Royal Russell Long (May 15, 1935 – November 3, 1993) was an American convicted kidnapper and suspected serial killer and serial rapist who was given two life sentences for abducting two girls. Long is also a possible suspect in the disappearances and murders of a number of young women and girls in Wyoming and Oklahoma, along with several other cases throughout Colorado and Missouri.
Early life and criminal history.
Long was born on May 15, 1935, in Brazil, Indiana. In 1974, Long moved to the Rawlins, Wyoming, region, where he worked as a carny and part-time long-haul truck driver at local fairs and carnivals beginning in 1981. Long was apprehended on September 26, 1984, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, regarding the kidnapping of hitchhiker Sharon Baldeagle, 12, in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on September 19, 1984, and her friend. Baldeagle was not with him when he was arrested. Long pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping for the purpose of committing indecent liberties with a minor and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. He died of a heart attack in 1993 at the Wyoming State Penitentiary and was never convicted in connection with any missing people besides Baldeagle.
Additional cases.
After his conviction, Long was tied by authorities to several disappearances and deaths in the Wyoming and Oklahoma areas during the 1970s and 1980s, some of which involved carnivals or similar events. Long had a history of sexual violence towards young women and Long's own daughter claimed that he had molested her for years and witnessed him try to lure other girls with puppies or stuffed animals. Stuffed animals were found in his car when he was arrested in New Mexico.