Who was Tou Ger Xiong? Minnesota comedian abducted and murdered on vacation in Colombia 

Minnesota activist and comedian Tou Ger Xiong was reportedly found stabbed to death on Monday, December 11, after he was abducted during a trip to Colombia. According to the Hmong American comedian’s family, Tou Ger Xiong, 50, was on vacation in Medellín, Colombia, where he arrived on November 29.

Per the Colombian newspaper El Colombiano, Xiong, who planned to spend the holidays in Medellín, was kidnapped on Sunday, December 10, after a date with a woman he met on social media.

The abductors, who demanded $2000 as ransom from the comedian's family, reportedly killed him on Monday without collecting the money. Pioneer Press reported that Xiong was found in the La Corcovado ravine with multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma. Police are reportedly investigating if an escape attempt led to the murder.

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Tou Ger Xiong starred in a 1997 TV movie

Tou Ger Xiong, who was named “America’s only Hmong comedian” in 2004 by the Chicago Tribune, was born in Laos in 1973. His family reportedly fled the country in 1975 after his father fought in the Secret War.

After fleeing Laos, Xiong, who is one of 11 children, lived in a refugee camp with his family in Thailand for four years, before migrating to the United States, where he grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and attended Humboldt High School.

Per his LinkedIn page, Xiong graduated with a political science degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. While in college, Xiong performed in stand-up shows and described his approach to comedy as “celebrating cultural diversity through laughter.”

Xiong, who also starred in the 1997 TV movie, Portraits from the Cloth, about a Hmong family’s journey while escaping war, was known to travel across the country as a motivational speaker who fused comedy and storytelling into his performances. He would infuse his stories of growing up as a Hmong refugee into his comedic routine.

Xiong was married to women's rights advocate, Andrea Bennett, in 2011. Bennet was crowned Mrs. Minnesota International in 2013. The two parted ways in 2019.

On December 3, Xiong posted a video on Facebook of him attending a Karol G concert in Colombia. His last post on December 7 showed him performing karaoke in an apartment in Colombia.

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Community reacts as Minnesota comedian Tou Ger Xiong is killed in Columbia

El Colombiano reported Xiong was the third American tourist to be murdered in the last month in Columbia, where kidnappings are on the rise. Xiong's devastated brother Eh Xiong confirmed his brother’s death, adding they are working with law enforcement to investigate the crime. In a statement, he said:

“It is with immense sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the discovery of the body of our beloved family member. Tou Ger Xiong was a cherished member of our family, and the pain of his loss is indescribable.”

Xiong, who helped organize the first Hmong Minnesota Day at the Minnesota State Fair in 2015, was also mourned by former Minnesota state senator Mee Moua. Her statement on his death opened with the following lines:

"Shredded to pieces, weighed down with grief for my friend, my little brother, and my children's Uncle Funny - Tou Ger Xiong."

According to his biography for the 2022 Asian Pacific Minnesotans Leadership Awards Dinner, where he was an emcee, Xiong, who was named a Bush Fellow in 2019, gave more than 1,600 presentations to audiences in 48 states.