Who was Maggie Long? FBI probes death of Colorado Asian girl, 17, burned alive at home in 2017 as hate crime
PARK COUNTY, COLORADO: Four years after the death of an Asian American teenager in Colorado, the FBI has revealed that their investigation is pursuing the death as a hate crime. The grisly case saw a 17-year-old girl set on fire and burned alive at her family's mountain community home in December 2017. The death of Maggie Long is finally being looked at as a “hate crime matter," the FBI confirmed a Denver local news station called KCNC-TV.
Long's death had initially been ruled a homicide with authorities releasing composite sketches of at least three men who they believed were involved in the murder. Arrests are yet to be made in the case with the FBI also withholding information on why agents are looking into the teen's death as a possible hate crime. There is a $75,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.
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Who was Maggie Long?
The 17-year-old high school senior from Denver's Park County was found in her family's home in Bailey, a mountain community that's about 45 miles southwest of Denver. At about 7 pm on December 1, 2017, a fire had broken out in the home shortly after locals had filed a report of a disturbance. Long, who was attending a concert at her school, Platte Canyon High School, was not supposed to be in the premises of the community home as she was in charge of the concert's VIP section.
“She went home that day to get more cookies and water for the audience, telling her friends, ‘I’ll be right back.’ And she was never seen again,” Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw has said in a press conference. Investigators believe there was an altercation between Long and her attackers before the fire took over the community home. Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw has also insisted that Long was “purposely set on fire and burned alive.”
The very next day, on December 2, the sheriff shared another statement on Facebook where they revealed “On-scene investigation is wrapped up. Cause and origin of the fire is inconclusive … still no sign of her, no body at the fire scene.” For the next six days, the public had no idea what happened to the 17-year-old girl until a gag order was lifted.
The community home robbed
Along with the fire, a burglary also took place in the Bailey home, with a Beretta handgun, an AK-47-style rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a safe and jade figurines all reported stolen. Long's murder is now being looked at as a hate crime after a spate of attacks in the US against Asian Americans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic first reported in China. Authorities said the suspects may have been injured in the fire and could have changed their appearances, sold the vehicles involved and moved away from the area.
Long’s sisters, Lynna and Connie Long, however, reported they had never noticed any blatant Asian discrimination back when they were living in the community home. Lynna now hopes the shift in the investigation will help people reconsider interactions they might have had around the time Long was killed, and come forward with reports of such bias against Asians, if any. “This is an angle that wasn’t looked into in the past, and at this point, it is no stone left unturned. Looking at the extent of violence in this crime, that is certainly an angle to look more closely into,” she said.
Helpful information could include descriptions of individuals or vehicles seen in/around the vicinity of the property, individuals with demonstrated knowledge of what happened at the Long residence on the day of Maggie's murder, etc.
Witnesses can submit tips by calling 303-239-4243. They can also remain anonymous by contacting the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online.