GREELEY – A district attorney’s office in Colorado announced Tuesday that a grand jury will investigate the death of a 12-year-old girl whose disappearance attracted the attention of the White House and shocked a rural Colorado community, a newspaper reported.
Jonelle Matthews was last seen alive around 8:30 p.m. Dec. 20, 1984, at her home in Greeley. Her body was found in July 2019 by construction workers digging a pipeline in a rural area southeast of Greeley, a city about 50 miles north of Denver.
Police labeled her death a homicide, but no one has been arrested, The Greeley Tribune reported.
Jonelle’s disappearance was among the cases highlighted by then-President Ronald Reagan as his administration launched a national effort to find missing children.
In June, a judge ruled the Weld County coroner’s office was required to release a redacted version of her autopsy report, after The Greeley Tribune requested it under the state’s open records act. The report contained few details, but noted the skull and mandible were largely intact.
Weld District Attorney Michael Rourke argued in the case to keep the autopsy report sealed because there were many unexpected hiccups in the investigation, including the inability to convene the grand jury during the coronavirus pandemic.
Grand juries decide whether to bring criminal charges or indictments against potential defendants. The 19th Judicial District Grand Jury is now to investigate the case with help from the Weld County district attorney’s office and the Greeley Police Department.
