Charles
Mathews, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon,
announces that FBI agents have transported Christian
Michael Longo back to the United States. Longo and his
FBI escort landed at the Houston, Texas airport at about
7:45 AM Pacific time today on a Continental Flight that
originated in Cancun. Mexican authorities, accompanied
by FBI agents, arrested Longo Sunday evening at about
6:20 PM Pacific time in the small town of Tulum, Mexico.
Tulum is approximately 60 miles south of Cancun. The
arrest was without incident.
On Friday evening, a woman from the Montreal area called
FBI Headquarters after seeing national and international
publicity on the case and checking the FBI's web site
(www.fbi.gov). She had recently traveled to Cancun,
Mexico and recognized the photograph of Christian Longo.
The woman says she arrived in Cancun on December 27,
2001. That day she met a man named "Brad"
at a Cancun hostel. He later told her his name was "Mike".
She left the hostel on December 29, 2001.
Additional information was received at the American
Embassy in Mexico City that Longo had stayed at the
Hostel Mexico, a youth hostel in Cancun. Investigators
determined that he had left the youth hostel on January
7, 2002. Publicity in Mexico helped investigators locate
Longo at a beach camp in Tulum. He was living in a beach
camp there under the name of Michael Longo. When approached
by approximately 20 Mexican law enforcement officers
and FBI agents, Longo confirmed his identity. Over the
course of the next few hours, he agreed to be transported
back to Cancun and to board a plane to the United States
early this morning.
Upon landing in Houston, the FBI agents formally took
Longo into federal custody. He will go through the normal
process for a fugitive, including questioning and fingerprinting.
Later today, he will be booked into the Harris County,
Texas jail where he will await an appearance before
a federal magistrate. At that time, the magistrate will
confirm Longo's identity and begin extradition proceedings.
Longo was wanted on a Lincoln County, Oregon warrant
charging him with multiple counts of aggravated murder
in the deaths of his wife, Mary Jane, and their three
children. Federal authorities had also charged him with
Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution.
The FBI would like to thank the Mexican immigration
authorities and Mexican law enforcement authorities
for their assistance.
