Hello,
I am the editor of The Fairplay Flume, the weekly paper of record in Park County.
I have been working this story from my end. I monitored the radio traffic of the whole incident coming down, and I kept note of other actions taking place during the next three days.
It's obvious that LE is not releasing much info, that's the game we always play. They know, I have to find out so I can inform the public. I know more about this than the Denver broadcast people know, but I am keeping a lot to myself right now.
It was The Flume that first reported the content of the initial 911 call. That call was made from an attic apartment, above the rear of the house. The apartment sits over the Long's kitchen area and the living room downstairs.
I know who made the call. The person is probably not a suspect, but that person is keeping a low profile, I have not been able to speak to him, although I have leads to other people in his social circle.
There is a number of things that have been said on this thread that is wrong. Mainly because a lot of you are even further removed from local sources. So I would like to help you out with things I can talk about.
This statement from above, "IMO the perp knew what he was after and Maggie got in the way. It seems to me that the guns and ammunition plus whatever was in the safe was the target. I suspect this was premeditated" is partly wrong.
Nothing ever reported that a safe was missing from the house. Here is the body of the BOLO, although there was more at the top of the BOLO and at the end.
"The bolo is going to be for a late model 90s to 2000 light colored mini van, possibly driven by a white male in his 20s. Homicide occurred during an arson and the suspect driver may have some flash burns
as well as gasoline taken from the house, a large case, AK47, 2000 rounds of ammo of 7.62 and a 9mm Beretta. Please advise the subject is considered armed and extremely dangerous."
The item mentioned is "a large case," not a safe.
The BOLO does not mention a "stolen van."
Maggie did not own the guns, this was her parents house, she lived there, the weapons probably belonged to the family.
The BOLO was not meant to be broadcasted to Denver police, it was a bulletin for CIAC. It was a mistake that it went out the way it did.
I have audio of the complete BOLO.
The Long's own at least four businesses in Park County, not two and county records show at least seven properties (some land).
Everything that I have been able to release to the public can be found in these articles ...
Platte Canyon High School student missing after fire in family home
Sheriff’s Office short on information into Maggie Long’s disappearance
High school student Maggie Long’s body identified from house fire, Sheriff’s Office is treating case as a homicide.
To add some confirmation, yes, Maggie's car was on the property. They knew they had a body that night, but CBI had to identify the remains. The fire did not gut the house, it was contained around a kitchen/hallway area and when up into the attic apartment. There is one small hole in the roof, which can be seen in some helicopter shots taken by the Denver (I call them "downhill") broadcast media.
There is one thing I want to point out. Your member "Zchick" has posted some things here and some of what she/he posted jives with info that I have (but not published). I sent her/him a PM with my home phone number, asking her/him to call me, I think together we can help inform the public of what happened. I have had no phone call or an answer to my PM, which is her/his prerogative.
I'm still working my end.There will probably be two articles in the paper next Thursday (remember, we're a weekly), one that concentrates on Maggie and the community and the other with anything I can release about the incident.
