2017 Murder Reclassified as a Hate Crime

In 2017, 17-year-old Maggie Long was murdered in her house. Park County Sherriff Tom McGraw has now reclassified the murder as a hate crime, a move that may allow a spike in the resources allotted to the case. He did not provide specific details about the evidence that led to the reclassification but changing the angle of the investigation may shine some light on who Long’s murderers are and what their motives were.

According to investigators, on December 1, 2017, Long left Platte Canyon High School to pick up water and cookies for a concert she was helping organize. She stopped at her family’s home off County Road 43 and soon after, was attacked by at least three but possibly four men. Her assailants stole jade figurines, a green safe, a 9 mm pistol, an AK-47-style rifle, and 2,000 rounds of ammunition. Then they set the house on fire, burning Long alive.

Long’s sisters, Connie and Lynna Long, who have been following up on the case since the murder, are optimistic about the reclassification, believing that the facts of the case align with the nature of the crime. “Her race, her gender, all of those are contributing factors, for why these perpetrators thought it was okay to do that to her. (It was a) crime committed against an Asian American woman,” Lynna Long said in a statement, urging the community to come forward with any information they have.

So far there have been no arrests made and there isn’t a suspects list either. However, witnesses with tips, helpful information, or knowledge about what happened on the day of the murder can phone in this information at 303-239-4243. Reward money amounting to $75,000 will be offered to anyone with helpful information that leads to an arrest.