The FBI and deputies in Parker County, Colorado, are considering the murder of Maggie Long as a possible hate crime, according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.
Three and a half years ago, a young girl of Chinese descent was set on fire and burned alive in her Colorado home. The case has haunted investigators.
But now, with the federal government focusing on a series of attacks against Asians, the case of the 2017 killing of teenager Maggie Long (ph) is being investigated as a hate crime, a local sheriff and one of the victim’s sisters said in an interview Tuesday.
They said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently informed them that the investigation was expanded to consider the possibility that the 17-year-old high school student’s killing was racially motivated.
“They’ve reclassified it as a hate crime,” said Sheriff Tom McGraw of Parker County, Colorado.
Maggie Long was found dead in her burned-out home in 2017. KDVR.
Sheriff McGraw referred further questions about the hate crime aspect of the investigation to the FBI, which confirmed in a statement Wednesday that “the Maggie Long murder is being investigated as a potential hate crime.”
“The FBI is committed to combating hate crimes and condemns acts of violence against any individual or group.” Michael Schneider, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Denver, said in a statement. “We appreciate the community’s support for Maggie’s family and their patience with the ongoing investigation.”
The FBI said it is seeking information from the public, such as people or vehicles seen near Maggie’s home at the time of her killing. the FBI said it is offering a $75,000 reward for information that could help lead to an arrest and conviction.
Maggie’s sister, Connie Long (ph), said in an interview Tuesday that an FBI investigator told her the decision to treat the case as a hate crime was motivated by a strategy that could bring law enforcement more money and resources needed to solve the case. It was not the result of a specific development in the case, she said.
“With all the media attention on anti-Asian hate in America, there is a new perspective on our case.” Connie Long, 27, said. “It’s definitely a new angle that could lead to new answers.”
The development occurred the week the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill aimed at strengthening Asian protections. Asians have been increasingly targeted since the new crown epidemic began.
The Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Act passed the Senate last month and is expected to be signed by President Biden soon. The bill creates a position in the Justice Department to improve the efficiency of hate crime reviews and broaden reporting channels.
Authorities said police were called to Maggie Long’s home in the mountain town of Berry, about 45 miles southwest of Denver, on the night of Dec. 1, 2017, for a fire in the house. Emergency responders reported receiving a 911 call about someone causing damage inside the home.
As firefighters extinguished the blaze, they found Maggie’s remains, authorities said, adding that they found evidence of a struggle.
A Beretta pistol, 2,000 rounds of ammunition for an AK-47-type rifle and some jade carvings were stolen, according to the FBI office in Denver, which released a composite image of the faces of three male suspects in November 2019.
Maggie’s sister said her parents were born in a Chinese community in northern Vietnam and fled to the United States during the Vietnam War. They owned two Chinese restaurants and a liquor store in the area.
The night Maggie died, she went home to pick up some snacks and refreshments to take to a high school concert. She had been in charge of the VIP lounge. She did not appear at the concert.
Connie Long said she hadn’t considered at the time that killing Maggie was racially motivated, but she said her family had become acutely aware that few people in the town looked like them.
“Personally, I never thought of it that way,” she said. “I don’t think of it as a hate crime or blatant racism. We do think about the reasons for our culture.”
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