Longo's psyche probed
Suspect in family's murder still missing
Wednesday, January 2, 2002
By PERI STONE-PALMQUIST and TRACY DAVIS
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS
He's been described as a clean-cut, polite man, a former Jehovah's Witness. Fellow tradesmen say he did good work when he installed fireplaces and spas. Former neighbors say his family seemed loving and pleasant.
Now, 27-year-old Christian Longo is being sought by the FBI, charged with seven counts of aggravated murder. The former Ypsilanti-area resident is accused of killing his wife and three children and dumping their bodies into two Pacific Ocean inlets last month.
Despite outward appearances, Christian
Longo and his family may have demonstrated what a local expert considers risk factors for domestic homicide: Longo had a criminal past and his family was estranged.
Daniel Saunders, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, said with no known history of domestic violence and with investigators releasing few details in the case, it's hard to draw any conclusions of what may have driven Longo to do what he is accused of doing.
Saunders, who co-authored a chapter in a book about family violence, said that in about half of domestic homicides, the assailant has a criminal history, although it is not always violent. Longo fits that description.
He is wanted on warrants on a larceny by conversion charge and for probation violation on a forgery conviction in Washtenaw County. He forged about $30,000 worth of checks from a local builder roughly a year ago.
In addition, the family's van was reported stolen in Ohio almost two years ago. It was abandoned at an Oregon car dealership Dec. 19 - the same day a green Dodge Durango was stolen from the dealership and police believe two Longo children were killed.
The family lived in this area for nearly 10 years, the last four in Ypsilanti Township, and Washtenaw County records show no history of domestic violence.
Longo's mother-in-law, Susan Lowery of Trinity, Ala., said her daughter never hinted of any difficulties in the couple's marriage or finances and never said anything negative about him.
But Saunders said domestic violence is often not reported and even family members aren't aware of the situation. Sometimes family members see jealousy - a common motive in domestic homicide - as a sign of love, not a sign of control, he said.
Killing the children, Saunders said, can be a way - "the most horrendous way" - to hurt one's spouse. "Most mothers would rather die themselves than have their children die," he said. The risk of homicide is heightened when a woman wants to end a relationship or the spouses are living apart, Saunders said. About half of the homicides during separation occur within two months of separation, he said.
The status of the Longo marriage is unclear, but he was apparently living apart from his family for the past month in Newport, Ore., renting a condominium near the marina where, on Thursday, police divers found the bodies of his wife, MaryJane Longo, 34, and his daughter, Madison, 2. A week earlier, the bodies of his other two children - Zachary, 4, and 3-year-old Sadie Ann - were found in a coastal inlet in Waldport, 14 miles south of Newport.
Sarah Johnson, who works at the condo complex's front desk, said she talked to Longo several times but never saw his family during his month-long stay. The room was being rented only to Christian Longo, she said. And the condo's manager told staff that Longo's wife and three children only stayed a few days at the beginning of the month to see where he lived, Johnson said, adding she was unsure where the rest of the family resided.
For the past several months, the family has moved around quite a bit. This past spring, they moved from Ypsilanti Township to Toledo. In September, one of MaryJane Longo's four sisters reported her missing. But the report was withdrawn after MaryJane sent a letter in November from North Dakota saying the family was traveling the countryside.
Now, just Longo is left to travel. He was last seen Dec. 26 in San Francisco, where authorities are papering the area with his picture. When asked whether there is more than one suspect, Lincoln County District Attorney Bernice Barnett replied that a warrant has been issued only for Christian Longo.
Anyone with information about the location of Christian Longo is asked to call the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office tipline at (541) 265-4949.