BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian officials revealed the arrest and incarceration of three individuals in connection to the abduction and murder of Tou Ger Xiong, a Hmong American comedian and activist. Xiong was discovered deceased near Medellín after arranging to meet a woman he had connected with through social media.
The Prosecutor’s Office declared that two men and a woman have been charged with aggravated kidnapping for extortion and aggravated homicide in the death of Tou Ger Xiong. The suspects denied the charges during a hearing, according to the statement. Additionally, a minor who confessed to participating in the crime was also charged and transferred to a special detention center for minors.
The U.S. Embassy in Bogota had issued a warning about Colombian criminals utilizing dating apps to entrap victims for assaults and robberies. The embassy reported being aware of eight suspicious deaths of U.S. citizens in Medellín in the final two months of 2023, with several involving online dating apps.
According to the Bush Foundation, Xiong was a Hmong American comedian who utilized his personal experiences to confront racial discrimination. Xiong had arrived in Medellín on Nov. 29 as a tourist, and 12 days later, his body was found with signs of violence in the Robledo area, located northwest of Medellín.
A report from the Colombian forensic science institute, cited by the Prosecutor’s Office, determined that Xiong died from injuries inflicted by a blunt object. The Prosecutor’s Office reconstructed the events, stating that Xiong was held against his will by multiple individuals on the night of Dec. 10 in an apartment in Robledo. During his captivity, he was restrained, tortured, beaten, and robbed of his credit cards, cellphone, cash, and a watch.
The sectional director of the prosecutor’s office in Medellín, Yiri Milena Amado Sánchez, revealed that the captors demanded thousands of dollars from Xiong’s family and a friend in the United States. Despite immediate payment, Xiong was taken to a wooded area where he was beaten and thrown off a cliff. His body was discovered on Dec. 11.
Xiong’s family expressed their profound grief over his loss, mentioning that it was indescribable in a statement. Xiong was born in Laos in 1973, and his family fled to Thailand after the communist takeover in 1975. They spent four years in a refugee camp in Thailand before resettling in St. Paul, Minnesota.