Candlelight vigil held for missing Longmont man
Nov. 15—Members of the community gathered together on Sunday evening in Longmont to pray for the safe return of missing man Saza Lee. Friends, family, co-workers, and community members gathered in Kanemoto Park — one of the locations that Lee was last spotted.
Dana Solomon, assistant priest at Longmont's St. Stephens Episcopal Church, led the vigil, asking the 20 or so participants to go around the circle lighting each other's candles. The light, she said, represents God and hope.
Attendees of the vigil were also asked to share stories about Lee, who is an executive director at the Life Care Center of Longmont. At the vigil, co-workers described Lee as having a "great sense of humor" and being "so sweet and generous."
Many others in attendance stated that though they don't know Lee personally, they now feel like they do through the fond stories shared by his family.
Jacki Montoya, who lives in Longmont, said she especially liked hearing about his love for animals, with his family sharing that he could often be found outside hanging out with the pets at holiday gatherings.
Lee, 54, was reported missing after not returning from an evening bike ride along the St. Vrain Greenway on Sept. 10. Lee was expected home around 10 p.m., but never made it home that night.
In a statement made on the Longmont Fire and Police Facebook page on Sept. 13, authorities believe that Lee "left on his own accord, and that he is not a victim of random crime nor is this a random disappearance."
In addition to two police-led searches for Lee, more than eight community-led volunteer searches have been organized in order to locate Lee or any of his belongings. So far, nothing has been discovered.
Bobbie Lee said the support of those who have helped search and who attended Sunday's vigil "feels overwhelming." Most don't know Saza Lee personally because the couple, along with daughter Caitlyn Luedke, only moved to Longmont about a year ago from Montana.
Her parents, who live in Nebraska, joined her and her daughter at Sunday's vigil. She said they came to offer support because Sunday was her anniversary with Saza Lee, while Monday is his birthday.
She asked that anyone with information, no matter how seemingly minor, contact Longmont police or the private investigator working with the family.
"We need all those little tidbits so we can connect all the dots and find out what happened that night," she said.
To contact Longmont police, call the Longmont Emergency Communications Center at 303-651-8501 or call Longmont Detective Phil Piotrowski at 303-774-4478. To contact the private investigator, call Susan Martinez-Kutcher at 303-522-4898.
