GRAND JUNCTION — The parents of a Grand Junction woman missing more than three months offered a $15,000 reward today for information leading to her recovery, saying they believe someone has information about what happened to the mother of three young children.”For us, every day, every hour, is agonizing,” said Frank Birgfeld, of Centennial, with his wife, Suzanne, and mother, Evelyn Plummer, at his side.
Paige Birgfeld, 34, who sold Pampered Chef products and operated an escort service her family and friends knew nothing about, vanished June 28 when she failed to arrive home after a day-long trip to Eagle.
Two days later, someone torched her car in the parking lot of a manufacturing company adjacent to Interstate 70, not far from her upscale home.
Birgfeld urged anyone with information to call a cell phone number he set up for the purpose, at 303-886-5632. He said callers can remain anonymous, and he’ll give them code words to identify themselves to claim the reward if Birgfeld is found.
Birgfeld said more than three months of investigation and numerous searches, both by authorities and community volunteers, have led him to conclude, “This was not a spontaneous hiding (of his daughter). Either someone did some planning, or she’s alive.”
Mesa County sheriff’s investigators believe Paige Birgfeld met with foul play, and last week they named Lester Ralph Jones, 56, of Grand Junction, as a suspect. He has not been arrested and could not be reached for comment, despite numerous efforts.
Birgfeld’s three children are with their father, Rob Dixon, from whom Page Birgfeld was divorced. Dixon and the elder Birgfelds both have filed for custody and the case is pending.
Birgfeld also said he is trying to find an attorney in Denver who prepared a will at his daughter’s request. He said he believes she made a will and later amended it, but he does not know which attorney in Denver did the work “and there are a lot of lawyers in Denver.”