Imagine the loss for an elementary school community: Money is donated for a memorial to remember the loss of a loyal school supporter, only to have it disappear at the hand of a trusted business.

The call came to Get-Gephardt to find the business and the money, and maybe turn around this emotional loss.

So, Bill Gephardt began investigating.

It's hard enough for schools to come up with money for text books and teacher's salaries, let alone something extra...something to honor a fallen friend of the elementary school.

The school decided they would erect a $10,000 marquee sign to honor their friend.

But the excitement for the school quickly turns to disappointment when they are left with no money, and no sign.

This was the scene several weeks ago at the Stone Hedge Apartments in South Salt Lake when I was looking for the owner of a company called new age sign.

Police were responding to a call .A call that a reporter was knocking on the door.

That reporter, me. But the person found behind that door was not who I expected to find.

Here's how the investigation unfolded.

It begins at Butler Elementary School.  Events that take place inside are often announced outside...on the school's marquee sign...which is in pretty rough shape.

But, no matter; every week, the father of one of the students found a way to make the sign work. And, P.T.A. President Kelly Chase says, he found ways to make lots of things work at Butler Elementary.

“He would spend hours every week reading with other children, doing math, helping with any project that the teachers want help with," Kelly says.

But after an illness, he died.

And as the school community mourns, the P.T.A. decided to build a new, electronic marquee in his name, with $10,000 donated by the widow.

Mark Heasley, with the school, hired New Age Sign. And last December, he paid half the money up front:  $4,500.

But there's still no marquee, and New Age Sign has stopped responding to the school's calls. And when Mark contacted the actual sign manufacturer, he knew something was seriously wrong.

"They said you have no sign.  New age sign has no order with us for a sign."

At the New Age Sign offices in South Salt Lake, we found the offices abandoned.

But we found out New Age Sign employee Scott Danielson had moved to an unmarked warehouse a few miles south.

Scott Danielson is the name on the "New Age Sign" contract. And in emails, he calls himself "President," and "Owner."  But later on the phone, Danielson told us he was just an employee of "New Age Sign." And that the person we really needed to contact is Alaina Bourgoine, the real owner of the company. Danielson said he had no idea where I could find her. He says he has not seen Bourgoine in months.

My when search for Bourgoine brought me to Federal Bankruptcy Court. Bourgoine filed for personal bankruptcy on July 23, 2009. And she listed Stone Hedge apartments as her personal address.

So, at Stone Hedge Apartments, when I knocked on Bourgoine's door, there was no answer.  

Instead, Salt Lake County Sheriff Deputies showed up. They went up to the apartment, and a few minutes later, it isn’t Bourgoine who emerged…but Scott Danielson.

Deputies talked Danielson in talking to me.

Danielson: “Okay, here's the situation: I'm an ex-employee of the company. I don’t work for that company anymore and what I understand is they went bankrupt.”

Gephardt: “I think it's a little more than that. You have an association with Alaina.”

Danielson: “That's your assumption.”

Gephardt: “Look at this.”

     I show Danielson how Bourgoine is listed at the address where he lives.

Gephardt: “This is where she lives…according to bankruptcy documents.”

Danielson: “She's not here.”

Gephardt: Clearly you have an association that's more than just an employee.

Danielson: “It's a mailing address. That's it.”

     Okay, but what about the sign?

Gephardt: “I'm just trying to figure out what happened to all that money. And the sign was never ordered, was it?”

Danielson: “I have no comment on that. What other questions do you got, have for me?”

Gephardt: “That's all. You took the money but the sign was never ordered.”

Danielson: “The company is bankrupt.”

Gephardt: “Did you order the sign with the money that you got from the school?”

Danielson: “I have no comment.”

We never did find Alaina Bourgoine. And New Age Sign "Voluntarily Dissolved" with the state in August.  So far, the school's money remains missing.

Butt a silver lining, they may get a sign after all. 

When the owners of two other sign companies heard about the Butler Elementary story, they jumped at the opportunity to help. Mark Kramer owns Fast Signs and Ken Tucker owns Affordable Signs here in Salt Lake. They are going to build the sign at cost, which will be covered by the other half of the money that was donated to the school. Then, they'll install it for free.