A three-day funeral for Hmong activist and comedian Tou Ger Xiong begins this Saturday, January 27.
The ceremony starts at noon at Legacy Funeral Home, 255 Eaton Street, in St. Paul. Xiong’s sister, Pangjua Xiong, will give a eulogy at 1:00 p.m., followed by more speakers from his family and friends from the community.
Xiong’s funeral services will continue Sunday with burial on Monday, following the customs of traditional Hmong funerals.
“The Xiong Family warmly invites you and your family to join us as we commemorate Tou Ger’s life—a cherished son, brother, uncle, friend, mentor, community leader, storyteller, and a champion for social justice,” said a public Facebook event for the funeral service created by Xiong’s family.
Governor Tim Walz, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, and several other dignitaries are expected to attend the funeral, according to Eh Xiong, Tou Ger Xiong’s older brother.
The longtime community advocate, who was 50 when he died last month, was kidnapped and killed during a trip to Medellín, Colombia. Xiong had traveled to Colombia five or six times over the past year, Eh Xiong told Sahan Journal. He was kidnapped after meeting up with a woman he had first met over the summer.
Last week, Colombian authorities arrested and charged four people in the case—a woman, two men, and a minor, according to the Associated Press. The Office of the Attorney General of Colombia told the Associated Press that Xiong was kidnapped and held in an apartment the night of December 10. The kidnappers beat and tortured him and took his money, credit cards, and belongings.
Eh Xiong said that the charges bring some relief to his family.
“We are glad that we have justice for Tou Ger and a closure to this,” he said. “We know that we can never bring him back, but we are hopeful and happy that law enforcement was able to put these people behind bars and prevent them from doing something like this again to other families.”
The kidnappers demanded a ransom from Xiong’s family and a friend in the United States, who immediately sent $3,140 that was deposited into a PayPal account allegedly belonging to Sharit Gisela Mejía Martínez, according to the Associated Press. However, Xiong’s kidnappers took him outside to a wooded area and threw him off of a 260-foot cliff.
His body was found the next day on December 11. Mejía Martínez is one of the four people charged, and reportedly attempted to flee her home when law enforcement showed up to arrest her.
Eh Xiong said that Mejía Martínez is the same woman Tou Ger Xiong was seen with in social media photos from earlier in 2023. He said his brother met her last summer and that the two had a romantic relationship. Eh Xiong said his brother introduced him to Mejía Martínez over the phone during the summer.
“Tou Ger said, ‘Hey, say hi to my friend; she’s down in Colombia,’” Eh Xiong recalled. “So, I knew who she was.”
Tou Ger Xiong first approached Mejía Martínez while he was out one night, Eh Xiong said. They often went out to dinner and spent time doing summer activities like hiking and jet skiing, he said.
Eh Xiong it felt like “betrayal” to learn that Mejía Martínez was allegedly involved in his brother’s kidnapping and killing.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Eh Xiong said. “Anytime you have loved ones who have a significant other, you’re happy for them and you want to meet them and ultimately welcome them to the family.”
Eh Xiong recalled how his brother called him after he had been kidnapped in December and asked him to wire money. Such a request was not uncommon, and at no point did Tou Ger Xiong let on that he was under duress, Eh Xiong said. He only later found out that Tou Ger Xiong was held under gunpoint during the call.
Eh Xiong said he wired his brother “a couple thousand” dollars, but that the transfer did not go through before Tou Ger Xiong’s body was found. He said that the $3,140 that was deposited into Mejía Martínez’s account likely came from Tou Ger Xiong’s own account and perhaps a friend of his.
A few weeks after his brother’s body was found on December 11 by Colombian law enforcement, Eh Xiong said he and a friend went to Colombia to repatriate Tou Ger’s body and assist law enforcement with the investigation. This included visiting the scene where his brother was killed.
Colombian authorities alerted the Xiong family about the arrests last Tuesday and announced them publicly two days later, Eh Xiong said. A fifth suspect is still at large, Eh Xiong said, adding that authorities told the Xiong family they believe they will arrest the suspect soon.
Law enforcement explained everything they believe happened to Tou Ger Xiong during his kidnapping, and prepared the Xiong family for the difficult details, Eh Xiong said.
“It’s an unfortunate event, an evil that someone would go through such things just for money,” he said. “It’s unfortunate we have people like that. It’s out of our control.”
Eh Xiong said that his brother loved Colombia.
“It’s a beautiful country,” he said.
He added that he hoped Tou Ger Xiong’s death was not in vain and that the aftermath will strengthen relations between the U.S. and Colombia.
Eh Xiong shared news of the arrests on his Facebook page last week, telling his followers that “a glimmer of hope has emerged” after “five weeks filled with heartbreak and numerous sleepless nights.” He also thanked Colombian authorities for the arrests and charges.
He also shared reflections of the arrests on an online memorial page for Xiong, in which he stated that he was recently in Colombia at the scene of his brother’s death helping authorities with the case.
“Throughout his entire life, he fought for justice for others,” Eh Xiong wrote. “At least this time, when it’s his turn, I am just grateful to play a small role in making the wrongs right for him one last time by assisting law enforcement in bringing those who are responsible to justice.”
Longtime friend, Pakou Yang, speculated in an interview with Sahan Journal last month about how Xiong would have reacted if he were still alive and another member of the Hmong community had been killed in the same manner.
“If he were alive and this was someone else, he’d be calling me, he’d be calling others, and he’d be on a plane on his way to Colombia right now,” Yang said.
The Xiong family has set up three funds for supporters to donate to the family. They include the Tou Ger Xiong Endowment Fund, which the family says will support his legacy of social justice work; Justice for Tou Ger, which will support the cost of repatriating his body, hosting community events for healing, and any work to hold the people responsible for his death accountable; and a fund to support paying for the costs of Xiong’s funeral.
Tou Ger Xiong’s funeral service
Where: Legacy Funeral Home, 255 Eaton Street, St. Paul
When:
- Saturday, January 27, 9:00 a.m. until midnight
- Sunday, January 28, 9:00 a.m. until midnight
- Monday, January 29, burial at an unspecified time
Endowment fund: Supporters can donate to three funds established by the Xiong family. They are:
- Tou Ger Xiong Endowment Fund, which will build on Xiong’s’s life work of activism and community advocacy. Tax-deductible donations can be made online at: https://gohmongboy.com/tougerxiongendowment
- Justice for Tou Ger, which supports the cost of repatriating his body, hosting community events for healing, and any work to hold the people responsible for his death accountable. Donations to the fund should be made to Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA) through Venmo to @aedamn or through Paypal at @aedamn. Donations to the fund are tax deductible.
- Funeral/memorial services. This fund supports the cost of Xiong’s funeral expenses. Donations, which are not tax deductible, can be made online: https://gohmongboy.com/funeral-donate.
