US comic kidnapped, murdered in Colombia knew lady who lured him to his loss of life: brother

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By Ronny Reyes

American comic and activist Tou Ger Xiong — discovered useless in a suspected kidnapping-turned-murder case in Colombia — knew the lady who lured him right into a entice, his brother instructed The Publish.

Xiong, 50, an Asian-American dwelling in Minnesota, often visited Colombia. There he met the lady now arrested for allegedly luring him right into a kidnapping plot, which ended with the comic’s physique in a ravine with greater than a dozen stab wounds.

“He had been involved with this lady earlier than, and she or he was a part of the ‘new buddies’ he made on his journeys down there,” brother Eh Xiong, 56, instructed The Publish.

Eh mentioned Xiong had a number of images of the lady, who’s but to be publicly recognized, and her buddies on his cellphone.

The images, together with the testimony of his brother’s roommate — who had seen the suspect earlier than — made it simple for police to trace down the suspect and take her into custody.

Eh feared the suspect was probably making an attempt to win her brother’s belief at any time when he visited Colombia earlier than he in the end disappeared on Dec. 10.

“That day was not the primary time they met,” the grieving older brother mentioned. “It’s arduous to consider, however possibly he let his guard down as a result of he thought he knew her.”

Eh and one other pal would go on to obtain calls from Xiong and the abductors requesting $2,000 for the comic’s secure launch. Xiong additionally instructed his pal, who filed the police report, that he was being “held at gunpoint,” in line with KSTP.

Nonetheless, the trade by no means passed off, with Xiong’s physique finally discovered mendacity within the La Corcovado ravine with stab wounds and a number of bruises attributable to an obvious fall of over 60 toes, in line with native El Colombiano newspaper.

Eh mentioned police had been in a position to find his brother’s physique following the lady’s arrest, so he was hopeful investigators will have the ability to convey the opposite folks concerned to justice.

He added the household continues to be awaiting a toxicology report. US vacationers have been warned earlier this 12 months about schemes in massive Colombian cities the place kidnappers drug rich guests with sedatives often called scopolamine — an odorless, tasteless, memory-blocking substance that places the sufferer in a trance-like state.

Eh mentioned it was devastating to study what occurred to his youthful brother, with their Woodbury, MN, group additionally in mourning over the loss of life of the native advocate.

Born in Laos in 1973 to a household with seven brothers and 4 sisters, Xiong grew up with a powerful sense of compassion which he channeled into serving to fellow immigrants assimilate and discover alternatives in Minnesota.

Eh described his brother, a political science main, as a champion for equality who would fight racism and assist anybody he met discover pleasure and laughter.

He mentioned that was one of many the reason why Xiong turned a comic, as a result of he was all the time fast to make use of his wit and humor to defuse tense conditions.

“I all the time considered him as my humorous little brother, however now that he’s gone, I’ve been in a position to step again and see simply how a lot he’s completed and what he means to our group,” Eh mentioned. “He’s impressed so many individuals and touched so many lives.”

Eh added the Xiong household was working to arrange a basis in his brother’s identify with the intention to keep on his work and assist others.