Paige Birgfeld 34yr Colorado missing since 6/28/07(Remains Found)

[Observer]

FoolsGold

I appreciate you trying to help these missing people but you really need to watch what you say. Parents and family members read here and some of your comments are unacceptable. Like your comment about April Beth Pitzer.

[mrs. red]

Fools Gold... I am now telling you formally that you are walking a fine line here.... if I have to say one more time that you need to be more sensitive in your posts, you will lose your voice.

Do Not under any circumstances imply that any missing person deserved what they got.... there is room for all opinions here except for the mentality of they asked for it...and you are walking very close to that line, IMO.

[bleachedblack]

Grandparents seek custody of missing Grand Junction woman's children
August 22, 2007

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/home/article/0,1299,DRMN_1_5679819,00.html

[Sleeks]

Grandparents seek custody of missing Grand Junction woman's children
August 22, 2007

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/home/article/0,1299,DRMN_1_5679819,00.html

Bleachedblack  Did I read this entirely correct???  The last part of that link confused me, from what I read the children's father has taken the kids and that Paige's father is seeking custody.  Do they know where the children's father is???

[pdh3]

Oh my goodness. Those poor babies. They must be so confused, and they are surely missing their Mother. Now there's going to be a battle over their custody, and they will face more hurt and confusion. It could go on for years.
When a Mother goes missing the children are always left in such a painful limbo, and usually a nasty tug of war begins among relatives, or they go into the child welfare system and disappear.
It just compounds the tragedy.

[carolyn]

Suspect Named in Disappearance of Missing Mom Paige Birgfeld
Tuesday , October 02, 2007



ADVERTISEMENT
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. —

Colorado police named a suspect Tuesday in the disappearance of missing mother Paige Birgfeld.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office named Lester Ralph Jones, 56, of Grand Junction, Colo., a suspect in Birgfeld's June 28 disappearance.

Jones had been named a person of interest in the case. He worked at an RV dealership near where Birgfeld's burned out car was found July 1. Foul play is suspected in Birgfeld's disappearance, police said.

Police did not release details of Jones' relationship with Birgfeld, nor whether he was in custody.

Birgfeld, a 34-year-old mother of three, was reported missing June 30.

A search along an area highway over the weekend of July 18 turned up several of her belongings. Investigators haven't said where the items were found.

In August police found a gun less than a half-mile from her car. A man reported finding an unloaded Ruger 9mm handgun about 6 inches off the road.

Investigators said the gun was booked into evidence. No record was found on an initial check of its serial number.

Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey said it's not uncommon for people to find weapons. He said the proximity to Birgfeld's car would be of interest to the investigators on the case.

He said determining the gun's ownership will require following the paper trail.

Friends and family have described the twice-divorced Birgfeld as a devoted mother who sold kitchen products out of her home and held other jobs to support her children. Authorities say they've discovered that Birgfeld also had an escort service, a discovery that came as a surprise to many who knew her.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[sleddogs]

Family, friends gather for remembrance of missing mom

Sunday, October 28, 2007

If they could, the intimate group of friends and family who gathered Saturday night to talk about Paige Birgfeld would have given anything to summon her back.

Almost four months after the doting mother of three young children vanished from their lives, those who knew her best remembered her as she would have liked: smiling; with a child on each hip; helping others.

More....

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/10/28/102807_1b_Birgfeld_remembrance.html

[Rob]

Here is all of the info Grande and I compiled in Paige's case. There are many Google Earth shots in these posts.

http://zoltanzion.blogspot.com/search?q=paige

There are also some pictures showing the areas where some of her items were found.

Grande was posting on the chefsuccess forum also.

[carolyn]

I am so saddened by some of the comments I am reading here.  How can anyone think that anything this woman may have done is or should be a contributing factor to her death.  The reality of this situation is that most people are not saints and many of the people that are missing may have participated in some kind of riskier behavior.....   

Get it through your heads....none of these people deserve to die for their lifestyles.  And their families defiantly don't deserve to not know what has happened to their lovedones! 

I know I read the question about "what does her father think of her lifestyle and how she was raising his grandchildren".....obviously she was doing a great job at keeping her choice of occupation separate from her life as a mother.  As a parent of a missing adult child, I can tell you first hand....I did not always agree with my son's choices....but I have never even considered not continuing to support him and love him for who he is.....  The love of a parent is not conditional!  At least it should not be!   

Carolyn

[Sleeks]

I am so saddened by some of the comments I am reading here.  How can anyone think that anything this woman may have done is or should be a contributing factor to her death.  The reality of this situation is that most people are not saints and many of the people that are missing may have participated in some kind of riskier behavior.....   

Get it through your heads....none of these people deserve to die for their lifestyles.  And their families defiantly don't deserve to not know what has happened to their lovedones! 

I know I read the question about "what does her father think of her lifestyle and how she was raising his grandchildren".....obviously she was doing a great job at keeping her choice of occupation separate from her life as a mother.  As a parent of a missing adult child, I can tell you first hand....I did not always agree with my son's choices....but I have never even considered not continuing to support him and love him for who he is.....  The love of a parent is not conditional!  At least it should not be!   

Carolyn

Carolyn I will speak for myself.  I don't believe anyone deserves to be murdered.  I do believe however, different lifestyles will contribute to what happens down the road. 
I believe  (knowing how my own mother raised me) that Paige could have easily made different choices.  My mother did not choose the road that Paige did.  She chose a harder (financially speaking) road.  She was able to put herself through some schooling so that we could have a better life.  She did not resort to "selling" herself (which of course would be financially easier).  I mean as a mother yourself, you have to think to yourself - Kids are NOT stupid!  Sooner or later, as much as you try to conceal things from them, they are still going to find out.  I don't believe any parent should set such a sad example and I believe that is why we are looking at a very sad world in this present day.  Obviously children will rebel and probably start doing things that are less than reputible but how much sooner does that happen when a parent is setting an example that says (ex) a life of drugs is OK or a life of selling oneself is OK. 

I personally do not appreciate people who say "Well she needed to maintain a certain lifestyle."  Or that "she really couldn't get another job."  Sorry - DON'T buy it!!! Nobody NEEDS to do anything.  And there really is no such word as "can't."  We can do anything we put our minds to. There are times in life when times are tough.  There were for my mother, but we were not paupers.  And all I can say looking back now is, THANK GOD she is someone I can respect, she did not do anything cheap.  We got by and ended up having a better life.  And horrific lifestyles do contribute to horrific ends.  I have gone to school myself with too many people who were deeply involved in drug trafficing, needless to say, many of them are not here now because of that lifestyle.  I am certain that goes along with any other criminal behaviour as well. 

I am the first person to give someone the benefit of the doubt.  I see Paige as a pretty (probably bright) young woman.  I am sure if she applied herself in a different direction - she could have had a very nice life with her children.  I don't personally know if this Person who is considered the suspect had anything to do with her escort service or was he just some sick ticket who saw her at that moment in time.  I know for myself, I would want my children to be able to say the same thing about me as I am able to say about my own mother.  I think it is tragic (because the truth always does come out) that her children have to now live with that decision she made.  It would be just as tragic if it were drugs or organized crime - whatever.

[Sleeks]

PS to my last remarks, I think anyone on this board who knows me based on my writing, I am not saying everyone is supposed to be perfect.  Nor am I saying that any of us are free of any skeletons in our closets.  I am saying when you are a parent - you need to stop acting like your teenagers - get over yourself, a be a responsible adult so they have someone positive to follow.

[Sleeks]

PSS - If any of you know my mother and how difficult it was for someone in her situation to get herself out of same.  My point again, if she could do it ANY MOTHER COULD. 

[carolyn]

PSS - If any of you know my mother and how difficult it was for someone in her situation to get herself out of same.  My point again, if she could do it ANY MOTHER COULD. 

Sleeks,
I agree with a lot of what you have said.  Your mother sounds like someone I would really admire.  I myself was a single mother, I put myself through college and now own my own business - for almost 11 years.  That being said, I did make a lot of mistakes, and things that I look back on now and wonder what I was thinking at the time.  My point is that Paige made a choice and while I don't think it was a choice I would make - she must have had some reasons for feeling it was a necessary choice. But, regardless of her choice her family deserves answers about what happened and where she is.  There are always natural consequences for every action we make....I just hope and pray people look at the person that has disappeared and realize that they are a person that deserves, love, compassion and understanding.  I have been pretty open about my son and his disappearance...although I may not like what he may have been involved in, nothing can change the fact that he is my son, I love him, and I would never turn my back on him for making a bad choice.  It goes back to it's OK not to like something someone does just don't forget to love the person.

Take Care.

Carolyn

[Sleeks]

Carolyn:  Yes I certainly agree with that.  I do feel LE needs to be diligent in finding out what happened to her.  Same thing with your son or any missing person.  I think it is tragic when they just seem to give up or stop caring.  In my opinion, I think allot of these cases LE does know (or have a darn good idea) of what happened to these missing people and it is like they just let it go by the wayside.  That is why we really have to be thankful for the groups like TES and probably dozens more that are doing all they can to get answers for the families.
Because Lord knows you all deserve the necessary answers.

[MuffyBee]

Carolyn:  Yes I certainly agree with that.  I do feel LE needs to be diligent in finding out what happened to her.  Same thing with your son or any missing person.  I think it is tragic when they just seem to give up or stop caring.  In my opinion, I think allot of these cases LE does know (or have a darn good idea) of what happened to these missing people and it is like they just let it go by the wayside.  That is why we really have to be thankful for the groups like TES and probably dozens more that are doing all they can to get answers for the families.
Because Lord knows you all deserve the necessary answers.

Sleeks ~ I agree with you.

[carolyn]

Carolyn:  Yes I certainly agree with that.  I do feel LE needs to be diligent in finding out what happened to her.  Same thing with your son or any missing person.  I think it is tragic when they just seem to give up or stop caring.  In my opinion, I think allot of these cases LE does know (or have a darn good idea) of what happened to these missing people and it is like they just let it go by the wayside.  That is why we really have to be thankful for the groups like TES and probably dozens more that are doing all they can to get answers for the families.
Because Lord knows you all deserve the necessary answers.

Sleeks ~ I agree with you.

Sleeks and Muffy - I agree with you...TES, Let's Bring Them Home, Dana Pretzer, Jason's Project, Scared Monkeys, Blogs For Natalee, etc....they all have been incredible.  I know this does not list everyone, that helps families of the missing but these are the ones I have personally dealt with and I don't know what I would do without them!  Take  Care,

Carolyn

[Nut44x4]

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/03/12/031308_1A_Birgfeld_TV.html

'48 Hours' zooms in on Birgfeld caseThe Daily Sentinel

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

A national television show is putting together a program about missing Grand Junction woman Paige Birgfeld.

Birgfeld’s mother, Suzanne Birgfeld, said Wednesday that producers of the CBS News show “48 Hours” had been filming at their home for an hour-long segment they expected to air in May. A producer for the show was not immediately available by phone for comment Wednesday.

Despite the extra attention, Mesa County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Heather Benjamin said there are no new developments in the case.

Paige Birgfeld was last seen June 28, 2007, in Eagle, when she met with her first husband. Police were notified June 30 that she had not returned home, and her burned-out vehicle was found the next night in a parking lot about two miles from her north Grand Junction residence.

The Sheriff’s Department has said it suspects foul play in her disappearance and has listed Grand Junction man Lester Ralph Jones, 56, as the lone suspect in the case, but no arrests have been made. Jones was among several men connected to Birgfeld’s secret life as an exotic dancer and escort known as Carrie to customers of her company, Models Inc.

Authorities have twice searched Jones’ home at 3072 Hill Ave. Jones also worked at a business across the street from where Paige Birgfeld’s burned vehicle was found.

The Sheriff’s Department and volunteers launched a massive search last summer for Paige Birgfeld. Searchers found some checks with her information on them on the side of eastbound U.S. Highway 50 near Whitewater, but no other clues have been released by investigators.

Suzanne Birgfeld said Wednesday she and her husband, Paige’s father, Frank, are trudging through the painful process of selling their daughter’s home and her belongings. Frank Birgfeld plans to resume searching for his daughter in the spring after the snow melts, Suzanne said.

“He can’t not do it,” she said.

Suzanne said people still avoid calling the home number because Paige’s voice is on the answering machine.

Benjamin said the Sheriff’s Department has been contacted by producers from “Dateline NBC,” who plan to be in town next week. Benjamin said staff members of that show indicated they would hold off on airing the segment until new developments formed in the case or an arrest is made.

ABC’s “20/20” aired a short segment on Birgfeld’s disappearance last summer.

Benjamin added that occasionally Denver television stations call and request interviews. Since fall, Sheriff Stan Hilkey has declined interview requests until new information surfaces in the case.

[Nut44x4]

Birgfeld case eyed for Mesa County grand jury
March 13, 2008


http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20080313/COMMUNITY_NEWS/566536380

GRAND JUNCTION — District Attorney Pete Hautzinger on Wednesday said a Mesa County grand jury may be hearing evidence in the case of missing mother Paige Birgfeld by the summer.

    Hautzinger confirmed a grand jury was seated on Friday at the Mesa County Justice Center.

    “It might be worthwhile if we haven’t moved further along (in the Birgfeld investigation) by late summer or early fall,” the DA said.

    “Based on everything I know, I believe (Birgfeld) is no longer living.”

    Hautzinger said his opinion is based largely on Birgfeld’s “devotion to her children” — not a collection of evidence in the case.

    A Grand Junction resident who was called — but ultimately not selected — for the months-long grand jury process told the Free Press that Hautzinger spent most of his presentation Friday before would-be grand jurors discussing the Birgfeld investigation, gauging what people knew about the case through media reports. He also probed opinions.

    “He wanted to know if someone didn’t have a reputable job, would they be more deserving of being killed, than, say, a bank robber or a priest,” the resident said, recounting a question offered by Hautzinger while sizing up the jury pool.

    “He asked specifically if we knew (Birgfeld’s) profession.”

    The resident, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, said roughly 80 people responded Friday to Chief Judge David Bottger’s courtroom before hearing from the DA.

    Nearly three hours into the process, 12 regular grand jurors were selected along with two alternates.

    Aside from Birgfeld, the resident said Hautzinger discussed the prospect of several “meth-related” cases being presented, but the DA didn’t delve into specifics.

    The resident also said would-be grand jurors would have to be available for service up to a year — meeting periodically when called by court officials.

    It wasn’t clear when they will start meeting.

    In a lighter moment Friday, the source said Bottger drew laughs with remarks after Hautzinger poured cups of water for several jurors — one juror was struck with a coughing fit during the presentation.

    “It must be an election year,” Bottger reportedly quipped.

    Hautzinger and Bottger declined comment on events inside the courtroom on Friday.

12 months of service

    State law says a grand jury must be called in counties with populations of 100,000 or more “at the first term” of each year.

    They’re called through a motion filed by the court or the district attorney.

    A grand jury hears only from prosecution witnesses.

    Jurors’ service is up to 12 months, but the term can be extended up to 18 months. A grand jury may choose to issue an indictment, decline an indictment or, in some cases, issue a report.

    Prosecutors, however, aren’t obligated to file formal criminal charges identical to a grand jury indictment, according to state law.

    “I could defer that, given the fact in any criminal case you get one crack at it,” Hautzinger said.

A case with no body

    A grand jury in Mesa County was halfway through its term in December 2002 when an elk hunter near DeBeque found the skeletal remains of 18-year-old Coty Vernon of Gypsum.

    She’d been missing since February 1998.

    Jason Garner was indicted for Vernon’s murder and convicted at trial in November 2004.

    Hautzinger presented evidence to the grand jury in that case.

    In the Birgfeld case, Mesa County Sheriff’s investigators in October named 57-year-old Lester Ralph Jones as the lone suspect in Birgfeld’s disappearance in late June 2007.

    Sheriff’s spokeswoman Heather Benjamin said Jones’ status hasn’t changed.

    Birgfeld, 34, a mother of three children who led a double life running her own escort service, was last heard from June 28 returning to Grand Junction from Eagle after spending the day with her first husband, Howard Beigler.

    Her car was found burning the night of July 1 in a parking lot at 727 23 Road. Jones worked at a nearby business as a mechanic.

    The actions of Rob Dixon, Birgfeld’s second husband, were also a focus of a grand jury in Mesa County. No indictments were returned in February 2006 after months of investigation focused on the botched investment of public dollars by board members with the Grand Junction Rural Fire Protection District.

    Dixon was one of four board members who invested $3.24 million in Fire District funds into a New York-based Internet service provider.

[Nut44x4]

Slowly saying goodbye
Saturday, March 15, 2008

Nearly nine months after the disappearance of Grand Junction woman Paige Birgfeld, some of her friends reluctantly embarked Saturday on the task of selling household items and seeking a buyer for her sprawling home north of town.

A garage sale that continues today at 2512 Oleaster Court offered a glimpse into Birgfeld’s life. For sale were: bolts of colorful fabric, a reminder of her love of sewing; toys that her kids have outgrown; merchandise from her business as a Pampered Chef consultant; and other mementos of the 34-year-old mother of three who inexplicably vanished June 28.

Friends are overseeing the garage sale because Paige’s parents, Frank and Suzanne Birgfeld, are visiting their grandchildren this week in Philadelphia. Paige’s second ex-husband Rob Dixon has custody of the kids and lives there.

The timing of the garage sale with Frank and Suzanne’s trip probably wasn’t coincidence, friends said.

“I always just think if it was my kids, I couldn’t do it, either,” said Connie Flukey, who helped orchestrate the sale. “We’ve seen them suffer enough already. This is hard enough for them to know that all her stuff is going to be gone.”

Flukey said most of the shoppers seemed to know the items belonged to Birgfeld’s family, and some people probably purchased more items than they needed to show support for the family.

Friends of Paige Birgfeld in the MOMs Club gathered in January, seven months to the day of her disappearance, to again say goodbye to their friend.

“It was a big relief for all of us,” Andrea Land said. “I think we all felt about 50 pounds lighter.”

A massive search effort was launched in the weeks following Birgfeld’s disappearance, but it produced few clues to her whereabouts or condition and prompted the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department to determine foul play was involved. Now, every time the media delivers another story about Birgfeld, who led a double life as an escort, those old wounds open back up, Land said.

“Every time it resurfaces, it hurts just as much as the first day,” she said.

Land said she and others plan to search for Birgfeld’s remains again once the weather warms. Searching feels empowering and is “better than sitting around and waiting,” she said.

Land said the only way she will fully feel closure in the case of her missing friend is if her remains are found or if someone is prosecuted for her murder. Grand Junction man Lester Ralph Jones, 57, is the lone suspect in the case, the Sheriff’s Department has said, and a grand jury may investigate the case, Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said last week.

“Being in limbo is the hardest part,” Land said. “It’s the most surreal thing. Nobody ever thinks it will ever happen to them.”

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/conte...rage_sale.html

[Nut44x4]

Just thought it would be good to post this here...

The Pueblo Chieftain (Colorado)
 
July 29, 2008 Tuesday 
 
BRIEF: Unsolved crime forum begins Thursday

Jul. 29--A series of forums focusing on unsolved crimes will come to Pueblo this week.

Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons will host a cold-case forum at El Pueblo Museum, 301 N. Union Ave., beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

The grass-roots, nonprofit organization is committed to supporting families and friends of people killed in unsolved homicides.

Sheriff Kirk Taylor will attend, along with Chief Jim Billings and Deputy Chief John Ercul of the Pueblo Police Department. The forum aims to bring investigators and legislative candidates together with loved ones of victims of unsolved crimes in hopes of finding answers.

Unsolved murders in Colorado number 1,300. At the forum, a database of victims from 1970 through the present will be presented. A local unsolved homicide will be featured.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:829008154&start=11