By David Lohr
July 23, 2007
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (Crime Library) — Investigators have named a person of interest in the disappearance of Paige Birgfeld, a 34-year-old mother of three who has been missing since late last month.
Last week Mesa County sheriff's investigators twice searched the home of 56-year-old Lester Ralph Jones in connection with Paige's disappearance. Jones and his wife live in a house on the outskirts of Grand Junction, approximately 12 miles from Paige's million-dollar estate.
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| Lester Ralph Jones |
On Thursday, KREXTV.com reported that an anonymous source close to the investigation told them Jones was a client of Paige's escort service. They also noted that Paige's burning car was found in the parking lot of an RV repair shop where Jones is employed as a repairman.
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Jones has a previous criminal record. In 1999, he served a five-year prison sentence for a conviction on charges of first-degree assault and second-degree attempted kidnapping. The charges stemmed from an incident in which Jones was involved in a motor vehicle chase with a former wife. Jones forced her car off the road and then ordered her at gunpoint to get into his car. During the incident, he fired two shots at a male passenger who was riding in her car. The Delta County sheriff's department later took Jones into custody.
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| Sheriff Stan Hilkey |
On Friday, Sheriff Stan Hilkey from the Mesa County sheriff's department discussed the case on the Fox News program On the Record with Greta. Hilkey confirmed that two searches had been conducted at the Jones' residence; however, he would not comment on what if anything investigators found during those searches.
"They'd all be sealed at this point. So, unfortunately, I can't give that information," Hilkey said. "... I think in any kind of an investigation, some things, you know, are done publicly and some aren't, but it doesn't signal any change in the ambitious pace of this investigation or the determination of the people trying to solve it or find Paige."
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