Dangerous reporter paige had been playing a risky game. That opened up the door to a multitude of people we needed to start looking at. Reporter like this real estate investor. Reporter he was a scam artist . Correct. Reporter and this drifter. He was a liar. He was manipulative. Reporter two possible suspects would become four, then eight including a firefighter with a fixation. He had a list of names. Their bra size and whether or not they would have sex. Reporter did one of them have a motive, to hurt a loving mom . We werent gonna stop until we found the truth. Reporter what happened to paige . Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Keith Morrison with double lives. Reporter its been nine years since she vanished. But few people in Grand Junction, colorado have forgotten Paige Birgfeld how could they . The story of this Young Mothers disappearance has long since woven itself into local lore. Shes a great mother, a great friend. Reporter its a mystery weve been following since it began. And now, as thunderheads darken the highdesert sky, finally a trial. What he told me is that he knew how to get rid of a body so that nobody could find it. He said, im going to kill you and then he just slapped me repeatedly. Reporter finally rumors and gossip would be dispelled or made fact. And the secrets known not only by the guilty but also the shamed would finally be revealed. Why so many secrets, whispers, rumors . Because in this town, where Everybody Knows everybody elses business, there were enough potential suspects to fill a minivan. Did you have anything to do with the disappearance of Paige Birgfeld . No. I was put under Psychiatric Care for the first 48 hours and then sent to jail. I did not kill paige. I mean, thats the bottom line. Reporter it was late june, 2007, when news of Paige Birgfelds disappearance first spread like the morning sun. Over the mountains, in denver, four hours away, Frank Birgfeld was driving to his office. The phone rang. Voice on the phone says, this is somebody with the mesa county sheriffs office. And he said, are you paiges dad . And i said, yep. And he said, did you know shes missing . Reporter Barbara Campbell got the call from her husband, hans, who told her paige is missing. I was what do you mean shes missing . Reporter andrea land got the news in an email. It said paige is missing in the subject line. I knew something horrible had to have happened because it didnt make any sense that she would be missing. Reporter no way for even a best friend to prepare for such a thing. Stunningly beautiful. One of those women that was almost a little bit intimidating at first if you were you know, youre a more average mom. Reporter andrea land and the other Young Mothers of Grand Junction could have been forgiven for feeling a little envy. She had the look, the money, the big house on the hill, and three attractive kids. But no, it wasnt like that at all. The way she talked, the way she acted, the way she treated you, everything about her was just so wonderful. Taking care of kids now reporter Barbara Campbell, andrea, and paige were members of Grand Junctions moms club international. A kind of social and support group for young, stayathome mothers. Woo theres paige, everybody reporter once a year theyd throw a spring fling, a sort of puton prom for moms. Fancy clothes, red carpet entry, even a pretend reporter throwing fashion questions. Tell us who youre wearing. Reporter paige was always the star, of course and this year the party was held at her place, which made it a very special event. Most of us did not live in a home that large. She was just so downtoearth and humble about it that once you got over the artwork on the walls and how, you know, beautiful home it was, you almost forgot that you were in this really very highend home. So the winner is, drumroll please, Paige Birgfeld she was so comfortable hosting people that made it it made anybody there feel comfortable. Sometimes you meet someone and you just instantly have a good feeling about them. Youre gonna be friends with them. Its just gonna be an instant match. Thats what i had with paige. Reporter and then that call. The sheriffs deputy told the birgfelds that after meeting a friend on the afternoon of thursday, june 28, 2007 paige simply didnt come home. As they drove from denver to Grand Junction, paiges parents tried to understand what was happening. As we started out, i i dont know that i was very tense or i thought of the worse. I guess, gee, i wonder where she is. G i hope shes but as as the drive went on, it became more and more anxious, more and more tight, more and more and i would be calling the kids on the home phone just saying, w were gonna be there, you know, and t tryin to sound reassuring. Reporter the kids had just a nanny with them because paige had parted ways with her husband, rob dixon, whod since moved out of state. Still as a singlemom, with three little kids, paige had her life well in control. Due in no small part to her obsessive organizational skills. She ran several Small Businesses and kept track of every soccer practice and dentist appointment in an oldfashioned, handwritten, dayplanner. I mean, every page was full and crossed referenced and and she was always with it. And shed come over to visit it came in the door right there in front of her. She was always checkin it, and phonin. Reporter overbooked, divorced, three kids. First question, was there a chance Paige Birgfeld simply walked out on her life . We talked about, boy, sometimes i just wanna run away. And she said, you know, i never feel that way. I never wanna run away. Even if i did run want to run away just to get away from here, i would wanna take my kids with me. There was no way she would leave without her children. They were her life. If she needed to hide she wouldve found a way to do it with them. Reporter so what, then . What happened to paige . Her friends, her parents didnt know what to do or where to look. Maybe a clue could be found tucked away in her day planner. Except it too, was missing. When we come back, one encounter grabs their attention. We found out she was visiting her exhusband. Obviously, he was a person of interest. Caesar on a caesar salad . Surprising. Excuse me, pardon me. Whats not surprising . How much money matt saved by switching to geico. Could i get my parking validated . Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. Thanks to applebees new 2fordate night. Girls night. 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Can make any occasion feel more special. Ie so she makes her pie crust from scratch. And sprinkles on brown sugar streusel. So that you can spend more time making special moments with your family. Marie callenders its time to savor never waver. Because going around is rarely ever as enjoyable. As going right through. Reporter it was a thursday, june 28th, when Paige Birgfeld, of Grand Junction, colorado, quite suddenly went off the radar. Which was, at least a place to so mesa county sheriffs investigators henry soffel and wayne weyler set out to trace her steps that day. We found out that she had been at eagle visiting her exhusband and they had been reconciling at that point. Reporter but he, having been the last person known to have seen her, i suppose would be a person of interest in your yes, obviously he was a person of interest. Reporter this person of interest, rob beigler, was paiges first exhusband. They married right out of high school. Young, immature, and soon, divorced. But, funny how this works. Ten years had sanded off their sharp edged disputes, and they saw anew why they fell in love. It seemed like as if no time had passed at all. Reporter this is ron beigler, talking to a dateline producer soon after paiges disappearance. At what point did you start to rekindle your relationship . About six months ago. We tried to take it slow, but there was there was no denyin that that it was just as it was before. Reporter problem was biegler lived in denver, a 4hour drive east. So the two lovers would often meet at some midway point. On the day of paiges disappearance they chose eagle, colorado. We were going to have a picnic and hang out together, all day. We went to subway and brought it back to where we were sitting outside down by the river. It was very familiar. And, you know, i brought some pictures, you know . And we just sat there and relaxed and enjoyed the day and the weather. I mean, it was special wonderful day. Reporter and then, around 7pm, they kissed and said goodbye and drove back to their respective sides of the state. Twohours later, at 8 57pm, paige called biegler. To see if i made it back into denver. And then we had a brief conversation. Reporter paige told biegler she wasnt home yet. She was stuck behind a bad Traffic Accident in Grand Junction. And indeed, investigators confirmed there was a fatal Traffic Accident right here at this intersection. Somebody saw paiges car here, too, that very evening. Thing is, this is five miles past her house. Why was she here . An hour later, 9 56pm, paiges 8yearold daughter, jess, left this anxious voice mail message on her mothers cell phone. Hi mom, its me, i was just wondering when you would get home. Love you, bye. Reporter no response. Her daughter waited, worried, and called again. Hi mom, i was just wondering when you were gonna get home. Bye. Reporter they slept then. Best they could. All three children. And awoke the next day, friday, june 29th, to a whole new kind of anxiety. She still wasnt home. Hi mom, you said you would be back last night and youre not even back today. Bye. Reporter something in the pit of the stomach. Paiges old, and new love, ron beigler, seemed to feel it, too. Hi, where are you . Call me if you get a chance. Im getting worried about you. Reporter and, hour by hour, they piled up. Phone messages. Like a normal day. Hi paige, laura just wanted me to give you a call and let you know hi, this is sears repair service for the fan, calling to let you know hi paige, its kevin from performance pool. Curious if your pool cleared up. Please give me a call. Thank you. Reporter not a single call was returned. And, that night, again, the children, with their nanny, waited in vain for their mother. The following day, saturday, june 30th. Ron beigler called the house and spoke to paiges 8year old daughter, jess. She didnt sound particularly that distraught. I dont think she had idea what was going on. Of course she didnt. Reporter beiglers next call was to 911. Dispatch, this is clint. Yes. I needed to talk about a missing person emergency. Okay. And who is missing . Her name is paige dixon. How how old is paige . Shes 33. Okay. She hasnt been home all all night thursday night, all day yesterday, and today. Something is definitely, definitely wrong. She either got abducted, or in an accident. Reporter and thats when word of paiges disappearance began to spread across colorado. Investigators didnt have a clue what happened to paige. But they wondered if beigler did. Have police questioned you . Yes, they have. And have they released you as a, you know, a potential suspect or i dont know what they what theyve done on that. I know that i that was never a concern or worry of mine havin it get pinned on me, you know . Reporter you have an alibi for that night . Just im confident that the police know that i had nothin to do with it. Reporter do you feel like you have any thoughts as to what may have happened or whats happening . I think it was a major premeditated abduction or a completely random incident. I think that its more likely that its a premeditated abduction. Reporter but sometimes those not asking questions, find answers. It was the third day. Sunday, july 1st, 2007. 9 58 pm. A woman driving home from work, slammed on her brakes, called 911. 911, this is dusty, wheres your emergency . Hi. Im at the corner of 23 and logos. And there is a car on fire in the parking lot at the building right here. There is a car on fire . Yeah. Do you see flames or smoke . Yeah. Theres theres a lot of flames. Coming up, paiges car. What will it reveal . More intense on the drivers side. Then, Something Else belonging to paige. It was an awful feeling of dread thinking how did this get here . What does it mean . When dateline continues. Hey allergy muddlers are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool . 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You seriously cant tell the difference between a bird and a plane . Xfinity watchathon week starts april 3. The greatest collection of shows free with xfinity on demand. [ sirens ] reporter sunday night, the first of july. The Grand JunctionFire Department was called to an industrial parking lot. A little red car was on fire. Frank birgfeld heard about the fire the morning after roared over there, and could do nothing except watch from a distance as investigators crawled over his daughters car. And that morning, frank gave the first of what would be many, many interviews. We were hopeful when we found the car things would fall into place and maybe they will. Reporter this interview, though, was one frank just couldnt get through. You know it occurred to me that i havent cried in a long time. Ive learned how to do that. Thats it. Reporter firefighter Robert Thomason helped with the arson investigation. You can see that the glass itself was all burned out and you can see where its still kind of intact over here. It was really obvious to see that more intense was on the drivers side. Reporter meaning thats where the fire started. Thats where the arsonist wanted to be sure to erase evidence. Under the car, damaged skid plates and strands of wild grass caught in the suspension, meaning somebody had driven off road very recently. And after . Dumped and torched the car in an Industrial Area just a quarter mile from where paige made her last phone call. It was way beyond her house, right . Correct. Didnt fit for the car to be there. Reporter news of the car fire was a turning point. No longer did the public suspect this was a case of an overwhelmed, runaway mom. The response was an outpouring of volunteers, a Spontaneous Community project to find paige. Just seeing the dad on tv and everything like that, i have some children of my own and i know what id be feeling like if one of my children was gone and i just wanted to try to help if i could. Reporter paiges dad was there everyday, greeting a small army of volunteers. Thanks for helping us. You know its just really tough you know for people to give of themselves to that degree. I just [ sighs ] one of our moms was gone. And her kids needed her, and we needed our friend. And our kids needed to know [ crying ] that if someones mom is missing, that people are gonna work hard to find her. Reporter paiges brother and his wife came from seattle to help. The thing is i know that somebody out there knows where she is, and you know were looking for clues to find that person, but theres somebody maybe whos watching this who knows where she is. Reporter but, this seemed odd, not helping to find paige, was her exhusband and current boyfriend, ron beigler. Do you feel like you wish you could go there and help search for her . A part of me does definitely. Whats keeping you away from there . I dont know if i can handle being being right in the situation. Reporter then, knowing we were preparing a report about the case, beigler made a strange request. Try to keep me out as much as possible . Like, just a few words here and there, but i dont want to you just dont want to talk about how you love her, like, be on talking about things. Reporter but, hundreds of people, many whod never once met paige, searched on horseback, on atvs on foot. They peered under bushes, they walked miles of desert brush in hundred degree heat, and nothing. Truth be told. Paige could have been anywhere. And then, four days after paiges disappearance, a driver stopped along a lonely stretch of highway 50. And as he stepped out of his truck, a piece of litter caught his eye, a blank check trapped in the roadside weeds. The name on it . Paige dixon, paiges married name. So then, the flock of searchers descended on that road. Making my way back west along the median, i saw a checkbook. It was an awful feeling of dread, thinking, how did this