Naman Shrestha
Just five days before Christmas 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews vanished into thin air from the living room of her Greeley, Colorado, home. Over the coming weeks and months, the disappearance case attracted nationwide attention, but the investigators were still unable to either find her or the individual who kidnapped her. It took more than three decades to crack open the case and bring the perpetrator to justice. In Oxygen’s ‘The Girl on the Milk Carton,’ the entire case is discussed in detail with the help of interviews with the loved ones of the victim and the individuals involved in the investigation, including Angela Hicks.
Angela Hicks Was Married to the Future Killer of Jonelle Matthews
Born in the late 1950s, Angela S. Hicks and her father relocated to Greeley, Colorado, when she was just 11 years old after her parents got divorced. Naturally, the two formed a close-knit bond over the years. While she was still studying at Greeley Central High School, she began working for a communications center in Greeley to support her father financially. It is through her work that she crossed paths with Steven “Steve” Pankey, who was a guard at the time.
Angela switched jobs and got employed at a 7-Eleven a while later. Although they started as friends, she and Steve felt the romantic sparks between them and eventually started dating in 1978. In October of the same year, they tied the knot and moved several houses over the following years before settling at 6086 West 10th Street in Greeley, Colorado, in October 1983. It was a house that Steve’s father acquired from a family member. Soon after their marriage, they welcomed their son, Carl, into the world.
Angela Hicks Took the Stand and Testified Against Her Abusive Ex-Husband
On December 21, 1984, Steve suddenly announced that they had to take the trip to visit his family in Big Bear Lake for Christmas. They returned after a coup,le of days and within a week of their return, Angela saw her husband burn a car in the back of the property. She found it strange at the time but was not able to connect his behavior to the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. According to her, the marriage was full of complications because he used to allegedly exert physical and emotional abuse on her every now and then. He had control over her life, prohibiting her from doing certain things like reading newspapers, listening to music, driving, or watching TV.
Several years later, Angela figured it out and contacted the police about Steve’s potential involvement in the disappearance of Jonelle Matthews. She told the detectives that her husband knew about raked-over snow outside the victim’s house on the fateful night, a piece of information that was kept from the public. She divorced Steve sometime in the early 2000s. After a couple of decades to Jonelle Matthews’ disappearance, Angela was contacted again to give her statement regarding her ex-husband, Steve Pankey. During his trial and retrial, she provided testimony against him and played a vital role in getting him convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Angela Hicks Continues to Own a Property Management Company Based in Idaho
Although the College of Southern Idaho graduate, Angela S. Hicks, was going through a lot in her personal life, she did not allow it to dampen her professional journey. In 1989, she founded Monarch Property Services, Inc. in Ketchum, Idaho, and has been the owner of the firm ever since then. Serving the Wood River Valley for more than three decades, the property management company offers a wide range of services, including laundry, housekeeping, property checks, maintenance, and other personalized assistance to satisfy customers.
Thanks to her decades of experience, Angela has developed an impressive skillset, specializing in event management, marketing strategy, strategic planning, public speaking, and leadership. On July 4, 2008, she suffered a huge loss when her son, Carl, was murdered in Phoenix. Although it is evident that the empty feeling left by the passing of her beloved kid will always remain, it is natural that she will always cherish every single memory she created with him. As of writing, Angela leads a private life, seemingly residing all by herself in Ketchum, Idaho, and prefers to stay away from the prying eyes of the media.
Read More: Steve Pankey: Where is Jonelle Matthews’ Killer Now?
