$75,000 reward for information remains in Maggie Long's 7-year-old Colorado cold case
It's been seven years since 17-year-old Maggie Long's body was found in her burned and burglarized home near Bailey, and no suspects have been brought to justice.
DENVER (KDVR) — It's been seven years since 17-year-old Maggie Long's body was found in her burned and burglarized home near Bailey, and no suspects have been brought to justice.
But hope remains that her killer may still be caught.
The case began at about 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, when Park County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to a house fire at 3763 County Road 43 in Bailey, Colorado. Police said that a 911 caller reported people were inside the residence causing damage, including at least one male suspect.
A few days after the fire was extinguished, on Dec. 7, 2017, Long's remains were found in the residence. Later, the El Paso County Coroner's Office ruled her death a homicide.
Maggie Long (Courtesy the FBI Denver) 
Photo: Long family, FBI Denver 
FBI agents and Park County sheriff’s deputies are considering the killing of Maggie Long as a possible hate crime. The surprise announcement brings a new focus into the killing of the 17-year-old whose body was found burned in her home. (Photo: KDVR)
Long was a senior at Platte Canyon High School, where she was last seen that Friday before she is believed to have returned home. She was reported missing after she didn't return to a concert at the school. Her car was found at her home after the fire.
The Long family owned businesses in the town of Bailey, including a Chinese restaurant and a Thai cafe and liquor store off Highway 285.
Investigators say that evidence at the scene indicates that Long and her assailants had been fighting before the fire started. The fire has been classified as arson. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is among the agencies searching for answers to Long's death, and in 2021 said agents were investigating her homicide as a hate crime.
The Park County sheriff and the FBI said that investigators are following leads, and wanted to rule out hate as a reason, although there have been no signs of it in the case. The effort was partly to help bring in additional resources, according to Park County Sheriff Thomas McGraw.
The suspects also stole a Beretta handgun, an AK-47-style rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a green safe and jade figurines.
“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 Park County Sheriff Thomas McGraw in a Colorado Bureau of Investigation release. “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.”
Law enforcement has provided sketches of three suspects in the case. No arrests have been made.
A $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case is offered on behalf of the Park County Sheriff’s Office, Maggie Long’s family, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver Division, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Anyone with information can call the Maggie Long Task Force tip line at 303-239-4243 or email maggie.long.tips@state.co.us. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
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