generally, awareness is raised on big anniversaries (10th, 25th, 35th, etc.) so it seems strange that there has been new interest on the 34th anniversary.