Maggie Long

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1:11When it comes to what your family eats and drinks, you know your choices matter. You're the expert because you know what fits your life. And getting it right starts with good information. That's why America's beverage companies are sharing more information about our ingredients at goodtoknowfacts.org. No spin, no judgments, just the facts straight from the experts for more than 140 beverage ingredients. Visit goodtoknowfacts.org. Hey guys, unfortunately there is no new episode today. I've been sick for about two weeks now and have run through everything I had pre-recorded for you and haven't been able to record anything new without coughing at least every few minutes.

1:56So I'm really sorry that I don't have the new episode and bonus that I promised you last week. But I'm hoping that if I can rest up, it'll be out next Thursday and the bonus on Friday. I really tried pushing through this, but my body and my mind just won't cooperate. Basically, everything is screaming at me to slow down. So I'll be spending Thanksgiving with our emotional support puppies in bed trying to recover. But I wanted to let you know that I am thankful for all of you. And I do have a lot of new listeners here, so in an effort to try to continue to raise awareness for these unsolved cases, you're going to hear an episode from 2021 that still needs your help.

2:34The case of Maggie Long. Again, I do apologize, but thank you for understanding.

2:52not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

3:15Today I am discussing the case of 17-year-old Maggie Long from Bailey, Colorado. On December 1st, 2017, Maggie left her high school to change her clothes and grab some items for a concert she was helping with that night. But Maggie never returned. When some of Maggie's family members went to go look for her at their home, it was on fire, with Maggie's car still in the driveway. After officials announced that nobody was found in the home after extinguishing the fire, but there was also no official search for Maggie, the public was unaccounted by understandably confused and concerned. It would take months for officials to clear up these statements, over a year to announce that Maggie was burned alive in her home that night, and several years to announce that they believe Maggie was the victim of a hate crime.

4:08There's a lot to unpack here, so let's get into it. This is the case of Maggie Long. Maggie Long was born on December 17, 1999, to her parents San and Heather Long. She was the youngest of their three daughters, Linna, Connie, and now Maggie. Heather and San Long worked hard to provide a good life for their children. Both were born in a refugee camp in a Chinese community in North Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, they fled to the U.S., where they opened a variety of businesses and invested in real estate. Maggie grew up in the small town of Bailey, Colorado. Bailey is a secluded mountain town, but it's only about an hour away from Denver.

4:54According to the Long family, Bailey was a tight-knit community with only about 10 ,000 residents in 2017, but the community was a bit divided. There were people who lived in Bailey for the amazing schools with small classroom sizes and enjoyed participating in community events. But there were also people who just enjoyed the seclusion that the mountain town had to offer, and didn't socialize much. Bailey really appealed to both kinds of people. But the Long family was well known in the community. According to Linna and Connie Long, they were the only immigrant Asian American family in the neighborhood.

5:31They also owned a local liquor store, Long's Liquor, and a restaurant called Derek Thai in the community. However, they state that they never experienced any outright prejudice from their community. For the most part, they say it was a great town. It sounds cliche, but they say that no one even locked their doors at night until Maggie was murdered. It's important that we discuss the long home. They lived in a 6 ,000 square foot home on 27 acres of land, basically surrounded by forest. The only way to get to and from the home is a private drive that's about a quarter mile long and blocked off by a large iron gate.

6:12From what I could gather online, it looks like the entire property is fenced off. So the only way to and from the property was by going through this gate. Now how or if it was locked the majority of the time, I don't know. It's also important to note that the Longs didn't live there alone. They actually rented out an attic space as a separate apartment. Now that I've set the scene a little bit, let's talk about what Maggie was like. There is no shortage of wonderful statements about Maggie from her friends, family, and teachers. Her former preschool teacher, Rosie Warner Chaney, said, I taught Maggie two years of preschool at Deer Creek.

6:54Maggie had such a big personality. She was smart and strong. When I would have to leave the room for a minute, at age four, Maggie would take charge. She would read to her classmates. Every morning she would place a chair next to mine, believing she was going to co-teach. I loved her so much. End quote. In an interview with Court TV, Maggie's sister, Linna, tells them more about Maggie and just how caring she was. It's hard to sum her up in one event. And I think it's just, you know, remembering her little quirks, just the way that she would apologize to inanimate objects for bumping into them.

7:37She was seriously the most sweet, kind-hearted person. And one time she called me. She was doing a road trip up to visit me when I lived out of the States. And as she was driving along, a bird came in her trajectory and she hit the bird. but she, you know, pulled over crying about it, had to call somebody, and that just, I don't know, really shows like that level of sweet sensitivity. In 2017, Maggie Long was a senior at Platte Canyon High School and a straight-A student. She was involved in a ton of extracurricular activities. She spent some time playing softball. She was on the speech and debate team.

8:24she helped her college preparatory government team make state finals, and she was heavily involved in drama at her school, as well as working at the venue theater in the city of Conifer.

9:03Maggie had starred in a variety of productions in the past, but on the night of Thursday, November 30th, 2017, she was prepping for a front-of-house position at her school. The following night, they were holding a concert, and Maggie was in charge of the VIP section. According to her sisters, Maggie stayed up all night baking treats and getting refreshments together as a part of her duties. The next morning, now December 1st, Maggie goes to school like normal. Around 3.30pm, Maggie leaves school and goes home to grab the treats and refreshments, as well as change her clothes. She tells her classmates she'll be right back.

9:43It's about a 20-minute drive from the school to her home, so Maggie was expected back about an hour or so later. But Maggie didn't come back, and the show went on without her. Now, this immediately concerned her teachers, friends, and her sister Connie who was sitting in the audience. Obviously, everyone was trying to call Maggie, but she didn't answer her phone. All of this is extremely out of character for her. Connie says that she just kept staring at the auditorium door, waiting for Maggie to enter at any moment. But again, that didn't happen. After just having a very bad feeling about Maggie not being there, Connie leaves the concert to go to her family's home, arriving just after 7pm.

10:29Now, I am about to dive deep into this timeline, and not everything makes total sense, so stick with me here. By the time Connie arrives, things are already chaotic at the long home. Shortly before Connie arrived at 7.01pm, the Park County Sheriff's Office is dispatched to the Long residence after receiving a 911 call from the tenant in the attic apartment above the main home. The tenant, who has never been named, states that they could hear one or more people downstairs arguing, throwing things, and trying to set the house on fire. This tenant refuses to leave the apartment. Officers arrive on scene right around 7.12pm.

11:13And by 7.14pm, they reported seeing flames coming from the garage. While the fire department began putting out the flames, officers began running the plates of the vehicles at the residence. One vehicle belongs to the tenant, and the other was Maggie's car, but registered to her father. Now, this entire time, while they're putting out the fire, the tenant is still in their apartment above the home, terrified to come out. At 7.30pm, Heather Long receives a call from the tenant saying that they heard a loud bang, and then the lights went out. Heather was working at her restaurant, Derek Tai, and ultimately decided to send the restaurant manager over to the house to make sure everything was okay, while Heather stayed back and continued running the restaurant.

12:01But the manager who takes Heather's car can't even get to the house due to how many emergency responders were at the scene. So the manager calls Heather and says she needs to get home now. Heather doesn't have a car at this point, but luckily a couple that was dining at the restaurant offered to give her a ride. At 7.49pm, the fire department relays to dispatch that they were attempting to make entry into a barricaded room. It's unknown exactly which room of the house this was. At 7.53pm, a deputy tells dispatch that there were firearms in the home, and some appeared to be missing. At 7.58pm, dispatch is asked to send a detective to the scene.

12:45Finally, at 8pm, the tenant leaves the apartment through a back entrance with their cat in hand. At 8.12pm, the fire is completely extinguished. It seems that the fire was pretty serious in some parts of the home, but with it being such a large home, and since the tenant felt safer locked in an apartment above a fire, I have to imagine it didn't get that close to where they were. At 8.40pm, a deputy asks dispatch, quote, do we have an age on the daughter yet? End quote. At 8.48pm, the fire department tells dispatch that this has now become an arson investigation. At 9.03pm, a victim's assistant from the sheriff's office is dispatched to the scene.

13:32Around this same time, one of Maggie's sisters posts on Facebook saying Maggie is missing. But when the family told police that they wanted to go search for Maggie, officers at the scene told them it wasn't necessary. This is where things get very confusing in the investigation. Ultimately, Maggie's body was found in the house. She'd been burned alive. I don't know for sure what happened at the scene between law enforcement and the family, but it seems like they were pretty sure they found Maggie in the fire, and they were just waiting for official confirmation before telling the family 100 % that it was her.

14:11I mean, I get it. If the police tell me they believe my 17-year-old daughter was in the fire but can't tell me 100 % that her body was found, I'd want people out there looking for her. But I have no explanation for what the police tell the public over the next week or so.

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15:40Now, while all this was happening, Maggie's father was actually in California for business. He was looking at acquiring an apartment complex out there. But once he heard what happened, he grabbed the next flight home and arrived around 2 a.m. on Saturday morning. At 9.58 a.m., a Park County coroner was sent to the Long home. For most of the day, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation was collecting evidence from the home, while interviews were being conducted at the Bailey substation. It also appears that DNA was collected during some of these interviews. Later that day, the Park County Sheriff's Office announced that there were no search parties being organized for Maggie Long.

16:20On their Facebook page, they stated, Quote,

16:34This post was later deleted. On Sunday, Oscar Contreras at Channel 7 Denver News ran an article with the headline, quote, Teen 17 Missing Since Friday in Park County. Arson reported at her home during disappearance, end quote. In the article, it states that deputies are asking for the public's help in finding Maggie Long, saying they were focusing on her communications between 2.30pm and 8pm on Friday. Then on Monday, a judge signs a gag order for all officials involved in Maggie's case. Everything goes silent for a few days. Then on December 7th, the gag order was lifted, almost a week after the fire.

17:19The sheriff's office finally announces that Maggie's body was found in the fire, and her death was ruled a homicide. This is when the majority of Maggie's friends found out that she wasn't missing. Flowers and letters for Maggie were left at her family's restaurant and liquor store, and a candlelight vigil was held at the Platte Canyon Community Church. Now, when the police announced that this was now a homicide investigation, they reiterate to the public that there is no reason to believe that the community is in danger, explicitly saying that there is no threat to the public at this time. However, at 4.40pm, they released the following bolo, or be on the lookout, stating, quote, The bolo is going to be for a late model 90s to 2000 light-colored minivan, possibly driven by a white male in his 20s.

18:13Homicide occurred during an arson, and the suspect driver may have some flash burns, as well as taking gasoline from the house, a large case, AK-47, 2 ,000 rounds of ammo of.762, and a 9mm Beretta. Please advise, the subject is considered armed and extremely dangerous." This bolo was sent to major media outlets all throughout Colorado. The thing is, they didn't actually mean to do that. This bolo was apparently supposed to stay within law enforcement agencies working the case. But it's too late. The media runs with the bolo just like they're supposed to. The Sheriff's Office would later release the following statement regarding this situation.

19:02Quote, We did issue a bolo, but it was not intended for public consumption. It was supposed to go through a confidential law enforcement source. I can't confirm what the news stations are reporting. It's quite disruptive to our investigation. Because of the problems that has caused, we're going to have to reconvene the task force and decide how information for a public clarification will be crafted. End quote. But again, it's too late. Rumors began to swirl online about why and how Maggie was murdered. And people were, in my opinion, rightfully scared for their safety based on the bolo. Things really go quiet for a while after this.

19:47On January 18, 2018, the Sheriff's Office announces a$15 ,000 reward for information about Maggie's murder. It wouldn't be until February 7 that the Park County Sheriff's Office, along with federal investigators, hold their first official press conference about Maggie's case. In the beginning of the conference, officials just kind of go over everything that's happened so far and address some of the more confusing aspects of the investigation. They say that they waited to tell the public that Maggie's body was found until she was positively identified They also state that it appears a burglary was taking place that day And they won't be releasing Maggie's autopsy report while the investigation continues They address the gag order Saying it was a preventative measure to ensure the public didn't receive information that might only be known to the perpetrators They add that although there have been no arrests, immense progress has been made in the case.

20:48After this, they discuss some of the items stolen from the home and show pictures of similar items in hopes that the items and perpetrators can be tracked down. We already know from the BOLO that some guns and ammo were taken from the home. But at this press conference, they add that some jade figurines and a green gun safe were also taken from the property. Then a representative from the FBI announces that they are upping the reward to$20 ,000. He adds that it's very likely that someone out there has encountered the perpetrator or perpetrators. He goes over the regular things, asking the public to look out for unusual behavior.

21:26Maybe somebody missed an appointment that day, changed their appearance, has an unusual interest in the case, those types of things. Then they hand it back over to the sheriff to answer questions, and things really heat up. Again, thank you all for coming. I'm going to take a few questions. Keep in mind, I'm limited on what I can say, but I do want to give you an opportunity. Sheriff, there were some DNA samples that were collected around the community. After those DNA samples were collected, is there anything that you can tell us that was gathered from that evidence that was gathered here in the Bay Area?

22:06I can't speak about the results of the DNA that were collected, but what I can say is that it wasn't done randomly. It was done randomly. It wasn't done. I think some of the comments I heard was we were going up there, going door to door, just collecting DNA. That was incorrect. You had specific individuals we wanted to speak with, and those samples were collected. Was it productive in any way, would you say? Well, it's gathering evidence, and that's what we need to be doing. A lot of times you just don't know on that for a while, speaking on behalf of CBI. You gather that, and sometimes it's for elimination purposes, and there's a lot of different reasons to gather that.

22:48Sometimes it's just in advance of what you might find later on. Sheriff, can you speak to your... Go ahead, Aaron. Go ahead. Go ahead, Aaron. When was Maggie's body found? What date?

23:04December 1st. Go ahead. Can you just speak to the decision to wait to this point to hold a public forum to address the media? It seems like there was a bolo that went out that mentioned missing guns. That was two months ago. Why are you picking today to ask the public for help when they probably could have helped two months ago? You know, I think a lot of it had to do with the amount of information that we were processing. We were being very careful on what we had, on what we were sifting through, and we wanted to give our investigators an opportunity to go through that.

23:48Yes, I would say we would like to have gotten out earlier, but there was a reason why we had to wait. Sure. Can you explain to the community why one of your deputies lied to them? Well, give me an example. They said there was no body found at the house.

24:10Well, I don't think they purposely lied. We didn't want to say exactly who it was until we had an opportunity for the coroner's office. I understand we won't say who it was, but you should have said that there was a body found on scene. Well, like I said, we made our comments, so we'll live with that. Thank you. Sure. Yes, ma 'am. Can you tell me if the Long family is cooperating fully with the investigation? You are correct. They are. To ask and add to her question. Sure. Has the Long family indicated to you in any sense that whoever did this might be known to them? How would someone know that there's a safe with those weapons?

24:50and I would imagine jade objects that are fairly expensive. When they're targeted, they know the people who might have done this. The Long family's been very cooperative this entire time, and we've been working with them. Were there video cameras in the home that would have seen any of this or captured any images of the suspect? Can't comment to that. Sheriff, can we go back to that bolo? That information was broadcast and picked up by media outlets. There was some confusion there if that was supposed to be released or not and kind of what happened with that. Is it safe to say that the information that was included in that bolo is still valid today with a description of a person that you were wanting to look at in a vehicle description?

25:39Other information in that bolo seems to still be accurate. that description of a green gun case or safe, firearms that were listed, that information still seems to be accurate. So is the rest of that information in the BOLO still accurate? You're right. That was not supposed to be released. That was something that was supposed to go out to law enforcement sensitive. So we have to eat that. We have not been able to confirm that, so I don't want to say anything more about it. but it was our mistake. Yes, ma 'am. What's the difference between releasing these images and not telling us how the autopsy report is out today but you still are not releasing it to the media?