The Fight for the Truth

WHAT HAPPENED TO PAIGE BIRGFELD?

This video hides a disturbing secret. On June 28 2007, single mother of three Paige Birgfeld is hiding out in her car. Outside, a dangerous man, is hunting her down.

3 hours later, Paige’s daughter leaves her a frantic voicemail.

24 hours later, her nanny does the same.

And 2 days in, her father follows.

It’s now July 1st, they find her car, on fire. Paige is nowhere to be found.

But less than a week into the search, everything changes. It turns out Paige is living a double life. And as her secret gets out, disturbing rumors begin to spread.

At this point, everybody gave up on Paige—except her father. Alone, he moves to Colorado to continue the search, unaware that someone else is working just as hard to keep the truth buried.

THE DISAPPEARANCE

It’s June 28, 2007, a big day for divorced single mother of three, Paige Birgfeld. She had recently rekindled a relationship with her high school sweetheart, Ron Beigler, following an 8-year separation. The two are meeting for an afternoon picnic, and, after a pleasant date, the pair part ways. Paige promises to let him know when she gets back home. He waits, but as the evening goes on, he never hears from her. A worried Ron rings her cell phone a dozen times over the next three days – every attempt goes unanswered.

But it's when he calls her home number that he finally realizes something's wrong. At the other end of the line, 8-year-old Jess Dixon, Paige’s daughter, picks up the phone. The little girl is seemingly upset with her mom for not coming home in the past three days: Jess and her two siblings had been left alone with their confused nanny this whole time. Ron immediately reports Paige missing to the police, and then quickly gets in touch with her father, Frank Birgfeld.

THE SEARCH BEGINS

Frank doesn’t waste a minute. He immediately takes his car and heads towards Grand Junction with his wife. They worry that something terrible might have happened. Looking at Paige’s everyday routine, it’s clear she lives a busy life, owning and operating 3 small businesses, leading a local moms support group, all while raising her 3 young children. Despite her chaotic life, she seemed to be thriving; she had even recently bought her ex-husband’s half of the three-story house they used to share. Nothing seems out of order, so why did she disappear? As Paige’s parents arrive in Grand Junction, they meet with the police to organize a search effort. Although Paige is well-known and respected in the community, that doesn’t stop rumors from spreading after the media reports her disappearance. Some are quick to assume she abandoned her children— an idea Frank immediately dismisses.

But things take a turn for the worse on the second day of the investigation, when a woman driving home from work calls 911. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s just stumbled upon the charred remains of Paige's red Ford Focus.

A HIDDEN CLUE

The fire department was able to subdue the flames overnight. When Frank arrives at the scene the next morning, forensic investigators are already hard at work. They conclude that the fire was started on purpose; someone first torched the driver's seat and let the flames engulf the rest of the car. But, stashed in the glove compartment, investigators find Paige’s planner, still intact. Upon further inspection, they see that the three days leading up to Paige’s disappearance had been deliberately ripped out. This seemingly calculated cover-up helps police conclude that Frank was right all along: his daughter never ran off; someone is after her. These revelations send shockwaves throughout local media, which had previously ignored his plea for help. Posing in front of the still-smoking remains of his daughter’s car, Frank asserts that he’s still hopeful they’ll find Paige alive, but cannot get to the end of the interview without tearing up in front of the camera.

Later that afternoon, under the burning 118-degree sun, over 200 people show up to look for Paige. In the next few days, people from all over Colorado crowd the mesa to join the effort. 4 days into the search, something new comes up; a trucker who stopped by the roadside of Highway 50 found some out-of-place litter in the bushes; a blank cheque, under Paige’s name. This changes everything. The search teams move up to the highway, and together, they find more of Paige’s belongings – over 90 items, spread over 13 miles of road.

THE MODELS INC REVEAL

The police meticulously catalog their findings, which include her checkbook, business cards, a driver’s license, and a single high-heeled shoe. The trail of clues suggests something incredible—Paige must have deliberately left it behind for them to find. However, amongst all the items, something stands out: a business card for an adult service called “Models Inc”. The investigators are puzzled. Why would Paige leave them this clue? As they speak with some of her close friends, the mystery deepens. Paige’s boyfriend mentions that she may have done some shady things to keep her house and provide for her three kids following her divorce. Her friends also add that she once worked at a massage parlor as a side hustle. Investigators eventually examine Paige’s laptop—and that’s when everything clicks into place. Paige was not merely dabbling in sex work; she was the owner and sole operator of a full-fledged escort service: the aforementioned "Models Inc". Before long, the media inevitably finds out, exposing the truth for all to see.

As the weeks go by, less and less people show up for the search. Eventually, the public loses all interest, and the search effort is shut down altogether.

NARROWING THE SUSPECTS

In total, the search lasted 5 months, and nothing was ever found past Paige’s trail of clues. The police are at a loss. Paige has dozens of elusive clients, and, according to investigators, having too many suspects can be as damning as having none. But they need to start somewhere. So they begin with Paige's ex-husband, Rob Dixon, the same man who had previously threatened her and the kids.

But this call had been recorded 5 years before the ordeal, and detectives are quickly able to confirm her ex-husband's alibi: he was 14 hours away in his Philadelphia residence the night of the disappearance. So the police switch gears and look into Paige's boyfriend instead. His multiple calls, all placed before he declared her missing, are traced back to Denver, 4 hours away, clearing him as a suspect. As detectives work their way down Paige's list of clients, they identify 6 individuals with criminal records. One man stands out, not because he fits the profile, but because he doesn’t. Lester Ralph Jones, a car mechanic and family man, has kept himself out of trouble entirely in recent years. However, once they dig deeper into his past, they uncover two deeply disturbing events involving a woman named Lisa Nance.

LISA COMES FORWARD

Hotchkiss Colorado, December 1996. Like Paige, Lisa Nance was a single mom raising her children alone. When she met Lester, the two immediately clicked and were married within 6 months. He was funny, attentive, and good with her kids. However, soon after the two tied the knot, things began falling apart. Lester became increasingly controlling, obtaining copies of her phone records and a second key to go through her mail. Over the next 2 years, things kept escalating as Lester began bugging their house to spy on her while he was out. Lisa couldn’t live like this anymore, and filed for divorce.

Things only got worse after Lisa invited her new date to stay over for the first time. The next morning, as she drove him back to work, she noticed a car tailing them. One quick glance at the rearview mirror confirmed her fear – it was Lester’s truck, closing in on them. The pair was in the middle of an hour-long stretch of road in the middle of nowhere before the sun had risen, and it was 1999; neither of them had a cell phone. With no other option, Lisa floored it, and a high-speed chase with Lester followed. Within minutes, he caught up and slammed into the side of their car, sending them spinning into a ditch. Lisa and her date had no time to react before another violent jolt hit the vehicle. Lester rammed into them again, this time from behind, pushing their car further into the ditch. Then, they heard Lester’s truck door slam shut. Lisa spotted him in the side mirror, walking towards them, holding a gun. Her date frantically lowered the passenger window, grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her out. But Lester was already at Lisa’s side. He cracked the door just enough to force his arm inside, grabbing her violently and smashing his pistol against the window. Lisa yelled at her date to save himself. The terrified young man successfully pulled himself out, but two deafening bangs suddenly pierced Lisa’s ears. From afar, she saw her date’s cap flying through the air, and then, silence. For a few seconds, everything stopped. Lester dragged Lisa out of the car and threw her into his truck. From behind his windshield, she spotted her date’s cap on the ground… beside a trail of blood. But her fight wasn’t over. Lisa tried to convince Lester to let her use a phone, that they couldn’t leave her date to die in the desert, that she’d do anything, even get back with him – if that's what he wanted. Against all odds, and to her surprise, Lester pulled into a gas station, allowing her to make a single phone call. Realizing this was her only chance, she immediately called the police and begged the clerk to lock the doors. Cops were there in minutes, and Lester was arrested. Lisa's date ended up in the hospital, but survived—both bullets barely grazed him. Unbelievably, Lester only spent one night in jail; someone bailed him out the very next day.

THE DESERT KIDNAPPING

A few weeks passed, and Lester's court hearing was approaching. Lisa knew he was still out there, but the last weekend went by without a sign of him. On June 12th, a Monday like any other, Lisa was back into her Hotchkiss house, alone. The clock showed 7 PM when she stepped out of the shower and into her bedroom to dress. As she opened the door to head back into her kitchen, she saw a silhouette in the shadows—at the far end of the room.

No answers, not even a look. Lisa’s heart was pounding. She knew she needed to do something. Assuming that moving into a public setting would ensure her safety, she masked her fear and casually suggested they go out to eat. Without a word, Lester grabbed her arm, dragged her out of the house, and into her car. He then got behind the wheel and started driving. The farther they went, the harder it became for Lisa to deny what was happening.

Time was running out for Lisa; the last exit before the lake was approaching. Remembering how she had outsmarted her kidnapper before, she said she still had feelings for him, hoping it would buy her time. But Lester was no fool, and violently retaliated. Out of options, she endured his blows until he paused, then plunged toward him, suggesting she wanted to prove how much she loved him, before quickly pulling back. She claimed that the car was too cramped for intimacy and that they should find a motel. Lester hesitated for a minute, but ultimately fell for it.

After an interstate manhunt that lasted months, Lester was arrested and charged with kidnapping, attempted murder, and sexual assault. He was released a few years later, remarried, and seemingly never meddled with Lisa again. However, the reason why the police are interested in Lisa’s case is that there are many similarities between it and Paige’s. Both took place along Highway 50. Both involved kidnappings perpetrated via the victims’ own vehicles. And both happened on the day their respective victims started dating again.

A FATHER DETERMINED

Sadly, even though everything points toward Lester Ralph Jones, Paige’s body isn’t found at the lake Lisa identified, but instead of going back home to Oklahoma, she agrees to stay and help police build a profile on Lester. Meanwhile, Frank is forced to accept the truth: no one else is coming to help. With the police shifting their focus towards Lester and the town slowly losing interest, the desperate father finds himself completely alone. He moves from Denver to Grand Junction, rents a one-bedroom apartment, and keeps the search going—all on his own. Pooling together what’s left of his retirement savings, he puts up a $10,000 reward for anyone who can help him find his daughter.

With Frank out on the field, the police thoroughly question Lisa. She explains how, even back when they were married, Lester, too, lived a double life. He played the role of devoted husband and father, all while hiring sex workers daily, often using her own money to pay them. On top of that, she indicates that, even though she never pressed charges against him following his release from jail, he continued to harass her. Strangely, his obsession suddenly stopped a few years ago… right around the time Paige started Models Inc. Following these revelations, Lisa returns to Oklahoma, and the police review the case's initial findings with Lester in mind. Less than a mile from where Paige’s burned car was found sits a large RV garage. Back in the early days of the case, cadaver dogs tried to track a scent from the vehicle, but the trail kept leading back to that same garage, so they dismissed it. Turns out this is the garage where Lester works. And then come Paige’s phone records. Investigators knew that the last number to contact her was linked to a burner phone, which was activated the same day she vanished. They pull CCTV footage from every store in town, and sure enough, at the local Walmart, they spot a familiar face. Lester Jones. Frank and the police push the D.A. to press charges. But the answer they get is crushing. Quote: “Because the victim had a double life and had been lying to her entire family, a defense attorney could just claim she ran off with some rich client and was living on a beach in Brazil or something. Without a body, we have no case.” Not exactly the kind of answer Frank had been looking for.

THE TRIAL & THE STAKES

For the next five years, nothing changes, but as investigators go back through the case over and over, they notice something strange: evidence has been lost. CCTV footage. Interviews. Even some of Paige’s personal items are gone. And on Frank’s side, nothing either. After scouring the mesa thousands of times, he had to face the truth: his daughter was gone… or was she? After a string of heavy rainstorms near Grand Junction, a hiker spots something in a dry creek bed—just a mile east of where Paige once scattered her belongings: a human skull. It takes weeks, but dental records confirm what Frank already fears. It’s Paige. With her remains finally found, the D.A. feels confident enough to move towards a trial. But first, he wants to reopen the investigation into Lester Jones. Armed with a new warrant, police seize the vehicles belonging to Lester and his wife, hoping to find new forensic evidence. But five years in, it’s just too late for that. Then, something unexpected happens.

Following this interaction, the police arrest Lester, and the DA greenlights the trial. Over the next few weeks, dozens of witnesses, on both sides, take the stand.

Lisa faces Lester, the first time she has done so in almost twenty years.

On the defense side, Lester’s attorney never really tries to prove her client's innocence. Instead, she focuses on attacking the credibility of the other suspects, especially two men, who died in tragic circumstances, not long after it was discovered they had been secretly seeing Paige. After three days of deliberation, the jury fails to reach a unanimous verdict, and the procedure ends in a mistrial. Frank’s disappointed, but not defeated. He’s just glad the case made it this far. Now, he braces himself for the retrial, set to begin in six months.

If that’s the case, who will be the next target of his obsession? Lester won’t stop after Paige. Everybody on the defense team knows it. Frank and the prosecution can’t let him make another victim. They refocus on everything that went missing during the early investigation. With help from the sheriff’s office, they recover key evidence: an interview that clears one of the original suspects, the packaging for Jones’s burner phone, and even CCTV footage of Paige’s final moments before the abduction. But when December comes and the second trial begins, the defense is ready. They target lead investigator Beverly Gerald, hoping to discredit her, and by extension, the entire case.

But this doesn’t deter the prosecution. Because now they have something new: video evidence placing Lester at the scene. This footage shows the outside of Paige's office the night she disappeared. It’s 9 PM on a Monday. Only two cars appear: Paige’s red Ford Focus, hidden behind the building, and a white Chevy Impala circling the lot. The issue is that this isn’t just any car—it belongs to Lester’s wife. The Impala stops four times. Each time, Paige’s phone rings, every call comes from Lester's burner phone. The footage cuts off just as the Impala crosses paths with Paige’s car. The rest of the tape is lost. The evidence may be circumstantial, but its sheer quantity is becoming overwhelming. Just like before, the jury takes three days to deliberate. But this time, they come back, with a verdict.

The judge continues and sentences Lester to life for Paige’s kidnapping and murder. Sighs of relief can be heard in the audience, but one man, in the front row, remains stoic.

JUSTICE FOR ALL

Frank’s feelings are his own, but for Lisa, things are different. After nearly two decades of living in fear and battling survivor’s guilt, she’s finally able to turn the page.

Frank passed away in 2019, never truly experiencing the closure so many seek in cases like this. No father should outlive his daughter, and this caused him and his wife immense suffering. Yet, Frank leaves a legacy that goes beyond this tragedy. When Paige was younger, he was her soccer coach, helped her with ballet class, and became the chief of her Girl Scout troop. He did everything to spend time with his precious daughter. Even though the last stretch of his life had been a difficult one, he successfully put the man responsible for her murder behind bars and was able to lay his daughter to rest before following her.

In addition to Frank and Lisa’s personal tragedies, it’s important to understand that Paige’s story isn’t some rare outlier, but one of countless examples of the violence that women face every single day around the world. Entering sex work wasn’t a decision Paige took lightly. To those who knew about this part of her life, she often talked about how much she wanted to stop and how unsafe she felt. Because of her work, prosecutors were more hesitant to stand up for her in court, and the public was less willing to search for her. It took almost 10 years to bring a violent man behind bars and, ultimately, to bring Paige, her friends, and her family peace. She wasn’t just a victim—she was a mother, a friend, and a fighter who never stopped trying to build a better life for the people she loved. For that, she deserves to be remembered with the dignity she was so often denied. Paige’s case reminds all of us that everyone, no matter their circumstances, deserves justice.

Related Content :

After finding his daughter unresponsive in a pool house, a father takes action to ensure her killer is brought to justice: The Case of Ali & Roger Kemp

Credits

Written, directed & edited by Alexandre Gendron

Research by Bianca Yzabelle Tan

Voiceover by William Akana

Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader

For more stories like this, subscribe to our YouTube here

********************

Sources

Getty Images

48 Hours: The Secret Life of Paige Birgfeld, CBS Interactive, 2017.

20/20: If I Can’t Have You, ABC, ABC Entertainment, 2021.

Mom with secret double life as escort murdered, True Crime News, Telepictures Productions, 2024.

Dateline: Double Lives, NBC, NBCUniversal Media, 2017.

The Killer in My Family: Lester Jones, Woodcut Media, 2023.

World's Most Evil Killers: Lester Jones, Woodcut Media, 2023.

Disappeared: A Mother's Secret, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Communications, 2010.

Activists for Sex Workers’ rights protest the killing of one of them, KTN News Kenya, Kenya Television Network, 2014.

Former St. Louis resident looking for justice in mother's cold case, other sex worker crimes, KMOV St. Louis, 2021.

This women's month has seen rise in murders of sex workers, SABC News, 2014.

Jules Kim: "Sex workers' rights are human rights", UNAIDS Official, 2024.

Court dismisses sex workers’ law challenge, CTV Your Morning, 2023.

Sex work decriminalization efforts leave workers, advocates and survivors divided, NBC News, 2023.