Blee, Marie Ann

Marie Blee, 15, was the youngest of five children. She was in the 10th grade at Hayden High School looking forward to getting her driver’s permit. Active in 4H and a former Girl Scout, Marie enjoyed the outdoors and had just obtained her ski pass for Steamboat. In September of that year, she went to Germany with her parents, Paul & Ramona Blee of Grand Junction, CO. There they took a Rhine River cruise, enjoyed sightseeing in Lichtenstien and Switzerland, and took in the Octoberfest in Munich. On November 21, 1979 Marie attended a party at a private residence in Craig, Colorado. She never returned home. Marie’s parents reported her missing the next morning to police and within days they received a ransom call demanding money for her return. The caller was soon identified as Monty Dean Doolin, who was an acquaintance of Marie and the last person she was seen with. Doolin pled guilty to telephone harassment and was released on probation claiming he had no knowledge of Marie’s whereabouts. In 1999 the Routt County Sheriff’s Office organized a Marie Blee cold case task force involving Moffat County SO, Craig PD, Hayden PD, FBI, Routt County SO, and Paul & Mona Blee to resolve the teen’s disappearance/homicide. Marie has not yet been located. No one has been charged in her disappearance/homicide. But the task force continues to gather valuable information. As an example, DNA belonging to Marie was gathered from her orthodontic retainer after twenty one years. This could be valuable in comparing any unidentified remains found that might be Marie’s. If you have any information that might relate to this case, please contact Investigator Ken Klinger at 970-870-5503 or email him at KKlinger@co.routt.co.us.