Authorities announce four more arrests in connection with Louvre robbery
Authorities have released a statement saying four more people have been arrested in connection with the Louvre robbery, and $102 million worth of royal jewels remain missing.
Since 17-year-old Maggie Long was murdered, her family has had to endure painful memories that come every December.
The day she passed away was December 1st. And her birthday is December 17th. And a week later it’s Christmas.
This week marks the eighth anniversary of Maggie’s death in Bailey, a small Colorado community nestled in the Rocky Mountains about 80 miles southwest of Denver. The girl died in a fire that investigators believe thwarted a robbery at her parents’ home on Dec. 1, 2017.
Maggie is survived by her parents, two older sisters, and a younger brother.
A task force working on solving cold cases this week distributed photos of McGee and potential suspects in hopes of finding new clues and solving the case. They also want the public to know they are not giving up.
“Sometimes with cold cases, there’s this assumption that not much happens,” Audrey Simkins, an investigator with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation who has been working on the case since 2019, told USA TODAY. “However, it is important for people to know that we are meeting regularly regarding this case and are still peeling back layers that may bring some answers to the family.”
Here’s what you need to know about Maggie’s death, including who the promising teenager was and the biggest questions plaguing investigators as they struggle to solve it.
What happened to Maggie Long?
It was December 1, 2017, and Maggie Long left school early to go home to buy snacks for that day’s student concert.
Her two older sisters and younger brother were still in school, and her parents were busy managing the family’s local Chinese restaurant. However, no one was at Maggie’s house when she arrived.
Investigators believe she interfered with the robbery. It’s unclear exactly what happened between Maggie and the thieves, but they ended up setting her and the house on fire. They then fled with stolen property, including jade figurines, a safe, a Beretta pistol, an AK-47-style rifle and 2,000 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
Maggie’s frightened family had to wait outside while investigators surveyed the damage and eventually discovered her body.
Investigators released sketches of the three suspects. Eight years later, investigators still don’t know who they are and have far more questions than answers.
“Why and how?” said Simkins, the investigator who worked on McGee’s case for six years as part of a 20-member task force that included the FBI. “How did they know about that house, why was it a target, and how did Maggie end up in the middle of it? How do we go from interrupting the robbery to getting this poor girl burned?”
Who is Maggie Long?
Maggie was a bright and cheerful senior at Platte Canyon High School. The high school has fewer than 200 students this year, with just 44 in the senior class. She was in student government and drama club, and starred as Cogsworth the Clock in “Beauty and the Beast.” She “probably would have gone on to do great things,” Simkins said.
Maggie had planned to distribute food to the poor on her birthday in the month she died, she said, adding that friends and family eventually did it on her behalf in her memory. “It comes down to what kind of person she was,” Simkins said.
Maggie’s sister Connie told Colorado Public Radio in 2022 that she was going through Maggie’s belongings on the anniversary of her death. That year, she discovered something that will stay with her forever.
“I opened her computer and found a note she had written to herself when she turned 18,” Connie said. “The main message she was giving herself was, ‘Whatever you decide to do with your life, just be a good person.'”
Maggie’s other sister, Rinna, posted a memorial video made by Maggie’s fellow theater students on Facebook in 2022, saying it was her way of remembering her sister forever. “Have fun, give it your all, sing your heart out, make others laugh, spread joy…I miss you every day.”
Maggie’s death not only devastated her loved ones, but also her small high school class and rural community.
“It was a big deal for them,” Simkins said. “At first they wondered who did this. And are they still in the community? And the fact that Maggie was the victim at such an innocent age makes it even worse. … They’ve never forgotten this incident.”
Colorado Bureau of Investigation spokesman Rob Lowe added that he recently spoke with a Colorado Bureau of Investigation crime scene technician who lives in Bailey. “And every time I go to church, people ask me, ‘When is this going to be solved?'”
Why did Maggie Long’s family criticize the investigation?
McGee’s family and friends have criticized the investigation, especially in its early stages.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office, the local law enforcement agency that first investigated the incident, initially told the family not to speak to the media about the incident. And in an even more unusual move, a judge issued a gag order barring authorities from discussing the matter publicly.
A news release announcing the incident did not go out until about six weeks after her death, which gave the suspect enough time to flee and may have prevented potential witnesses from coming forward in a timely manner, the family told Colorado Public Radio in 2022.
Simkins, who was not investigating the case when those decisions were made, said she understands the family’s frustration, but “I don’t know what the investigators were facing at the time those decisions were made.”
“It’s easy to second-guess what happened a long time ago. … Whenever you have an incident that goes on for a period of time, it’s easy to look back and start poking holes in the past,” she said. “Certainly, it may not be the way we would deal with it now, or even then…but it’s hard to say.”
Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw did not respond to multiple messages from USA TODAY regarding the incident.
In 2021, less than five years into the case, the FBI announced a new possible motive. Investigators said this was a possible hate crime and that the Long family may have been targeted because they are Chinese-Vietnamese.
While the announcement garnered attention and some hints, no evidence has emerged to support this theory. Simkins said by all accounts the Long family was well-liked and valued in the community.
What now?
Long’s family continues to mourn her death and hope that someday justice will be served, and investigators continue to investigate.
There is a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Maggie Long Task Force tip line at 303-239-4243 or maggie.long.tips@state.co.us. Callers can be anonymous.
In a news release on the eighth anniversary of Maggie’s death, McGraw said investigators “believe there is someone out there who knows something that could solve this case and bring some measure of justice to Maggie’s family and the Bailey community.”
“It may only take one person to help us with our investigation, and we are determined to bring closure to one of Colorado’s highest-profile cold cases.”
Simkins said solving Maggie’s case is one of her top priorities.
“She was a special young woman,” she said. “We hope that someday we will have answers as to what happened to her.”
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter covering cold case investigations and capital punishment for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.
