The Secret Life of Paige Birgfeld

Summary

Podcast Summary: 48 Hours – "The Secret Life of Paige Birgfeld"

Host: CBS News
Original Air Date: June 25, 2026

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Overview

This episode of "48 Hours" delves into the harrowing disappearance and eventual murder of Paige Birgfeld, a devoted Colorado mother of three whose double life as a high-end escort shocked her family and community. Through emotional interviews with Paige’s family, law enforcement, and journalists, the episode walks through the grueling investigation, family-led searches, the shocking discovery of Paige’s secret profession, and the painstaking path to justice. The story is a complex interplay of familial love, financial desperation, investigative persistence, and the dark acts of Lester Ralph Jones, the man ultimately convicted for Paige’s death.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Paige’s Disappearance and Initial Search

• Setting: Grand Junction, Colorado – difficult terrain, vast search area.
  • “Grand Junction is situated on the western slope of Colorado and it's very mountainous and beautiful.” – Connie Fluge (01:13)
  • “There are hundreds of thousands of places where you could hide a body and we might never find it.” – District Attorney Pete Haudzinger (01:34)
• Family’s Shock and Mobilization:
  • Paige vanished after meeting her first ex-husband, setting off alarm bells for her family who insisted she would never abandon her children.
  • “Paige would have never, never abandoned her children.” – Frank Bergfeld, Paige’s father (02:17)
• Community Search Efforts:
  • Connie Fluge, Paige’s sister, coordinated large volunteer search parties, emphasizing resilience and hope.

2. Early Investigation: Family, Ex-Husbands Under Scrutiny

• First Husband, Ron Begler:
  • Last person to see Paige alive; quickly becomes a person of interest but provides a solid alibi and is considered emotionally devastated by her disappearance.
  • “She was very excited about rekindling her relationship with Ron.” – Callie Burgfeld, sister-in-law (08:26)
• Second Husband, Rob Dixon:
  • History of financial problems and violence; initially suspected, but alibi confirmed as he was in Philadelphia at the time of Paige’s disappearance.
  • “He said that I would come home and find him all murdered.” – Paige in a 911 call (17:20)
  • “If you're 2,000 miles away, I think it takes you off the roster.” – Frank (19:21)
• Divorce and Financial Stress:
  • Paige took on multiple jobs to sustain her family following Dixon’s bankruptcy.

3. Discovery of Paige’s Secret Life

• Double Life Revealed:
  • Paige had been secretly working as “Carrie” in a high-end escort business, a shock to her family revealed during the investigation.
  • “First you find out Paige is missing, and then within a couple of days, we started finding out about this other life that we didn't know about.” – Callie (03:04, 26:57)
  • “She had a side industry and it wasn't just any side business.” – DA Haudzinger (27:43)
• Reason for Escort Work:
  • Financial need to support her children, unaided by her bankrupt ex-husband.
  • “She found herself in a position of being the breadwinner and trying to make ends meet.” – Susie Bergfeld, Paige’s mother (29:14)
• Family’s Reaction:
  • Deep shock, but ultimate understanding and continued love.
  • “It doesn't change what I think of her. I would give anything to see her again right now and give her a big hug.” – Connie (25:16)

4. Key Evidence and Breaks in the Case

• Immediate Leads:
  • Discovery of Paige’s burnt-out car suggests foul play; critical items scattered along a highway.
  • “Her car was abandoned in a parking lot and lit on fire… investigators believed there was foul play.” – Connie (02:38)
• Tracking Clients:
  • Investigators focus on client list, especially those who contacted Paige on the night she vanished.
  • Surveillance, phone records become crucial.
• Emergence of Lester Ralph Jones as Prime Suspect:
  • Jones, a client and known felon, worked near where Paige’s car was burned.
  • Surveillance linked Jones to the purchase of a “throwaway” phone used to contact Paige.
  • “We have video evidence of Mr. Jones buying that tracphone.” – Dan Rubenstein, Chief Deputy DA (40:44)
  • “Common sense certainly would indicate that it's something more than a coincidence.” – DA Haudzinger on the location of the car (33:26)
  • Jones’ violent criminal history, including threats to kill and prior jail time for kidnapping and assault.

5. Discovery of Paige’s Remains and Trial

• Five Years Without Answers: (35:39–37:06)
  • Family continues searching; frustration grows as investigation appears to stall.
• Remains Discovered:
  • Hiker finds partial human remains near an area previously searched by volunteers. Dental records confirm those of Paige.
  • “We were able to get her dental records and verify that the dental records matched up with the teeth.” – Rubenstein (37:18)
  • Evidence of violence: cheekbone fracture, duct tape, suggesting she was beaten and bound.
• Prosecution’s Case:
  • Circumstantial evidence includes the cell phone, surveillance video, proximity to Jones’ work, scattered personal items.
  • “The only calls from that track phone were to Paige Bergfeld and they ended at the time of her disappearance.” (46:33)
• Defense:
  • Attempts to introduce alternate suspects; questions police tunnel vision.

6. Trials and Final Justice

• First Trial – Mistrial: (46:49–47:20)
  • Jury deadlocked, despite widespread belief in Jones’ guilt.
  • “Although they all thought Jones was guilty, several had reasonable doubts.” (47:12)
• Second Trial – Conviction: (47:49)
  • Jury convicts Jones of first-degree murder and kidnapping; sentenced to life without parole.
• Family’s Mixed Emotions:
  • Relief at justice, but grief endures.
  • “What happens to him doesn't bring Paige back.” – Frank Bergfeld, Paige’s father (48:22)
  • “If he wanted to make me a deal and skip prison and bring her back, I'd take it.” – Frank (48:26)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On the pain of waiting:
  “You wanted to find her, but you didn't want to find her.” – Susie Bergfeld, mother (38:43)
• On her radiant spirit:
  “She was so radiant, it made the sun jealous. And I would think that would be, at least for me, what sticks with me the most.” – Susie (43:55)
• On the impact of the guilty verdict:
  “What happens to him doesn't bring Paige back.” – Frank (48:22)
• On parenthood:
  “Motherhood was central to her life. The kids meant everything as far as a legacy. Remember Paige's smile? I guess I would call it radiant.” – Susie (43:55)
• On not giving up hope:
  “I choose to hold out hope.” – Frank (26:35) “We're coming, Paige. We're coming. We are coming to get you.” – Susie (26:39)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 01:13–02:59 | Family describes terrain, initial shock, and mobilization of search for Paige. | | 03:04–07:30 | Discovery of Paige’s secret life begins to emerge, family grapples with unknowns. | | 08:17–11:12 | Ex-husbands investigated and cleared; family dynamics explored. | | 14:07–18:11 | Rob Dixon’s violent history and divorce, family’s fears. | | 23:15–26:39 | Volunteers search the vast wilderness; personal items found hint at abduction. | | 27:09–31:15 | Full disclosure of Paige’s escort work and family reactions. | | 32:07–36:05 | Focus on Lester Ralph Jones; connection through phone and workplace. | | 37:06–39:26 | Paige’s remains found; investigation intensifies; circumstantial evidence builds. | | 40:24–42:18 | Crucial phone and surveillance evidence; Jones’ bizarre statements to police. | | 46:13–47:49 | Two trials: mistrial and eventual conviction of Lester Ralph Jones. | | 48:22–48:26 | Family candidly expresses continued grief despite the verdict. |

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Memorable Moments

• Paige’s mother wishing for closure: Susie’s emotional wish to say goodbye to her daughter in court (43:33).
• Investigator’s shock at Paige’s secret life:
  “This is the first time I've encountered somebody from that kind of socioeconomic level and that kind of family involvement to be involved in this business.” – DA Haudzinger (28:05)
• Profound parental pain:
  “What happens to him doesn't bring Paige back.” – Frank (48:22)
• Resilience of Paige’s family: Their continual searching, organizing community support, and determination through despair.

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Tone and Narrative Style

The episode is empathetic, urgent, and profoundly human. Family members speak with love, pain, and hope; law enforcement with gravity and resolve; and reporters with respectful curiosity. The narrative oscillates between heartbreak and procedural suspense, never losing sight of Paige’s identity as a mother at the center of tragedy.

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This summary captures the fundamental content, emotional arc, and investigative process of the episode, allowing those unfamiliar with the broadcast to understand both the facts of the case and the deep personal toll it took on all involved.

Transcript

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[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

Grand Junction is situated on the western slope of Colorado and it's very mountainous and beautiful.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But one thing is apparent. It is very tough terrain to search in.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

There are hundreds of thousands of places where you could hide a body and we might never find it.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

I'm Frank Bergfeld. I'm the father of Paige Meredith Bergfeld. She's the mother of three children.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

My sister did not return from a meeting she had with a previous husband of hers.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

Paige was within five miles of the house here in Grand Junction and disappeared.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

My sister was missing.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

You start asking missing? What do you mean missing?

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

My name is Pete Haudzinger. I'm the district attorney for Mesa County, Colorado. We're looking at somebody who has disappeared. We don't know why.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

I said you're in the midst of a crime. This is not someone who would run off. Paige would have never, never abandoned her children.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

Loves her kids. Appears to be a typical divorced mom, lives in a nice house in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Grand Junction.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

They found her car abandoned in a parking lot and lit on fire a couple days after she went missing. This led investigators to believe that there was foul play involved. We search fields, national parks, mountains

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

and

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

I am committed to search for her until we find her and bring her home.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

Then we started finding out some things that really pretty much changed everything.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

First you find out Paige is missing, and then within a couple of days, we started finding out about this other life that we didn't know about.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

You start hearing things about your own daughter that you didn't know about.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

We got more details about the extent of Paige's business and the type of person she was and the type of lifestyle she led.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

After Jess was born, she had told me that she wasn't doing it anymore.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

She kept all these secrets from her friends and family.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

She said she had been making 400,000 a year doing it and she didn't need to do it anymore.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

She had a couple things on her computer.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

I said, okay, well, that certainly puts a different twist on this investigation.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

Where is my girl? She may be a 34 year old woman, a mother of three children, but to me, she's just my little girl.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

We first brought you the story of paige Bergfeld in 2008. Shortly after the young Colorado mother of three disappeared, police discovered that she was leading a secret life. A life that may have led to her disappearance. We've tracked her story ever since. And tonight, at long last, the mystery of what happened to Paige Bergfeld may finally be solved.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

Paige was always the one that was family first and she was always the one that was keeping us together.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

How many would like a cookout out by the pool?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

No one loved a family gathering more than the one person missing from this one 34 year old Paige Bergfeld.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

I mean, she would literally beam, she would radiate. Those were the absolute cherished times that she enjoys most.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

So when their daughter Paige vanished, Frank and Susie Burgfeld feared the worst.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

This is a crime. There's a crime here. Instantly, I knew this was a problem.

[Rob Dixon (Paige's Second Ex-Husband)]

She didn't want to even go out to dinner without her children.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

For them, we need to find her and we need to bring her home.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Jesse's in our room. Paige's older brother, Dr. Craig Burgfeld, is a long way from his home in Seattle. By day, he specializes in the facial reconstruction of children. And by night, he's dad to his own young family.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

Is that the T. Rex board?

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

Yes.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And a devoted husband to his wife Callie. But now, living in his sister's home, Dr. Bergfeld has a new full time job. Uncle Craig to Paige's three young children.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

Callie and I decided at that time that our role was to be there for the kids and try to take care of them, be family there for them, just help them.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

And I just remembered little girl Jess going, so do you know what Happened to my mom. Do you know where she is? And I was like, what do I say? So I said, wherever she is, she wants to be with you right now.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Paige had a circle of close friends.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

Her kids love her. They glow when she's around.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And Paige was the type of parent that always was around. According to her friends, as a single mother, she had to be. Her ex husband, Rob Dixon, was living in Philadelphia after their divorce in 2006. Paige was the primary caregiver for their three children. It wasn't an easy job. Paige is the most patient and loving mother I've ever seen. But it was the only job Paige had ever wanted.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

I think as long as I can remember, what she wanted to be was a mom. And she just couldn't wait to be that mom.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

So when Paige Burgfeld disappeared, Sheriff Stan Hilke was pretty convinced this mother of three would not leave on her own.

[Sheriff Stan Hilke]

There's nothing in our investigation at all that leads us to believe that she has abandoned her life or abandoned her children and gone off in that regard.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

My daughter, if she had two broken legs, she'd crawl on her. She'd crawl on her elbows to get to her children.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Authorities started by looking at those closest to Paige.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

It's kind of Police Investigations 101 that you usually will look at the emotionally involved people, ex husbands or current husbands, et cetera.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And they quickly learned that Paige Burgfeld had not one but two ex husbands. Her first husband was her high school sweetheart, Ron Begler.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

He was the first big heartthrob, the first big to love.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

In fact, for the past few months, the two had been dating again.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

She was very excited about rekindling her relationship with Ron.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Ten years after divorcing her first husband, Paige said she was in love with him again. And ex husband number one became the focus of the investigation in June 2007 when it's learned he was with Paige the day she disappeared.

[Sheriff Stan Hilke]

We believe that, yes, that she, she was with her first ex husband. That day of the 28th, Paige and

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Begler had their last date at this rest stop, a halfway point between her home in Grand Junction and his home more than four hours away.

[Rob Dixon (Paige's Second Ex-Husband)]

I understand that Paige and Ron Begler had planned to meet, had a picnic, spent part of the afternoon together.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

When she was driving home later that night around 9pm and Paige called Begler from her cell phone. They spoke briefly and Paige told him she'd call him later.

[Sheriff Stan Hilke]

It has helped us identify persons of interest.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Cell phone records show the Paige was just a few miles from her home when she made that call to Begler. And that phone call was one of her last. Paige never did call Beegler back that night. So the next day he tried calling her

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

and her phone rolled over to the voice message right away. So just to indicate the phone was turned off or the battery was down.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

On Saturday morning, two days after seeing Paige, Beagler finally tried calling her at home. Paige's live in nanny was taking care of her three children.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

He actually called the house and got her granddaughter and she was the one that told him that Paige hadn't been home since Thursday night. At that point the alarms start going and he touched base with us, touched base with the sheriff's office and things started getting in gear then.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And ironically, after Beegler called authorities to report Paige missing, he became one of the first they wanted to question.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

And I'm sure he was open and willing to have them look at him.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Although Beechler was one of the last to see and speak with Paige, those who know him believe he's also one of the last who'd want to harm her.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

We met with him recently and I think he is very devoted to Paige and very emotional that she's not here.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

I've spoken to him on the phone since she went missing and it's obvious he's pretty distraught and upset that she's not around. I know he's broken up by this whole thing.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Paige's friends were far more suspicious about her second ex husband, Rob Dixon, the father of her three children.

[Rob Dixon (Paige's Second Ex-Husband)]

A lot of her friends would say, where was Rob? I'm afraid Rob is involved.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Paige had an explosive, troubled history with Dixon.

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

911, where's your emergency? He said that I would come home and find him all murdered.

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[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

Hablas espanol?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Parle italiano.

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[Narrator/Documentary Host]

They might not have known exactly where to begin.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

It's going to be a good morning.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But Paige's family knew they'd have to start somewhere if they were ever going to find her.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

You want to get out and start looking and try and figure out where she is.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

So Craig and Callie Burgfeld set off in one direction.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

Thank you. Hopefully we'll find her today.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And Frank Burgfeld headed off in another.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

My daughter's the one who's missing. So when you're out there, keep your eyes open.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

While the Bergfeld family searched for Paige, the sheriff's department continued its own investigation. Deputies brought in specialty divers to search the river. And they got one of their first big leads in the case when someone called 911 after seeing a car in flames parked in an empty lot. It turned out to be Paige's car, the car she was driving when she disappeared. The next morning, authorities discovered that the fire was started from inside the car on the passenger side. D.A. pete Haltzinger.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

It at least suggests to me that that person is fairly savvy and intelligent enough to think that there's a real possibility law enforcement could find evidence in that car that would implicate him or her.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

It looks like whoever is involved here is not afraid of committing a crime.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And the realization of what that might mean for his daughter was too much to bear.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

You know, it occurred to me I hadn't cried in a long time. I've learned how to do that.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

That's it.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

While Paige's family clung to hope that

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

she was still alive, the reality is creeping in that something bad has certainly happened here.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Investigators turned their attention to Paige's second ex husband, Rob Dixon.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

The most recent ex husband is a logical person to take a close look at.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Paige met Dixon in 1997, and back then, he. He seemed like a real catch.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

Rob had a business success with his father, had a significant amount of wealth.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It was a whirlwind courtship. And the following year, the two had a wedding and started a family together.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

And they moved to Grand Junction together. You know, moved into that house together, built onto that house together.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But Dixon had extravagant tastes and he was reckless with his money, investing millions of dollars in risky business ventures. When the bills started piling up, Paige did what she could to pitch in.

[Rob Dixon (Paige's Second Ex-Husband)]

She started a little preschool dance business she called Brain Dance. She would have recitals twice a year and make costumes for all those students.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Paige also sold high end kitchen supplies out of her home for a company called the Pampered Chef. And as one of the top sales agents, she earned a free trip to the Caribbean. But Dixon was losing money a lot faster than Paige was making it. In a few short years, his business investments fell through and he'd lost almost everything.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

And I think as financial strain came on the relationship, it got worse and worse.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

By 2004, the problems in the marriage took a turn for the worse.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

We think of Rob as good Rob and bad Rob. There are times where Rob is just really a good, good funny guy, bright. But at other times, Rob is a difficult person to be around. He can be violently angry, condescending, derisive. You walk on eggshells. A feeling of tension.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

She stuck by him through a lot, but when he started getting more angry and then finally violent, she had to draw the line there.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Finally, in October, Paige had to call the police for help.

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

911, where's your emergency? My husband and I were in a fight. He wanted the children to stay with, and he said that I would come home and find him all murdered. What's your name, ma'? Am? Paige Dixon.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

By the time police and local media arrived, the crisis was diffused. Dixon was allowed to leave after authorities decided he wasn't a threat to himself or anyone else. No charges were filed. Hey, Rob, what happened?

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

Hey, Ann.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Why were the cops call? But one year later, the police were called again. Paige said Dixon had pushed her to the ground. Then later, he punched her while she was holding their baby. This time in October 2005, Dixon was arrested, but the case was later settled after he completed a course in anger management.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

When everything went rocky and she finally decided enough was enough, when the kids and her were put in jeopardy, she decided it was over.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

By the time the Couple Divorced in September 2006, Rob Dixon had declared bankruptcy and he was living in Philadelphia when Paige disappeared. That's exactly where Dixon said he was, in Philadelphia, 2,000 miles away. But when Paige's family found disturbing entries about Dixon written on a website message board by Paige herself, they were hard to ignore.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

I've read the things that have been written on her website and on the Pampered Chef website, and you know, they're pretty scary.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Just three months before she disappeared, Paige wrote, my children would ask me if dad was going to kill me. I can't imagine what they were thinking life would be like after he killed me. Investigators questioned Dixon about his whereabouts the day his ex wife vanished, but they didn't release details to the public.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

We can say that we have had contact with Rob Dixon and that's all. All that we'll say about him.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But Paige's family got word that his alibi held up.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

I understand that a person's biography might make them a suspect at the same time, if you're 2,000 miles away, I think it takes you off the roster.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Both of Paige's ex husbands seem to have had solid alibis. So who in Paige's life had any motive to harm her?

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

Hello, you've reached out.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And that led investigators to an even bigger mystery. This one about Paige herself.

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

Please leave your message and I'll get back to you within the next few days.

[Sheriff Stan Hilke]

Who knows why people make those sort of choices? Certainly not for us to judge.

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[Sheriff Stan Hilke]

Mesa county is a big County. It's 3,300 square miles of a lot of open space, a lot of canyons.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Two weeks have passed since Page had vanished.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

You realize unless you know where to look, you could spend the rest of your life looking around. Out there. It's just so remote.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

This is big country out here.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

It is vast.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And the question remained where to look. When the vista stretches out as far as the eye can see.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

There are hundreds of thousands of miles around us which could be used to hide a body.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But the investigation was about to get a lucky break. Her name? Connie Fluge. We'll never quit. I will never, ever give up. Connie's can do spirit inspired the dozens of other volunteers here to help find Paige Bergfeld.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

This is our search area.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

She just gave hope. We were starting to become so dejected and she just walked in and then took charge.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But I'm getting ready to send a team out.

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Okay.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

To work.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Craig and Callie got ready to search in the punishing desert heat.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

I'm Craig. Paige is my sister. I wanted to thank you guys for coming to look for her.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

Today's gonna be the day. I know today's gonna be the day. Today's the day we're gonna find her.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

We'll go up this road, loop back down that one.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

As the volunteers Pressed on, the Bergfeld's had to navigate through a darker, more difficult terrain. The mysterious double life that Paige had apparently been leading.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

She had a couple things on her computer. We were saying, wait a minute, what's this computer doing here?

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

Yeah, why don't the police have this computer?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

So they called police because they were convinced that her computer held clues that could have put her in danger.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

It doesn't change what I think of her. I would give anything to see her again right now and give her a big hug.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

As Craig's concern grew, the search paid off with a discovery that could lead them closer to Paige.

[Sheriff Stan Hilke]

They did find some pretty critical pieces of information for us down on Hunt Highway 50.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Various personal items such as Paige's checkbook and a membership card to a local video store were found scattered along this highway, 15 miles from where her burned out car was discovered. Obviously our focus is still on Paige. Not just her things, but her things do hopefully lead us to her. For all its beauty, there is clearly a darker side of the mesa.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

It's beautiful, but scary. For me now.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

Every search, I pray that we find my sister. We're halfway through this canyon. We haven't found her yet. Still hoping we do, but part of me is still praying that we don't.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

I haven't found her.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

Not alive.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

As long as that condition exists, I presume she is.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

I choose to hold out hope.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

We're coming, Paige. We're coming. We are coming to get you.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

First you find out Paige is missing. Then within a couple of days we started finding out about this other life that we didn't know about.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It was a life kept secret from her family.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

Well, at first blush she looked to us to be a really good mom, very active with her kids.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

District Attorney Pete Haltzinger.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

Then some things came out that really pretty much changed everything.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And that's when Grand Junction began asking not just where Paige Bergfeld was, but also who she was, who she really was.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

She had a side industry and it wasn't just any side business.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It turns out Paige wasn't just teaching dance classes and selling kitchen products in provocative ads on the Internet page. Was also known as Carrie, a high priced escort.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

I for one was shocked. I've been a prosecutor for 20 years. This is the first time I've encountered somebody from that kind of socioeconomic level and that kind of family involvement to be involved in this business.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Sessions with Carrie could include stripping, dancing and role playing. On one website she suggests that clients can pay for extras such as topless and nude massage.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

Those were things that we didn't know anything about before she went missing, but have unfortunately learned about since.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

I think for Frankenstein, that the thought of their daughter even doing that, it didn't even cross their minds because it's their daughter. You don't think your daughter's going to do that. So I think for them, it was a really, really big shock.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

As upsetting as it was for Paige's family to learn about her secret life, they were convinced she turned to the escort world for one reason and one reason only, her children.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

She found herself in a position of being the breadwinner and trying to make ends meet.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Paige was overwhelmed with debt. She had three children and her ex husband was bankrupt, paying only $500 a month in child support. Plus, Paige's mortgage was huge, almost $6,000 a month.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

It never really made sense to me that she would be able to come up with a mortgage for that place for more than a couple of months.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Her friends say Paige did what she had to do and turned to the one job she knew would pay well.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

She always saw a situation and got it under control. If something needed to be done, she made sure it happened.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

I would say that whatever she was doing was for her children and it has nothing, no bearing on the kind of mother friend that she is. And her sister in law, Callie, now thinks she knows where Paige got the idea to become an escort in the first place. Many years earlier, Callie had asked Paige how she was able to afford her first home on a dance teacher's salary.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

I flat out asked her if she was doing something other than teaching dance, and she told me that she had been stripping.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Before becoming a mother. Paige had worked as a stripper at a place called the Mile High Saloon

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

in Denver when she was 21 years old. She said she had been making 400,000 a year doing it and that, you know, she didn't need to do it

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

anymore, but apparently she later did.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

And so then we're like, okay, you can kind of see where Paige made the next step to escort.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

I wish I had been given the opportunity to be involved and perhaps been able to sort it out. I would have counseled her that that strikes me as dangerous. It doesn't sound totally moral.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Paige's family knew this new information could help investigators figure out who was responsible for Paige's disappearance.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

It opens up a whole nother list of people, a whole other group of people.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But will it also bring them closer to learning what happened to Paige? News that is difficult to hear.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

She was probably murdered by one of her clients.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Police never found a diary or a black book with names. But she did have that cell phone, and that helped investigators track down everyone who had had contact with Paige.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

We have looked very carefully at all of her clients and have made every effort to investigate everybody who may have been on that list of people she was going to be contacting later that night.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

That included George Coraluzzo, a 30 year old house painter who called Paige 20 times on the day she disappeared. He also left town hurriedly two days after her disappearance. And there was also this man, a 56 year old father of two named Lester Ralph Jones.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

Actually, I was out searching and that's the first time I ever heard of him. At that time, the rumor was that he had known Paige through the escort service.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

Mr. Jones was a client of Ms. Burkefeld's. My understanding is there had been at least more than one encounter.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Authorities got warrants to conduct searches of his home where he lived with his third wife. They spent hours searching through his belongings, but wouldn't talk about what they found, not even with Paige's family.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

I can't comment specifically as to what was or was not found in Mr. Jones home.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And remember her burned out car discovered a few miles from her home. Search dogs led investigators from that parking lot to an RV shop across the street. It turns out that's where Ralph Jones worked as a mechanic.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

The fact that her car was burning so close to his place of employment is at least one significant fact. Common sense certainly would indicate that it's something more than a coincidence.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

There is something else that links Ralph Jones to the disappearance of Paige Bergfeld. One of the last conversations she had that night was with someone using a throwaway phone like this. According to investigators, there's surveillance video from a local Walmart showing a man they say is Jones find such a phone. Jones declined our request for an interview and denied having anything to do with Paige's disappearance. But Ralph Jones does have a criminal record. A record that shows he was more than capable of violence.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

And then we were also able to find out some newspaper articles about that whole preview case. It's pretty scary stuff.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Jones was arrested for two incidents involving his estranged wife Lisa back in 1999. In one of them, he threatened to take her someplace remote and kill her. Jones served three years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and assault charges. Both felonies.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

Those are by definition kind of violent offenses.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

None of that bodes well if Paige had any kind of involvement with him at all.

[Connie Fluge (Volunteer/Search Organizer)]

It's not the kind of person you want to Be out alone with your sister.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And so, more than three months after Paige Bergfeld disappeared, authorities publicly cleared her two ex husband's. Although George Coralooza remained a person of interest, they named the main target of their investigation.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

We have narrowed it down to one primary suspect. That being Lester Ralph Jones.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

Lester Jones has been our primary suspect from the very beginning of the case.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Chief Deputy District Attorney Dan Rubens was now heading up the Paige Bergfeld murder investigation. He was convinced that Lester Ralph Jones, a convicted felon and a client of Paige's escort service, was the man who killed her. But without Paige's body, he didn't feel he could prove it.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

Paige went missing in June of 2007. We always knew that the case wasn't something we were ever going to be able to prosecute until we found her.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Let's go.

[Sheriff Stan Hilke]

Come on.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Let's go find Paige.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Frank Birtfeld never stopped searching for his daughter.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

There's so many acres.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

His determination to find her, fueled by his concern that the investigation was stalled.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Many of these cases are never solved. You know, how many times do we see one of these in the paper and you never hear anything more about it.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

There's no doubt that the family was frustrated and I do not blame them at all.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But then five years after Paige went missing, a break. A hiker came across partial human remains in a gully right where a team of volunteers had been searching.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

There were people that were in that area time after time over that five years period from 2007 to 2012. So her body must have been buried at least deep enough to have hidden it from people going by.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Investigators had little trouble identifying the remains. Paige's remains were found in 2000. It was Paige.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

We had. Her jaw and her skull were found intact with the teeth. And we were able to get her dental records and verify that the dental records matched up with the teeth.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Although investigators couldn't determine how she died, Paige's bones gave clues. Among other injuries, her cheekbone was badly fractured, a sign she may have been beaten.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

That fracture occurred at or near the time of her death.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Other findings helped the investigators piece together the circumstances of the last hours of her life.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

There was also some duct tape that appeared to be right around the area of where the skull was found, suggesting

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

she may have been tied and gagged. And there was more. Knowing where she had been found now helped explain the objects that had been discovered when she was initially reported missing.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

Checks, business cards, driver's license, other documents that had pages or her kids names that were strewn about the highway about five miles before the area where her remains were found. That I think is indicative of somebody who is kidnapped throwing those items out.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Investigators believe that Paige desperately reaching out for help was leaving a trail to wherever she was being taken. For Burgfeld's family, all these discoveries were hard to bear.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

My feelings were a heavy dose of sadness even when we were searching. You wanted to find her, but you didn't want to find her.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Adding to their pain, they would have to wait for a proper burial for their daughter.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

When she was found, I went ahead and made arrangements with a local funeral home to go ahead and retrieve her. And we would then decide what do to with the remains. We were told that they weren't going to give her to us. In fact, I assume that she is in a cardboard box in the coroner's office. They were told that they must keep her for the purpose of evidence, and that's just flat out baloney.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

If it was any consolation, with Paige's remains discovered, the case could finally move forward.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Once you find the body, you've taken away one of the important reasonable doubts that are going to be in a criminal trial.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

The evidence is still circumstantial, but Rubenstein believes he now has enough to make his case against Lester Ralph Jones. He's confirmed that the only other potential suspect, George Corluzzo, had a solid alibi for the time Page disappeared and was in New Jersey the night her car was set on fire. The car was in the parking lot across from where Jones worked, the seat pushed back to accommodate someone much taller than Paige. And there is the track phone.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

It actually only made five phone calls in its entire history. And all five of those phone calls were either to Paige's work phone. The last phone call was from her phone.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Despite Jones denials that he owned such a phone, Rubenstein says he can prove that Jones lied.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

We have video evidence of Mr. Jones buying that tracphone. We have the computer records showing the exact date, time, store and register that that tracphone was purchased at. And we pulled the video and it was Mr. Jones purchasing it.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And then there is this Mr. Jones.

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

Yes, sir.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

This is Art Smith with the sheriff's office. Just calling to let you know that we have both your cars ready for you and your wife.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

A bizarre phone call between Jones and a local sheriff who had seized two cars belonging to Jones so that they could be thoroughly safe. Surged I can come pick him up.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

Sergeant Smith contacted Mr. Jones just simply to let him know that the vehicles were ready to be released and to figure out how they wanted to go about doing that. It was a simple, routine phone call, and he didn't get the. The response he was expecting.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

Mr. Jones, I'm not following you. He asked me where I would bury a body. I'm sorry, you asked me where I should bury anybody. When did I ask you that? Mr. Jones, are you there?

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

That was, to me, a very, very interesting thing for him to say, and certainly would be the sort of thing that would go towards being satisfied that Lester Ralph Jones killed my daughter.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

The call, along with all the other evidence, did the trick. In November 2014, just before Thanksgiving, more than seven years since Paige Bergfeld disappeared, Lester Ralph Jones was arrested and charged with her murder and kidnapping. He appeared notably unsurprised.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

Lester did not react at all when he was told that there was an arrest warrant for him. He didn't ask what it was for. He just turned around and put his hands behind his back.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Jones went to jail, his Bail set at $2 million. But for the prosecutor and Paige's family, the case was far from over.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

We certainly believe we had enough to bring it to a jury. But remember, at this stage in the process, these are just allegations, and they

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

must be proven in court. Did Jones kill Paige Burkefeld? If so, how did he do it?

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

It's certainly our intention to have a front row seat.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And like his commitment to search for his daughter, Frank Burgfeld is committed to attend the trial every single.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

I'd like to say goodbye to her. I think I owe it to her.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

With all that the family has endured, the years of uncertainty, the discovery of their daughter's secret life, and the painful proof of her death, they prefer to remember Paige as she was and for them will always be.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Motherhood was central to her life. The kids meant everything as far as a legacy. Remember Paige's smile? I guess I would call it radiant. In her obituary, it was said that she was so radiant, it made the sun jealous. And I would think that would be, at least for me, what sticks with me the most.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Are you really buying a car online

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

on Autotrader right now?

[Angie Hicks (Angie’s List Co-founder)]

Really?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

I can get super specific with dealer

[Angie Hicks (Angie’s List Co-founder)]

listings and see cars based on my budget.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

You can really have it delivered or pick it up.

[Lemonade Pet Insurance Advertiser]

Mommy's walk.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

I think kid is walking up the slide.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

Really?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Autotrader. Buy your car online?

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[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Thank you.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Please rise for our jury. In July 2006, nine years after Paige Burgfeld went missing, Lester Ralph Jones went on trial for her murder.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

With no direct evidence, the prosecution's case was circumstantial.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

The only calls from that track phone were to Paige Bergfeld and they ended at the time of her disappearance.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

That Mesa County Sheriff's Lester Jones defense team countered by introducing five alternate suspects.

[Callie Burgfeld (Paige's Sister-in-law)]

These are men that the sheriff's office let slip through their fingers while they were busy fixating on Mr. Jones.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

But after a six week trial, the jury was deadlocked. Although they all thought Jones was guilty, several had reasonable doubts. Is there a likelihood of progress towards a unanimous verdict?

[911 Operator / Sheriff’s Office Representative]

No.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

No.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

All right, thank you. After a mistrial was declared.

[Dan Rubenstein (Chief Deputy District Attorney)]

I'm sorry.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

One of the jurors apologized to the Bergfeld.

[Pete Haudzinger (District Attorney)]

You wanted this.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And I saw you all during the trial and I see the agony. I am sorry. Please rise for our jury. But there was a second trial which would end just days after Christmas 2016.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

Thank you.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And this jury could reach a verdict. We the jury, find the defendant, Lester Ralph Jones guilty of count one, murder in the first degree. Convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Paige Bergfeld, Jones was sentenced to to life in prison without parole. But having him brought to justice after almost nine years seemed to give Paige's father Frank little comfort. As he expressed in this phone interview.

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

What happens to him doesn't bring Paige back.

[Susie Bergfeld (Paige's Mother)]

If he wanted to make me a

[Frank Bergfeld (Paige's Father)]

deal and skip prison and bring a wreck, I'd take it.