Canyon Courier: Remains of missing Platte Canyon student identified
The death of 17-year-old Maggie Long has been classified as a homicide
By Sal Christ
Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 12:49 pm (Updated: December 7, 8:27 pm)
Jon Sarche, public information officer for the Colorado Judicial Department, confirmed Thursday afternoon that the gag order has since been lifted. However, he said all documents in the case have been sealed by the court.
An alert sent out to law enforcement agencies across Colorado said a suspect in Long’s death is believed to be a white man in his 20s who was last seen driving north toward Highway 285 in a 1990s to 2000s light-colored minivan. The suspect may have suffered burns and smelled like gasoline.
The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who witnessed any suspicious people, vehicles or activities in the area on Dec. 1 to contact the investigative tip line at 303-239-4243.
PARK COUNTY - A week after they said she was missing, the Park County Sheriff now says Maggie Long was found dead in her burned down home, and they're investigating it as a homicide.
Loved ones learned the news Thursday, and they came together Thursday night to mourn her loss.
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The Park County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the department issued a “be on the lookout,” or BOLO, alert Thursday evening for a suspect in the death of 17-year-old Platte Canyon High School student Maggie Long, but declined to confirm details reported by several Denver TV news stations on the grounds that it would compromise the investigation.
“We did issue a BOLO, but it was not intended for public consumption,” said Undersheriff Dave Wohlers. “It was supposed to go out through a confidential law enforcement source. … I can’t confirm what (the news stations) are reporting – it’s really quite disruptive to our investigation. Because of the problems that has caused, we’re going to have to reconvene the task force and decide how information for a public clarification (on the BOLO) will be crafted.”
Wohlers declined to confirm any details related to the BOLO and instead cautioned the public against taking the description “as solid gospel,” meaning that details in any investigation can change rapidly. He maintained that the department does not believe the community at-large is at risk, despite the details reported by broadcast networks.
Contact reporter Sal Christ at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 303-350-1035.
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A statement from Maggie’s family via Ellen Stoddard-Keyes:
I'm sharing a letter from the family of Maggie Long. This is beautifully written with so much love. Lynna and Connie care about the Bailey community, and especially Maggie's classmates, and encourage people to use the services available. #BaileyStrong #ColoradoCrisisServices
“The fear of death takes away the joy of living.”
Our beloved sister, daughter, granddaughter, cousin, niece, friend, and classmate, Maggie was a joy in all our lives. As many of you are aware, on the night of Friday, December 1, 2017 Maggie moved on from this world.
Our hearts are broken, and this loss has been especially significant knowing the impact that our Maggie had on this small mountain community. We thank everyone in Bailey as well as those in communities near and far that Maggie’s life has touched for their support and love shared.
Our family continues to work with Park County Sheriff’s Office and extended agencies; we want to thank them for their tremendous efforts. We are all committed to seeking justice for Maggie.
To the Bailey community, please report any suspicious vehicles, individuals or activities along County Road 43 in Bailey, CO on December 1, 2017 to the investigative tip line at: (303) 239-4243.
To those who have respected our privacy and will continue to respect our privacy as we mourn, we are grateful. In the coming days, we will have arrangements for a celebration of life for Maggie and will make announcements as those plans are finalized.
Thank you everyone for sharing your strength and kind thoughts with us,
The Long Family
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Exclusive: the audio of the Be On The Look Out (BOLO) alert that went out over the scanner on December 7, 2017 for a suspect in the Long home arson and homicide investigation of Maggie Long.
From Connie Long: Please share and join us as we celebrate my little sister's life.
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KUSA - Park County sheriff’s investigators have no suspect in the homicide investigation of 17-year-old Platte Canyon High School student Maggie Long – despite a statewide police alert on Thursday evening that indicated otherwise, 9Wants to Know has learned.
“If we knew who we were looking for, we would broadcast it from every corner,” Park County Undersheriff Dave Wohlers told 9Wants to Know. “We have an army of people working on a bunch of [tips] at this point.”
At the same time, Wohlers said that the task force believes some weapons may be missing from the girl’s family home, including an AK47 rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition and a 9mm Beretta handgun. It is also believed a large green safe may have been stolen.
The Park County community is shaken and worried that the teen's killer is still out there.
FOX31's Mike Landess spoke with what a former FBI profiler to shed some light on the early stages of the investigation.
No Suspects Arrested In Teen's Murder
CBS Denver
Published on Dec 8, 2017
Missing 17-year-old Bailey girl Maggie Long found dead inside of burned home, sheriff says
Denver7 – The Denver Channel
Published on Dec 7, 2017
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BAILEY, Colo. -- For the first time since 17-year-old Maggie Long was found dead inside her burned home, the Park County Sheriff's Office has spoken about the incident.
Sheriff's office chaplain Leo Suazo said the community is rocked by all of this.
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Sal Christ @decriture 23 minutes ago
UPDATE in the #MaggieLong case: I can confirm that both the ATF and the FBI are involved and assisting @parkcosheriff and CBI in the investigation.
Also, apparently lying to the public/media by deliberately sharing false information is not only perfectly acceptable, but "standard practice" as part of a "cat-and-mouse game" w/ suspects, per Undersheriff Dave Wohlers.
(highlighting is my own - SC)
Regardless of what law enforcement says, regardless of whether it's supposedly done to protect the integrity of an investigation, LYING to the public and/or media IS NOT OKAY.
www.canyoncourier.com/content/she-will-be-greatly-missed
Also, please consider donating to the @gofundme that's been launched to help #MaggieLong's family with her memorial service. Any excess funds will be donated to the Venue Theatre in Conifer where Maggie was very involved.
www.gofundme.com/maggielongmemorial
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
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Last edit: 14 Dec 2017 14:08 by ScienceChic. Reason: added highlight to important sentence in image
A ray of sunshine gone too soon
Dear Maggie,
I didn’t know you, but, by all accounts, you were a ray of sunshine. That’s obvious.
The social media posts that popped up in the days after your disappearance and those that somberly appeared last Thursday after the Park County Sheriff’s Office confirmed your passing characterized the person you truly were to friends and family.
There is no possible way to list all those who you’ve meant so much to, but one said person is Shaely Folger. You and the 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Colorado Denver had known each other for 14 years. Shaely may have graduated from Platte Canyon High School in 2016, but that didn’t deter a friendship that has lasted since you were students at Deer Creek Elementary and later Fitzsimmons Middle School.
You grew up together in Bailey. You’ve been a part of each other’s lives forever.
Shaely and I exchanged messages last week, and she told me about your friendship and just what you meant to her.
Michael Hicks is editor for Evergreen Newspapers. He can be reached at 303-350-1039 or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Canyon Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Evergreen, CO, and the surrounding area.
www.canyoncourier.com
Subscribe
to help support your local news!
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
