PARK COUNTY, Colo. — Authorities are offering a $75,000 reward for information in the 2017 murder of a high school senior in Bailey.
Deputies with the Park County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a house fire at 3763 County Road 43 in Bailey around 7 p.m. on December 1, 2017. The 911 caller reported that people were inside the home causing damage.
After firefighters extinguished the fire, they discovered the remains of 17-year-old Maggie Long.
According to the sheriff's office, Long came home from Platte Canyon High School to change clothes when she walked in on a burglary in progress. A fight took place between Long and her assailants before the fire started. A January 2019 announcement by several law enforcement agencies said she was burned alive inside her family's home.
“Our quest for justice for Maggie remains steadfast,” said Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw. “The dedicated members of the Maggie Long Task Force, including the Park County Sheriff’s Office, the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and our state and federal partners have never stopped the search for those responsible for Maggie’s death and will continue to follow every lead until we find resolution in this case.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the suspects stole a Beretta handgun, an AK-47-style rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a gun safe and jade figurines.
Authorities believe three suspects are responsible for Long's murder. They have not been identified or located.
Officials 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.
The FBI is investigating Long's death as a hate crime.
A $75,000 reward is being offered for information about Long's death on behalf of her family, the Park County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI Denver Division and Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
“As we’ve stated previously, someone has that key piece of information that will lead to the arrest of those responsible for Maggie’s murder,” said Sheriff McGraw. “It will take one person with one piece of information that will help our investigative team bring resolution to this case for Maggie, her family and the Bailey community.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Maggie Long Task Force tipline at 303-239-4243 or email maggie.long.tips@state.co.us. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
