Sarah Arielle Skiba
Sarah, circa 1999; Age-progression to age 28 (circa 2017); Tuff Movers truck
- Missing Since 02/07/1999
- Missing From Westminster, Colorado
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 07/27/1989 (35)
- Age 9 years old
- Height and Weight 4'5, 80 pounds
- Associated Vehicle(s) White 1978 Chevrolet moving truck with red crescents painted on both sides (accounted for)
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes. Sarah has a red mark across the bridge of her nose. Her hair was in tight corkscrew curls at the time of her disappearance, and she may wear it in a ponytail. Her last name is pronounced "Skee-ba."
Details of Disappearance
Sarah was visiting her father, Paul Skiba, during the weekend of February 7, 1999 at his home in Thornton, Colorado. Paul and Sarah's mother, Michelle Russell, are divorced and it was Paul's scheduled visitation with his daughter at the time.
Sarah resided in Granby, Colorado with her mother in 1999. Paul owned Tuff Movers, a moving company based in Westminster, Colorado. He and Sarah were last seen at approximately 6:00 p.m. on February 7, 1999 in Morrison, Colorado. Sarah accompanied Paul and his employee, Lorenzo Chivers, to the city for a moving job at the time. None of them have been heard from again.
Russell reported her daughter as a missing child to authorities when she failed to return home from her father's visitation. Investigators initially believed that Paul had abducted Sarah with Chivers's possible assistance. A warrant was issued for Paul's arrest and authorities thought the disappearances were related to a possible custody battle.
The investigation changed direction almost three weeks later, when the Tuff Movers vehicle, a white 1978 Chevrolet moving truck with red crescents painted on both sides, was located shortly after Russell contacted authorities. A photo of the truck is posted with this case summary. Investigators discovered the vehicle had been abandoned in the Westminster parking lot used by Paul's company. It wasn't parked the way he normally positioned it.
The truck had been pierced by two bullets and was smeared with blood, a piece of human scalp with hair attached was inside, there was additional hair on the truck's fender, and shell casings and blood were found in the lot as well. There was no sign of Sarah, Paul or Chivers at the scene. Chivers's car was found parked in the lot, but Paul's vehicle was located in Denver, Colorado.
DNA tests proved that the blood on the truck's door was Paul's, the blood on the ground outside was Paul's and Sarah's, the piece of scalp was from Paul and the hair was Sarah's. Authorities changed the classification of the missing persons' cases at that time to endangered missing and announced that foul play was suspected in the disappearances.
The truck's 3 by 10-foot metal loading ramp, straps and moving blankets were missing from the vehicle. Authorities believe the ramp may contain evidence related to the cases.
Investigators believe Chivers, Paul and Sarah were ambushed and killed when they returned the truck to the lot. They believe Paul was the probable target and his daughter and Chivers were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The murderer(s) may have used the moving truck to dispose of the bodies.
Investigators dredged several lakes around the Denver, Colorado area in an effort to locate Sarah, Paul and Chivers's remains. No evidence was produced during the searches. It was believed that authorities were preparing to make an arrest in connection with the cases in August 1999, but the report proved to be false. No one has been charged with any involvement in any of the disappearances.
Sarah is described as a friendly, outgoing, caring, and talkative girl. She enjoys dancing, singing, school, animals, babies, and movies, and she is a good swimmer.
Some agencies report that Sarah, Paul and Chivers disappeared from Granby, Colorado.
Investigating Agency
- Westminster Police Department 303-430-2400
Source Information
- The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- Child Protection Education of America
- The Polly Klaas Foundation
- NamUs
- America's Most Wanted
- The Rocky Mountain News
- The Denver Post
- Child Search Ministries
- Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons
- Unsolved in the News
- CNN
- Vanished: Lorenzo Chivers, Paul Skiba, and Sarah Skiba | DARK MATTERS #31
Updated 6 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated February 25, 2018; age-progression updated.