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Renewed hope for family of missing girl

DON COLEMAN
DCOLEMAN@KJCT8.COM

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) -- Bones found in Gunnison County are giving hope to a Grand Junction family, hoping it's their daughter.

The human skull was located Saturday, September 12th north of the town of Somerset. Authorities are saying they have a reason to believe the skull is that of a female.

The Blee family is one of 19 families on the Western Slope who pay close attention every time human remains are found, hoping for some sort of resolution to their cold case.

Their daughter, Marie Blee, went missing in 1979, nearly 30 years ago. Her parents, Mona and Paul, say they still think about her everyday.

"We've just looked and looked... And it would just be nice to put an end to that kind of thing," Mona Blee said. "We'd like to find her, so we can put her where we know she is."

Marie was 15 years old when she went missing after a 4H dance party in Routt County, southern Colorado. Described by her parents as an upbeat, loving young lady, the void in Mona and Paul's lives is very apparent.

"She'll always be a teenager," Paul Blee said. Mona added, "I've never thought of her as a grown woman. She'd be in her 40's by now."

So long after Marie went missing, the Blees say they're don holding a grudge against whomever, if anyone, is responsible for the disappearance of their daughter. Right now, they say they just need peace.

"It would be so wonderful if that was Marie," Mona said. Paul later added, "Somebody knows [where she is]."

While the Blees continue to hold out hope, identifying the remains found in Gunnison County could take a while. The Mesa County Coroner, who is not assigned to this case, says a timetable for identification depends on a lot of things. He says it depends on what bones are recovered, and their conditions. He adds that it could take days, or in some cases even years, if ever, for identification.

Since identification is continuing to be determined at this point, there has been no link so far to Grand Junction missing woman Paige Birgfeld. She went missing in June of 2007.

In a telephone conversation with Paige's father, Frank, he says he has not been contacted by authorities and has no reason to believe the skull is Paige's.

The Gunnison County Sheriff's Office released little information on Wednesday about the investigation. They did say the skull has been recovered, and that they believe the skull is female. Also, they found more items at the crime scene, but did not specify what they were.

According to an email from the Under sheriff, the remains they found were scattered around a remote area.