Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Marie Ann Blee











Marie, date, approximate 1979; Age-progression to age 45 (date, approximate 2009); Steven Skufca
Date Missing 11/21/1979
Missing From
Craig, Colorado
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 04/16/1964 (58)
Age 15 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 100 - 115 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A v-neck top with a purple collar, a brown velveteen vest, blue jeans, a green ski jacket with red and white trim, and a leather rope necklace with three handmade multicolored beads.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Marie had a dental retainer in 1979, but was not wearing it at the time she went missing. Her orthodontic braces were removed three months prior to her disappearance.
Details of Disappearance Marie attended a 4-H dance at the Pavilion in Craig, Colorado on November 21, 1979. Afterwards she went to a party at the Shadow Mountain Village mobile home park with her friend, Marty Dean Doolin. Some of Marie's female friends were with them also, and became alarmed because people at the party were using drugs and most of the guests were male. Marie's girlfriends decided to leave as a result, but Marie elected to stay.
Doolin later told investigators that Marie said she had a ride back to her hometown of Hayden, Colorado with an unidentified driver between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. on November 21. Doolin stated that this was the last time he saw Marie.
Other witnesses placed Marie at a store in Craig in the early morning hours; however, many of the partygoers' statements conflicted one another and there is still confusion as to when Marie was last seen. Marie's parents filed a missing person's report with the police in Hayden when she did not return home the following morning. She has never been heard from again.
Police initially suspected that Marie had run away from home, but her parents said it was not in her character to do so. Authorities have admitted the initial investigation into her disappearance was mishandled and crucial witnesses and possible suspects were not interviewed.
A week after Marie's disappearance, Doolin was arrested on extortion charges. He admitted to calling Marie's family and demanding $5,000 for their daughter's safe return. Doolin pleaded guilty to telephone harassment and was sentenced to six months in jail and two years on probation.
He was later convicted of an unrelated sexual assault. He maintains that he knows nothing about Marie's disappearance and made the call only to give her family hope that she was still alive.
Numerous rumors have circulated about Marie's disappearance, ranging from voluntary disappearance to murder. There has been speculation for years that Marie died of a drug overdose at the party and her body was buried somewhere in Craig. Authorities said that witnesses' statements supported that theory. Her was reopened by authorities in 1999, but excavations to this point have been unsuccessful at locating any evidence connected to her disappearance.
Authorities eventually identified two persons of interest in Marie's disappearance besides Doolin: Max Abel Garcia and Stephen "Steve" Skufca. All of them denied involvement in her . A photo of Skufca is posted with this summary. He was later convicted of drug charges and sentenced to twelve years in prison, then paroled to live with his mother. He died in an accident in 2012. To the end he maintained his innocence in Marie's disappearance.
Marie was a sophomore at Hayden High School at the time she went missing; she was a good student. She is a former Girl Scout and a member of 4-H, and she helped manage her school wrestling team. Her remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Investigating Agency
Moffat County Sheriff's Office
970-824-4495
Routt County Sheriff's Office
970-879-1090
Other
Moffat County Sheriff's Office
The Rocky Mountain News
APB News
The Child Seek Network
Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons
The Doe Network
The Craig Daily Press
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
KJCT 8

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos