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Slain Colorado Girl's Family Takes Issue With Group

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (AP) - The family of a 10-year-old Colorado girl who was killed after being abducted on her way to school wants a nonprofit group to stop using her name for fundraising.

Jessica Ridgeway's family has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Colorado's Missing Children Foundation to stop using Jessica's name or likeness to help raise money, said the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center, which worked on the letter. The Ridgeways, through the center, declined to comment Wednesday beyond an announcement of the letter.

Ben Bargas, who said he's on the foundation's board, said he and others have raised money for Jessica's family, but now the Ridgeways want to form their own foundation.

Colorado's Missing Children Foundation was formed by volunteers who looked for Jessica after she disappeared Oct. 5, Bargas said. After Jessica's body was found, the volunteers formed a foundation to help all missing children in Colorado.

As of Wednesday evening, the foundation's website still included Jessica's name.

"It's not like we're using her name to make a profit. We're trying to use her name to tell a story of how the whole foundation was started," Bargas said.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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