Park County law enforcement marks 5-year anniversary of Maggie Long's murder

O'Dell Isaac, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·2 min read

Nov. 30—Five years after the brutal murder of a Park County teenager, law enforcement officials continue their efforts to find her killers, including offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to their capture, according to a Wednesday news release from the Park County Sheriff's Department.

On Dec. 1, 2017, fire crews found the body of Maggie Long, 17, when they responded to reports of a fire at her home in Bailey. Park County investigators believe Long may have been purposely set on fire and burned alive by as many as three assailants.

According to the FBI, evidence suggests there was a "physical altercation" between Long and her killers, who took an AK-47-style rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a green safe and jade figurines from the home.

The Maggie Long Task Force, composed of county, state and federal law enforcement personnel, said the killers appear to have spent "a significant amount of time in the house" with Long.

"While 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 the people responsible for Maggie's death, we renew our commitment to her family and the Bailey community on this somber anniversary — and beyond — in our quest for justice in this case," Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw said in a statement.

Sign up for free: Springs AM Update

Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening.

Sign Up

View all of our newsletters.

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

View all of our newsletters.

The task force has been incrementally raising the reward amount, which started at $20,000 in 2018. Composite sketches of the three suspected assailants continue to circulate, and the task force tip line remains active, according to the release.

"Someone has that key piece of information that will lead to the arrest of those responsible for Maggie's murder," said Sheriff McGraw. "We ask that people be bold and come forward to share what they know to help us solve this case."

On Wednesday, task force members will distribute flyers throughout the Bailey community, officials said. They will also be sending postcards to residents and providing information stickers to businesses "that would like to participate in sharing information about this case with their customers," the release stated.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Maggie Long Task Force tip line at 303-239-4243 or email maggie.long.tips@state.co.us. Tipsters may remain anonymous, officials said.