Search continues for missing mother

GRAND JUNCTION – The search continued Tuesday for a missing 34-year-old woman after her car was found burned just south of I-70.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation collected clues from her car and the area around it as Mesa County Search and Rescue teams have searched the area for any signs of Paige Birgfeld.

Birgfeld was reported missing by family members last Thursday and her car was found on fire Sunday night south of I-70 on Road 23, about two miles from her home.

Passersby said the red Ford Focus was fully engulfed in flames on the passenger's side.

Investigators are now looking into whether Web site postings by Birgfeld may be connected to her disappearance. She reportedly posted messages on ChefSucess.com indicating she was worried about the return of her ex-husband, Rob Dixon.

She wrote in March that her children asked if their dad was going to kill her.

Birgfeld's father, Frank Birgfeld of Denver, says it does not appear Dixon has been in the Grand Junction area recently.

Authorities in Mesa County say they have not ruled out the car fire as a random act of vandalism.

About three dozen family and friends held a candlelight vigil for Birgfeld Monday night to pray for her safe return.

Paige Birgfeld was last seen wearing a blue strapless top with flowers and blue jean shorts. She is 5 feet 4 inches tall, 110 pounds, with sandy hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to call the Mesa County Sheriff's Office at 970-244-3500.