Paige Birgfeld with her children (from left) Jess, Taft and Trigger
Rocky Mountain News/Polaris
Almost five years after she disappeared under suspicious circumstances, the remains of Paige Birgfeld – a mother of three who furtively ran an escort service on the side – have been found in Colorado.Bones discovered in a creek bed in Delta County have been identified through dental records as those of Birgfeld, a resident of Grand Junction in neighboring Mesa County, the Denver Post reports.
Birgfeld was 34 when she went missing in June, 2007. Her car was found burning in a parking lot near her home the following night, and some personal belongings were scattered along a stretch of highway outside of town.
"I don't know about closure," Birgfeld's father Frank tells the Post. "I think of my daughter at least three or four times a day every day. The fact that we found out where she is, I don't know that this is going to change that."
No one has ever been charged with a crime in Birgfeld's disappearance. But the missing person's case now becomes a homicide, police said, and investigators hope Birgfeld's remains and some personal effects found at the scene will offer new leads.
Known as a supermom who juggled several jobs, Birgfield also ran an escort service – a secret known only by her closest friends. Those friends say Birgfield mostly went on the dates herself, and that she never prostituted herself as part of her work. "There is a very clear line between legal and illegal and she made sure that line was never crossed," longtime friend Jamie Silvernail told PEOPLE in 2007. "She knew if she crossed that line, she could jeopardize her kids."