A U.S. comedian and activist was abducted and murdered in Colombia while attempting to meet a woman he had connected with on social media.

 

An American comedian and activist, Tou Ger Xiong, 50, who resided in Minnesota, was abducted and fatally stabbed more than twelve times by a group of men after a date with a woman he met online.

Xiong, an Asian-American, was on vacation in Colombia when this tragic incident occurred. He arrived in Medellín on Nov. 29 with the intention of spending the holiday season with family. However, his plans took a dark turn when he encountered a woman on social media and arranged to meet her on Dec. 10. Unfortunately, he was attacked and kidnapped by a group of men.

Around 7 p.m. local time, Xiong called a friend in Colombia, reporting that the assailants demanded $2,000 (8 million Colombian Pesos) for his release. He also mentioned being "held at gunpoint." Earlier that day, police had been at Xiong's apartment due to a woman taking items from the residence and fleeing before they could apprehend her.

Xiong's lifeless body was discovered in the La Corcovado ravine, exhibiting over a dozen stab wounds and multiple bruises, likely resulting from a fall of more than 60 feet.

Local law enforcement confirmed that the suspects murdered Xiong before receiving payment, and an investigation was initiated to determine if Xiong's death resulted from an attempted escape.

Xiong's brother reported that one of the suspected captors had already been apprehended. "They found some clothes, blood, you know, on the bag, and they were able to confiscate that and apprehend one of the suspects," Eh Xiong told KSTP.

Eh Xiong expressed that he hasn't fully grasped the reality of his brother's death. "It's kind of funny how I don't even feel like he's really gone yet. Right? I feel like at any moment now he could be knocking on the door," he said.

Xiong traced his ancestry to the Hmong people, an indigenous group from East and Southeast Asia, and was the valedictorian at Humboldt High School.

Born in Laos in 1973, Xiong's father worked with the CIA before fleeing to a refugee camp in Thailand to escape the Laos communist takeover in 1975. Xiong then immigrated to St. Paul in 1992, according to his website.

As a comedian, Xiong would "share his personal stories across the country to build cultural competency and address racial discrimination," according to the Bush Foundation, which named him a 2019 fellow.

US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) stated, "This is a heartbreaking tragedy. Tou Ger was an incredible person who was constantly working to uplift his community," in a statement to KSTP. "My office is in contact with Tou Ger's family and the embassy in Colombia as they work to bring his body back to Minnesota. My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time."