PARK COUNTY — Monday marks eight years since a teenager was burned alive inside of her Bailey home and investigators are holding onto hope that the cold case will be solved one day.
Seventeen-year-old Maggie Long was a high school senior when she came home from Platte Canyon High School on Dec. 1, 2017.
According to the Park County Sheriff, Long was heading home to pick up some baked goods she intended to bring to a school event. Previous reporting from Denver7 said Long went home to change clothes.
Investigators believe Long walked into her home and found a burglary in progress.
"She was held by these individuals for several hours," said Park County Sheriff Tom McGraw. “As they were leaving, they took her, they took her into her bedroom, and they poured an accelerant over her body while she was still alive, and then they lit her on fire, and then they left the house partially burnt.”
Deputies with the Park County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a house fire at 3763 County Road 43 near Bailey around 7 p.m. McGraw, who became sheriff in 2019, said the first responders initially treated the scene as an arson or accidental fire case, before they found Long's remains.
"I think there are some mistakes made. I think that the actual investigation, there was, it was done properly, but I think there were some mistakes made at the scene here initially. I don't think that those mistakes that were made have anything to do with us not having somebody in custody at this time," said McGraw. “You can look back in hindsight and say that, you know, 'We should have done a better job on this or that,' but I don't think that that the job that was done has hindered the investigation at this point.”
The FBI is investigating Long's death as a hate crime.
A January 2019 announcement by several law enforcement agencies revealed Long was burned alive inside her family's home.
"Having somebody say that a young, 17-year-old woman was burned to death, that's a horrific way to die, and we hope that it would generate some interest from the public to give us information about who these horrible people were that did this," McGraw said about the 2019 announcement. “There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that somebody knows something about this incident. More than likely it is the father, the mother, husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend of these individuals that committed this crime, and hopefully they have some moral standards where they will give us the information that they have about what happened.”
Authorities believe three suspects are responsible for Long's murder. They have not been identified or located.
"We believe it was three males inside the house. There's been different reports of maybe there was a female also somewhere here in the area. But we're pretty confident at least two or three males were involved in it," McGraw said.
Sketches of the suspects were drawn and distributed to the public, but McGraw does not believe those are still reliable.
“It's been eight years, so those sketches and what people look like now is totally different. So, the sketches at the time were probably important. Now, maybe not so much," said McGraw.
An investigative analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Audrey Simkins, said they are examining the case with new investigative techniques.
"Really just digging into everything that we have had for all this time and making sure that nothing has been missed or overlooked, and then looking to kind of close some of those gaps," said Simkins. "I think it's one of the things that makes it [the case] so frustrating, is just trying to piece together how it happened, what does that timeline look like, and then looking for additional information and folks that we may be able to talk to. Because it's such a remote area, it's been difficult to even kind of put some of those pieces together.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the suspects stole a Beretta handgun, an AK-47-style rifle, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, a gun safe and jade figurines.
"I have a hard time of believing that the individuals responsible for this case are local people. I think that there's a strong possibility that they're from out of the area, they saw a residence — an opportunity to go and commit the crime and try and locate some valuable property — and she walked in on it," McGraw said. "I would love for somebody to come forward and give some information about the case. But except for that aspect of it, it's being worked hard. There's a lot of hours being spent on this case. I am spending money on this case for my investigators to go out. They have been going across the United States talking to people.”
Maggie Long's body was found Dec. 1, 2017, after a house fire in Bailey, CO. Her death was ruled a homicide, and the FBI continues to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to her killers. Get details and reward posters in Chinese here: https://t.co/mugZMkypZ5 pic.twitter.com/veOih017SK
— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) December 1, 2025
McGraw feels strongly that the case is being worked properly.
"CBI has been a big help for us to be able to send some of their people with them. We have sent some of our investigators with them. They're gone for three or four days at a time, but you know, it's what we have to do,” she said.
After 43 years in law enforcement, McGraw is confident that one day, Long's case will be closed.
"I feel good about this case," said McGraw. “It's not one of those cold cases that you see sitting on the shelf, gathering dust... I think it will be solved.”
As of Monday morning, those with CBI tell Denver7 the Maggie Long Task Force tip line has received nearly 500 tips.
“Certainly, if we can figure out who is responsible for this, that is the biggest thing that we would like to accomplish in her memory," Simkins said.
A $75,000 reward is being offered for information that leads investigators to a resolution of the case. The reward is on behalf of the Park County Sheriff’s Office, Long’s family, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI Denver Division, and CBI.
The Maggie Long Task Force tip line can be reached at (303) 239-4243. Or, individuals can email maggie.long.tips@state.co.us. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
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