Grande
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GRAND JUNCTION – The father of a missing woman says searchers have found some of his daughter's personal items, including a series of checks he believes could be a trail left behind on purpose.
The searchers were looking for clues in the disappearance of Paige Birgfeld, a woman who has been missing for more than two weeks.
Frank Birgfeld, Paige's father, tells MSNBC that searchers found his daughter's checkbook and a series of her checks, along a two-mile stretch of highway.
According to authorities, the items were found by searchers in the median along Highway 50 near Lands End Road, south of Grand Junction.
The area is about 10 miles from where her burnt-out car was found on July 1.
"Items specific to this investigation have been found in this area," Sheriff Stan Hilkey said, at a briefing Sunday morning while addressing the volunteer searchers. "We need your help to determine if the items we discovered already are limited to this area or if there are more items closer to or farther away from Grand Junction that haven't been found yet."
Deputies and search and rescue crews have covered the area along Highway 50 multiple times since Birgfeld was reported missing on June 30.
Authorities say several items that appear to belong to Birgfeld have continually been found in the area, and volunteers will search the area again on Sunday. They say about 40 volunteers arrived at the staging area, Grand Junction High School, on Sunday.
They say groups of eight people will search areas on both sides of Highway 50 on Sunday. The search resumed at 7 a.m.
On Saturday, authorities say more than 70 volunteers searched for Birgfeld. Nine teams of volunteers searched several areas, including a field that was approximately one mile from where Birgfeld's car was found burned and abandoned on July 1. The last anyone heard from her was on June 28.
Investigators said earlier in the week they now suspect foul play in her disappearance. They also released information about her employment in the sex industry for a number of years.
Birgfeld's older brother, Craig, joined the searchers looking in the field. He told 9NEWS why it was important for him to do that.
"Selfishly, for myself, I want to find my sister because I love and miss her. More so, I want to find my parents' daughter because I don't want them to go through any more time without her, but mostly I want her kids to have their mom. That breaks your heart more than anything else," Craig Birgfeld said.
Don Bedford is leading the volunteers for the Abby & Jennifer Rescue Foundation.
"We want to bring her home. She's got family members that are wondering, 'You know, Where's Mom? Where's my daughter?'" Bedford said.
The Abby & Jennifer Rescue Foundation was established in May 2002, after an initial organization and search for Jennifer Blagg of Grand Junction and her daughter, 6-year-old Abby Blagg.
Jennifer Blagg's body was found in a landfill seven months after her 2001 disappearance. In April 2004, Jennifer's husband Michael was convicted of her murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Abby Blagg's body has never been found.
(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved)
The searchers were looking for clues in the disappearance of Paige Birgfeld, a woman who has been missing for more than two weeks.
Frank Birgfeld, Paige's father, tells MSNBC that searchers found his daughter's checkbook and a series of her checks, along a two-mile stretch of highway.
According to authorities, the items were found by searchers in the median along Highway 50 near Lands End Road, south of Grand Junction.
The area is about 10 miles from where her burnt-out car was found on July 1.
"Items specific to this investigation have been found in this area," Sheriff Stan Hilkey said, at a briefing Sunday morning while addressing the volunteer searchers. "We need your help to determine if the items we discovered already are limited to this area or if there are more items closer to or farther away from Grand Junction that haven't been found yet."
Deputies and search and rescue crews have covered the area along Highway 50 multiple times since Birgfeld was reported missing on June 30.
Authorities say several items that appear to belong to Birgfeld have continually been found in the area, and volunteers will search the area again on Sunday. They say about 40 volunteers arrived at the staging area, Grand Junction High School, on Sunday.
They say groups of eight people will search areas on both sides of Highway 50 on Sunday. The search resumed at 7 a.m.
On Saturday, authorities say more than 70 volunteers searched for Birgfeld. Nine teams of volunteers searched several areas, including a field that was approximately one mile from where Birgfeld's car was found burned and abandoned on July 1. The last anyone heard from her was on June 28.
Investigators said earlier in the week they now suspect foul play in her disappearance. They also released information about her employment in the sex industry for a number of years.
Birgfeld's older brother, Craig, joined the searchers looking in the field. He told 9NEWS why it was important for him to do that.
"Selfishly, for myself, I want to find my sister because I love and miss her. More so, I want to find my parents' daughter because I don't want them to go through any more time without her, but mostly I want her kids to have their mom. That breaks your heart more than anything else," Craig Birgfeld said.
Don Bedford is leading the volunteers for the Abby & Jennifer Rescue Foundation.
"We want to bring her home. She's got family members that are wondering, 'You know, Where's Mom? Where's my daughter?'" Bedford said.
The Abby & Jennifer Rescue Foundation was established in May 2002, after an initial organization and search for Jennifer Blagg of Grand Junction and her daughter, 6-year-old Abby Blagg.
Jennifer Blagg's body was found in a landfill seven months after her 2001 disappearance. In April 2004, Jennifer's husband Michael was convicted of her murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Abby Blagg's body has never been found.
(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved)
