American Activist Abducted and Killed in Columbia After Connecting With Woman He Met on Social Media

A Minnesota man was kidnapped and later found murdered in Colombia after allegedly meeting up with a woman he connected with on social media.

Tou Ger Xiong, 50, had reportedly traveled to the South American country to spend the holidays. He arrived in Medellín on Nov. 29 before coming into contact with the woman, according to a local newspaper El Colombiano, via the New York Post. The pair had planned to meet on Dec. 10 but instead Xiong was attacked and kidnapped by a group of men.

His brother, Eh Xiong, who says that Tou Ger regularly traveled to Colombia, told KSTP-TV News that he last heard from his sibling on Sunday night when he reached out to ask for $2,000 while on the trip, but never confirmed if he got the money.

After not hearing back for hours, Eh contacted a friend of his brother's in Columbia who told him that Tou Ger had called him saying he was being “held at gunpoint" and that he had then filed a police report. Eh likewise reached out to the U.S. Embassy and to the offices of Sen. Tina Smith and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. But tragically, Xiong’s body was later found in a ravine in Corcovado National Park with over a dozen stab wounds. He also suffered multiple bruises likely caused by a fall from over 60 feet.

"They found some clothes, blood, you know, on the bag, and they were able to confiscate that and apprehend one of the suspects," Eh told the outlet.

Local law enforcement confirmed that Xiong had been murdered before a payment was made to the suspects, and an investigation was opened to determine whether his death had been the result of an escape attempt. Hours before authorities were contacted, police had been called to the residence Xiong had been staying over reports of a woman was taking items from the premises, however she left before she could be questioned.

Xiong, who was named a fellow of the Bush Foundation in 2019, was described as a "Hmong American storyteller, artist, and activist [who] shares his personal stories across the country to build cultural competency and address racial discrimination." On his personal website, he detailed how his family had to flee his native Laos after the communist takeover in 1975.

After spending four years in a refugee camp in Thailand, Xiong's family immigrated to the United States, where his childhood was spent in the public housing projects of St. Paul. He later graduated valedictorian from Humboldt High School in 1992, and went on to receive a degree in political science from Carleton College in Northfield, MN.

"He would drive from here to Wisconsin to Milwaukee to Madison to help people, on his own expense. He does that kind of stuff," Eh recalled. "It’s kind of funny how I don’t even feel like he’s really gone yet. Right? I feel like at any moment now he could be knocking on the door."

After news of Xiong's death reached the United States, Sen. Klobuchar issued a statement. "This is a heartbreaking tragedy," Klobuchar said. "Tou Ger was an incredible person who was constantly working to uplift his community. My office is in contact with Tou Ger’s family and the embassy in Colombia as they work to bring his body back to Minnesota. My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time."