Unapologetically Bold
Morgan Blanner
The story of Jonelle's 12 years
The mystery of 12-year old Jonelle Matthew’s disappearance lingers on more than 30 years later. She was last seen entering her Greeley, Colorado, home when she was dropped off by her friend Deanna Ross and her father, Russell Ross.
Her father, Jim Matthews, reported her missing when he returned home from Jonelle's older sister's basketball game to discover Jonelle nowhere to be found. Her father found her slippers by the couch beside a running space heater, but not his daughter. He reached out to friends and his pastor, but soon realized he should contact police.
The police noted the open garage door and footsteps in the snow that suggested a scuffle in the front lawn. After an exhaustive search with no evidence or suspects, the mystery of Matthews left the Greeley, Colorado community with unsettling feelings and fear.
This past December on the 34th anniversary of her disappearance, Greeley Police announced their efforts to take another look into Matthews’ case. With the help of forensics and advanced testing methods, the Greeley police hope that diving deeper into the case decades later will lead to a breakthrough.
Matthews’ unsolved case continues to have lasting effects on not only the Matthews family but on her closest friend. As the last person to see her before her disappearance, Matthews’ childhood best friend Deanna Ross still remembers and is saddened by that snowy night in December. Without evidence or breakthroughs, Ross and Matthews’ sister, Jennifer Mogenson, dealt with a wide range of emotions, some of which still linger after 34 years.
Even though the emotional effects of Matthews’ disappearance are everlasting, both Mogensen and Ross remember Matthews as the spunky girl they knew as their sister and best friend.
Ross and Mogensen say Matthews’ boldness and originality is hard to forget.
“When she walked in the room you knew she was there because she made it known,” Ross said. Matthews’ boldness matched her extroverted demeanor, unlike Mogensen and Ross’ more introverted personalities. Ross said the two got along so well because she needed a strong-willed friend in her life like Matthews.
“We balanced each other out because I was very shy and introverted, and she was the opposite of that,” Ross said. Being the last one to see Matthews’, the effects are magnified for Ross as she continues to deal with the unsettling aftermath of Matthews’ disappearance. Ross said she thinks about what her life would be like if Matthews never disappeared.
Matthews tended to be loud and did not mind the attention on her. Mogensen explained how Matthews was the opposite of a wallflower and made her presence known.
Mogensen said at times Matthews’ personality would get the best of her, bringing out her stubborn temperament and opinionated commentary.
“She would tell the choir director how to run the show,” Mogensen said. The two experienced sibling rivalry and often fought over clothes, chores and tedious things.
Even though her personality could be overbearing, Matthews’ kept a tight knit group of friends that understood her, including Ross.
Ross said the two friends met in church, one of Matthews’ many strong commitments. Along with church, she was dedicated to sports, choir, and any youth activity she had the opportunity to join.
Adopted
The Matthews family adopted Jonelle Matthews when she was just two months old after her biological mother Terry Vierra-Martinez gave birth to her at age 13. Mogensen remembers the day vividly, walking into the nursery and picking Matthews when she wrapped her tiny hand around her adopted father’s finger. Inclined to grow their family, the Matthews family decided to adopt after struggling to have Mogensen. Vierra-Martinez left it open for Matthews to make contact with her once she turned 18 with hopes to eventually reconnect. Vierra-Martinez and the Matthews family reconnected 10 years after the disappearance when they held a service in memory of Matthews.
“She got her stubbornness from me,” Vierra-Martinez said according to Mogensen.
A research study in Cognitive, Developmental and Social Psychology, Dr. Tara DeLecce finds, “after hundreds of such studies were conducted, the results revealed that adopted children's personalities are more like those of their biological parents whom they've never met than their adoptive parents who raised them.” This seems true for Matthews with more similar personality to traits to her biological mother compared to her adopted parents.
According to Mogensen, Matthews used her adoption as a ploy in arguments with her family ever so often.
“She would say something like, ‘you’re not my real mom or dad’ when she was upset, which I think is common,” Mogensen said. Matthews expressed interest in pursuing her biological mother which is not all that uncommon for a 12-year old struggling with understanding her adoption.
According to an article published by Paediatrics Child Health, “It is normal to see aggression, angry behaviour, withdrawal or sadness and self-image problems among adopted children at this age.”
Matthews’ adopted parents responded with patience and understanding by telling her that she could find her biological mother when she was old enough.
Although Matthews could be hard to handle at times, she was thoughtful and compassionate towards her friends specifically. Shortly before her disappearance, Matthews was eager to give her friends Christmas gifts and celebrate with them, according to Mogensen.
Life 34 years later
“Love not expressed is love unknown,” Mogensen said. Fully encompassing the grief, denial, sadness and other emotions, Mogensen said she lives by these words after experiencing the loss of her sister. She said she intentionally and frequently expresses love to her family and friends because she may never get another chance to. At one time her sister’s disappearance evoked tears and sorrow, but after 34 years Mogensen said it reminds her to express the love and appreciation she has for those around her.
After high school Ross attended Aims Community College in Greeley, Colorado, where her father, Russell Ross, still lives. Now, she lives in Vorhees Township, New Jersey, and works for Thomas Foods International.