(ReliableNews.org) – Tou Ger Xiong, 50, traveled to Medellín, Colombia, on November 29. The St. Paul, Minnesota resident was a well-known comedian and activist in his city’s Hmong community. His family recently announced someone murdered him.
According to reports, the comedian met up with a friend in Medellín on December 10. Some reports indicate he may have been on a date with a woman he met on social media. At some point on that day, he contacted a friend in the United States and told them that he’d been kidnapped. Eh Xiong, the comedian’s brother, said he got a call from his brother asking for $2,000 to pay the abductors.
Yiri Amado Sánchez, a sectional director of the South American city’s prosecutor’s office, told The Associated Press that another friend of Xiong’s reported the kidnapping to authorities. Sánchez told the press, “The man was the victim of a kidnapping,” but the captors weren’t able to collect any money. There have been 253 documented kidnappings in Colombia in 2023. In the last month, three Americans, including Xiong, have been killed.
People reported Xiong’s family issued a statement saying they were sharing “the heartbreaking news” that his body was found. They said he was the “victim of a kidnapping and murder” and said the family was going through a very difficult time. They expressed gratitude for those who were supporting them through the pain.
Authorities found Xiong’s body in a ravine. He suffered blunt force injuries, and he had been stabbed.
Xiong was one of 11 kids in his family. He was born in Laos, but then lived in a refugee camp until his family moved to Minnesota when he was a child. His family said he had “dedicated his life to building bridges across cultures” and speaking for people who didn’t have a voice as he worked “toward justice for all.”
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