PARK COUNTY, Colo. -- The parents of a Park County teenager who was killed during a burglary and arson at her family's home in 2017, have decided to sell the property.
Realtor Benjamin Cheang told Denver7 that what happened to Maggie was so traumatic that her parents couldn't bring themselves to step foot in the house again, nor could they decide what to do with it, until now.
"It took me a long time to convince them that life needs to move on," Cheang, a family friend, told Denver7.
The broker/owner at All Pro Realty, sold the home to the Longs in 2001.
"It was their dream home," he said. "Maggie grew up here."
Cheang described the Longs as a hard working family who came to the U.S. with nothing.
"They worked hard. They worked in the restaurant all their lives and they built everything from scratch," he said. "They are a beautiful family. It is such a tragedy that happened."
On December 1, 2017, Maggie came home from school to change clothes and apparently walked in on a burglary in progress. She was killed and the house was set on fire.
Investigators have followed up every lead, but no arrests have been made.
On Friday, Cheang gave Denver7 a tour of the property.
He said the 6,000-square foot house sits on 27 acres of secluded woodlands.
There's a six-car garage, and a separate, caretakers bungalow.
The ranch style house includes a "mother-in-law's" apartment and a small apartment on the second floor.
Although it's been cleaned up, smoke and fire damage is still visible inside.
When asked if it can be repaired, Cheang said, "It could be, however the best idea is to tear it down and rebuild the house."
Cheang said that after moving in, the Longs made some minor changes to the property.
"They spent a lot of money paving the driveway, so they could drive all the way up here without the gravel," he said.
The realtor said the master bedroom had a jacuzzi and shower. It was adjacent to the family game room, which was adjacent to a room that held a hot tub.
Cheang said the kitchen sustained heavy damage, as did the bedroom where the teenager was found.
The realtor told Denver7 that whoever buys the property will have quite a view, as he pointed toward a snow-capped peak visible from the second story landing.
Cheang added that the Longs are selling the property for the land value.
He said he has received several phone calls from people wanting to check it out, but not all of them were really interested in buying.
Cheang said his rule is that anyone who wants a showing has to prove they are capable of purchasing the property.
"I want the next property owner to truly enjoy what this property can offer," he said.
He said his work will be complete once the closing takes place and once the suspects who killed Maggie are behind bars.
