Hmong comedian Tou Ger Xiong kidnapped, murdered in Colombia

Frederick Melo, Pioneer Press
·2 min read
19

Authorities in Medellin, Colombia have identified the body of a man who was found stabbed multiple times as that of Twin cities comedian Tou Ger Xiong, who grew up in St. Paul and was widely known as an advocate for the Hmong community.

News of his death was carried online Tuesday by the Medellin-based newspaper El Colombiano, which reported that Tou Ger Xiong’s body was recovered from the Corcovada ravine in the city’s Robledo La Pola neighborhood. He suffered multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma, according to the newspaper.

A written statement on Tuesday from Eh Xiong, Tou Ger Xiong’s brother, described him as a “cherished member of our family, and the pain of his loss is indescribable. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies who are diligently working to investigate this heinous crime.”

Tou Ger Xiong, a recipient of the prestigious Bush Fellowship in 2019, was a founder of the “Hmong Minnesota Day” at the Minnesota State Fair, which draws Hmong visitors by the dozens to a stage led by Hmong cultural and musical acts.

A consummate storyteller, performer, motivational speaker and emcee, he hosted an online broadcast, The Tou Ger Xiong Show, and often reflected on his own experience as a refugee growing up in the St. Paul Public Housing Authority’s low-income Dunedin Hi-Rise.

El Colombiano reported that Tou Ger Xiong, while on vacation in Medellin, had attempted to meet up with a woman he had met through social media, but was taken captive instead by men who contacted his friends and family by telephone to demand cash. On Monday, authorities confirmed that the kidnappers decided to kill him, possibly in retaliation for trying to escape.

Tou Ger Xiong’s body was later found in a wooded area of the Robledo neighborhood with more than a dozen stab wounds and multiple bruises, apparently caused by a 60-foot fall into the tributary.

The newspaper reported that when authorities went to Tou Ger Xiong’s apartment, they found a woman removing items from it. Authorities attempted to question her but she ran away.

Citing the city’s central office, the newspaper said Tou Ger Xiong’s murder is the 27th violent death of non-migrant foreigners this year in the Aburrá Valley region, including homicides, suicides, accidents and narcotic overdoses. In the prior month, three other foreign tourists had been murdered, including two Americans.

As of early November, kidnappings in the greater area, known as Antioquia, are up 88% year-over-year.

Eh Xiong, in the family’s written statement, said that in lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family hoped to launch a foundation in Tou Ger Xiong’s memory.

Mary Thao, a longtime friend, mourned for him online on Tuesday, calling him “a great leader and brother. He cannot be replaced.”

Related Articles