Crime Library: Criminal Minds and Methods

The Mysterious Disappearance of Paige Birgfeld

Early Years

Paige was born to Frank and Suzanne Birgfeld in Atlanta on April 27, 1973. The family moved to Denver eight years later. Throughout high school, she had many friends and was active in ballet. After graduation, Paige attended the University of Florida, where she studied nursing. Her long-time boyfriend, Ron Biegler, followed her to Gainesville, and the couple lived together in an apartment near campus. The couple moved back to Colorado in 1995 and married shortly thereafter.

Birgfeld family photo Birgfeld family photo (parents at top, page left side)
Birgfeld family photo (parents at top, page left side)

Despite opposition from her husband, Paige started working part-time as a stripper at a local club. Using the stage name "Madison," she worked at the popular nightclub for approximately three years.

"She wanted to pay for her breast augmentation," Biegler told a reporter from the Rocky Mountain News. "I also don't think she felt very pretty or attractive, and I think stripping made her feel better about herself and made her feel more powerful."

Regardless of her reasons, the couple's marriage was already rocky, and in 1997, they divorced.

Within a year, Paige met Rob Dixon, a wealthy patron of the strip club, and not long thereafter, the couple ran off to Las Vegas and married. Afterwards, they purchased a lavish home in Grand Junction. However, court records indicate the romance was, at times, turbulent.

In October 2005, Dixon allegedly assaulted Paige, slapping and punching her as she held their newborn infant in her arms. Dixon was initially charged with assault and child abuse, but he pleaded the charges down to harassment. The following year, Dixon filed for bankruptcy, and the couple divorced. A judge granted Paige custody of their three children.

In the months leading up to her disappearance, Paige and Biegler had begun to rekindle their relationship, and on the night of June 28, 2007, the two met in the town of Eagle. According to Biegler, the rendezvous went well, and he spoke briefly with her around 9:00 p.m., as she drove through a construction detour in the suburbs north of Grand Junction. Paige promised to call again when she arrived home, but the call never came; Biegler remains the last person known to have spoken with her.

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