Scenes From a Disappearance
Pheasant Run seems like a picturesque American neighborhood in almost every way.
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Basketball hoops stand sentinel in driveways and hang mounted above garage doors. American flags slowly weave back and forth in the breeze. In the distance, children yell or scream in laughter. Neatly-kept shrubs provide a border between lawns and the sidewalk.
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It is also home to the story of a 12-year-old girl who sang in her middle school’s choir, enjoyed watching TV and disappeared without a trace a few days before Christmas in 1984.
The intersection of 43rd Avenue Court and 3rd Street in Pheasant Run. (Photo by Forrest Czarnecki)
Russell Ross is the last person known to have seen Jonelle before she went missing the night of Dec. 20, 1984. Ross and his daughter, Deanna, dropped Jonelle off at 320 43rd Ave. Ct. following a choir concert that both Jonelle and Deanna sang in that night. (Photo by Forrest Czarnecki)
The sidewalk separating the Pheasant Run and Larson subdivisions runs directly behind 320 43rd Ave. Ct. (Photo by Forrest Czarnecki)
The intersection of 43rd Avenue Court and 3rd Street in Pheasant Run. (Photo by Forrest Czarnecki)
Presents Under The Tree and One Missing Girl
Jonelle Matthews was dropped off at 320 43rd Ave. Ct. on the night of Dec. 20, 1984, and never seen again. Police investigated the case when she was reported missing, but it was quickly shelved after running out of leads.
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Nearly 35 years later it is in the spotlight again, and investigators are looking for more clues about her disappearance.
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Pheasant Run is on the northernmost side of Greeley, one of the fastest-growing cities in Colorado.
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Just last year, Greeley passed the 100,000 resident mark for the first time ever, according to data from the city’s planning and development documents. New subdivisions pock the outskirts of the city almost as frequently as the oil wells, farm fields and county roads.
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“It was a good neighborhood to live in,” Mike Peters said, “We all had kids about the same age; they all went to school together.”
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Peters lived in the Pheasant Run neighborhood for 35 years before moving away in December of 2015. His kids attended Franklin Middle School with Jonelle Matthews.
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Although the quiet and friendly neighborhood was set on edge after Dec. 20, 1984.
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“It was pretty frightening for everyone in the neighborhood, we didn't know what was going on, or what happened to her,” Peters said.
Frozen In Time
The Pheasant Run community still bears striking resemblances to the growing neighborhood it was back in 1984.
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A little over 100 acres in size, the Pheasant Run development sits between two other neighborhoods right along 4th Street, one of Greeley’s busiest east-west thoroughfares.
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Two community parks border its south side and southwest corner.
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Epple Park is directly across 4th Street. The park itself sinks down below the sidewalk and offers a Frisbee golf course, walking path and open space shielded from the roadway thanks to some nearly-mature pine trees.
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Pheasant Run Park, named for the subdivision it lives within, sits at the southwest corner of the community. A colorful playground and pavilion lead into the neighborhood itself. An expansive baseball diamond and grassy sports field see frequent use from summer sports leagues.
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In 1977, Pheasant Run was one of the newest developments in the area. Houses were being built up and down 43rd Avenue Court and on the surrounding blocks. Development continued into the early 2000s, when some of the last homes were squeezed into the subdivision.
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The neighborhood may seem like a classic middle-class subdivision - ranch style or modest two-story homes are laid out in uniform precision up and down the streets. Sidewalks provide foot access to the entire subdivision. Newly-paved sections of the blacktop street pop with fresh white and yellow stripes.
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On the northernmost side of the neighborhood, a small wetland with matted and wintering bulrushes provides refuge for a few ducks and geese.
New Paint Over Old Cracks
But the patina quicks fades after a tour of the entire neighborhood.
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In other sections of the neighborhood graffiti covers an ailing stop sign. Storm drain walls have succumb to the same tattooed fate.
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Cul-de-sacs show their age with countless asphalt sealant scars and cracks that run from one sidewalk to the other. Mountains of knick knacks, antiques and dead vegetation pile up in garden beds.
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Dog feces line the grass along the footpath that cuts from 4th Street to the back of the subdivision. A mangled barb wire fence and disheveled ‘No Trespassing’ sign are the only things separating the neighborhood from an open field to the north.
In the wake of the 34th anniversary of Jonelle’s disappearance, it seems that the Pheasant Run community has forgotten about the brown-haired girl who lived down the street and regularly attended church services with her family.
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Throughout the neighborhood, missing dog posters asking for the return of a beloved ‘Sparky’ outnumber the Jonelle Matthews posters.
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Only a single, faded missing persons poster on the corner of 43rd Avenue Court and 4th Street seeks information about the missing girl.
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It could be argued that because of the generational gap many current residents don’t even know about the case. The current homeowners of 320 43rd Ave. Ct. didn’t even know the true history of the home until after they had moved in.
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Only a handful of residents still live in the neighborhood from the time of the disappearance.
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Yet one thing is for certain - when Jonelle went missing the entire community was focused on the case.
Sleeping With One Eye Open
The vibrant community full of elementary and middle school-aged children was like a mousetrap ready to snap shut. Parents no longer let their kids play outside by themselves. Constant supervision was the new normal, according to Peters.
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This was a drastic change from the friendly feelings and days gone by of seemingly free-range children.
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“Everyone was friendly, we had neighborhood parties and cookouts all the time because we all knew each other, especially on our cul-de-sac,” Peters said.
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The community atmosphere and feelings ran deep in Pheasant Run at the time, Peters said. Neighbors shared gardening tools, and everyone got along very well.
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Those feelings were hard to come by following Matthews’ disappearance, according to Peters.
When Peters and his wife moved out in 2015, he said that the neighborhood hadn’t changed much since the day he moved in. The one notable exception is the traffic in and around the neighborhood.
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Cars and trucks zoom past the entrance to 43rd Avenue Court. Oil and gas trucks, along with construction trucks, rumble down the street in a nearly constant stream of traffic.
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As more corn fields and grassy areas around town are turned into subdivisions and drilling pads, more traffic moves down 4th Street, Peters said.
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The long-time north Greeley resident said that many of these cars and trucks use 4th Street as a way to get around 10th Street, the main drag through the city, which is often very crowded with traffic.
A Memory That Can't Be Erased
Chain-link fences, fresh cedar planks and aged wooden slats overcome with ivy guide the walking path behind 320 43rd Ave. Court.
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Tall deciduous trees naked in the early spring provide a thin canopy over the cement walkway. Dogs race up and down property boundaries, incessantly barking at passerby.
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Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies fan gear sits in front yards or watches the sidewalk from street-facing windows. Some houses have front doors guarded by security cameras or ADT signs.
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In many ways, Pheasant Run looks like the quiet, well-kept and welcoming neighborhood that beams ‘Americana’. In other ways it is a place where maintaining a warm and beautified image has fallen behind.
But one thing that will forever remain with the Pheasant Run neighborhood is the night of Dec. 20, 1984.