Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Tammy Longie and Erich Longie Jr. were arrested May 15 on felony assault charges after 5-year-old Raven Thompson was found dead in the basement of their Tokio home.
A young child was found dead at a residence on the Spirit Lake Reservation, and her foster parents are behind bars.
On the morning of May 6, Spirit Lake emergency service personnel were called to a private residence in Tokio, N.D., on the Spirit Lake Reservation. When they arrived on scene, they located 5-year-old Raven Thompson in the basement. Their attempts to revive her were futile, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
After a survey of the premises, authorities located 7-year-old Zane Thompson, later confirmed to be Raven's brother, inside a vehicle. They quickly determined that Zane was in need of immediate medical care. He was first taken to CHI St. Alexius Devils Lake, then airlifted to Sanford Hospital in Fargo hospital once healthcare providers suspected that he had sustained injuries from non-accidental trauma.
That same day law enforcement began investigating the case. As with all felony cases on reservation land, the FBI is leading the investigation with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Arrest warrants were prepared the week of May 11, as well as an Affidavit of Probable Cause for Erich Longie Jr and Tammy Longie. Federal law enforcement officers took both suspects into custody on Friday, May 15.
Court documents released Monday, May 18 contain a number of charges, including two counts of felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury to a victim younger than 18 and two counts of simple assault for each Erich and Tammy. The former charges were filed for injuries sustained to Raven Thompson and her brother Zane. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. The simple assault charges stemmed from alleged acts against two other minor children at the residence, who were not named. The affidavit notes that two other children at the home were forensically investigated, as well as three other adults living in the home, known to be the Longies' children.
The court documents also contained autopsy results that indicate Raven died of blunt force trauma to the head, neck, chest, abdomen and other extremities.
A preliminary hearing took place at the Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Grand Forks on Monday, and the defendants remained in custody. A detention hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21 in Grand Forks.
Drew Wrigley, U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, addressed the public in a press conference Monday on the steps of the federal courthouse. "We are open to any and all avenues that are required and are called for" including amending current charges, filing additional charges against the accused or arresting other suspects in the case, he said.
"This is a matter of highest importance on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, the surrounding communities and the entire state of North Dakota," he declared.
Wrigley stressed that the information contained in the released materials do not represent the entirety of what is known by authorities and that the investigation is ongoing and active. He also had a message for anyone who has information about the case. "Now is not the time to deceive. Now is not the time to withhold. Now is not the time to obstruct. The clock, as they say, is ticking," he said, urging community members to seek out law enforcement to provide information and cooperate should they be contacted by officers.
Wrigley said all the other minor children in the home have been removed and placed in safe care situations.
