What Happened To Bobby Joe Long's Daughter?

Known as the Classified Ad Rapist, Bobby Joe Long is believed to have murdered 10 women in the Tampa Bay area (via Investigation Discovery). Between 1981 and 1984, All That's Interesting writes that he raped dozens of women. Long's appetite for violence however, quickly escalated as he began to brutally murder his victims. Born in 1953, Biography explains that the West Virginia native was raised in Florida. Long reportedly had a dysfunctional childhood and a fraught relationship with his mother, sharing a bed with her up until the age of 13.

Moreover, he was bullied due to a genetic condition that resulted in him developing breasts. Biography reports that when he was 13, he also met his future wife Cynthia (who now goes by Cindy Brown). According to LADbible, Long and Brown married in 1974. Soon after, they welcomed a son and daughter (per True Crime Daily). Although their son's name is unknown, the National Enquirer states that his daughter's name is Sarah Crosby. Per AP News, Brown divorced Long in 1980. She's noted that her childhood sweetheart was a doting husband and father until a motorcycle accident.

Not long after the birth of their second child, Bobby Joe Long was involved in a motorcycle accident. This resulted in a serious head injury. As he recovered in the hospital, Biography writes that Long's personality suddenly shifted and he became irritable and easily provoked. Ultimately, this severely impacted his relationship with his wife and two children. Additionally, Long's sex drive dramatically increased. This, however, was not his first head injury. As a child, Long had a few accidents that led to a concussion and other head trauma. Even so, it seems that the motorcycle accident altered him the most.

Per True Crime Daily, Long became physically and emotionally abusive towards his wife. In an interview with AP News, Brown recounted an incident where Long choked her and slammed her into a television. He apologized but stated "When you drive yourself to get your stitches, if you tell them what really happened, I'll kill you when you get home." At one point, Brown thought of shooting Long but decided to take her children and leave him instead.

After the divorce, LADbible reports that Long began to answer "for sale" ads to satisfy his insatiable sexual urges. All That's Interesting explains that if a women was alone when he arrived, he would rape and rob her. He became known as the "Classified Ad Rapist" and it's estimated that he raped at least 50 women (via Investigation Discovery). In 1981, he was caught and put on trial for one rape. The charges, however, were dropped.

In 1984, Bobby Joe Long moved from Miami to Tampa and subsequently went on a murder spree, as All That's Interesting states. He scoured the streets for sex workers to rape and murder them by strangulation, bludgeoning, or slitting their throats, according to Investigation Discovery. His first murder victim was a sex worker named Artis Wick. Soon after, he picked up Lana Long and strangled her (via Biography). He dumped her body and quickly moved on to his next victims, Michelle Simms and Elizabeth Loudenback. Police found red nylon fibers on each of their remains. This led them to believe that they had all be murdered by one killer.

Long killed three more women before he encountered the girl that would be his downfall. On November 3, 1984, Long kidnapped 17-year-old Lisa McVey (per The U.S. Sun). Another article from All That's Interesting explains that McVey was on her way home from work when she was abducted by Long. Unbeknownst to him, McVey was planning to end her life that night. McVey had even written a note to her family, citing the severe abuse she had endured from her grandmother's boyfriend as the reason for her decision. However, when Long threatened to kill her, McVey realized that she wanted to live.

Bobby Joe Long threw a blindfolded Lisa McVey into his car and drove off. McVey, however, was able to peek through and see that the word "Magnum" was written on the dashboard. In an interview with The U.S. Sun, McVey described how she monitored what direction Long was driving in to get a sense of where they were heading. Eventually, she was taken inside an apartment. For the next 26 hours, McVey was abused and raped by Long. Thinking of how she could increase her chances of survival, she decided to strike up a conversation with her attacker.

According to All That's Interesting, McVey told Long that she had a sickly father that she was caring for. In the end, Long let her go (via another article from All That's Interesting). Biography writes that after he released McVey, he killed two more women. The U.S. Sun reports that McVey had memorized significant details about her abduction, including Long's face and his car. She went to the authorities and days later, Long was arrested. Red fibers found in Long's car connected him to all of the killings and he subsequently confessed to the crimes against McVey and 10 murders.

In 1985, Bobby Joe Long pled guilty to eight of the 10 murders he committed and received 33 life sentences, as NBC News explains. Long, however, was ultimately sentenced to death for the murder of Michelle Simms (via the Tampa Bay Times). As his death date neared, his daughter, Sarah Crosby, created a petition to prevent his execution from unfolding. In her petition, Crosby explained that Long's grievous head injury and lack of medical attention had led him to become a killer. Brenna Egan, Long's attorney, agreed with this sentiment. She told the Archdiocese of Miami "Our brains are built in a way to filter impulses. Mr. Long had no rehabilitation and therapy to deal with his injuries, despite the hospital and his ex-wife noticing the changes in him right away."

That being said, not much is known about Crosby and her life after her parent's divorce. In an interview with the National Enquirer, she noted that her father was arrested when she was just 8 years old and that she refused to visit him in prison until 2001. Regarding her views about capital punishment, she told the publication that "It completely makes no sense. I don't think anyone has the right to make that decision or that judgment other than God." At the time of this publication, there is no information about Long's son. 

Despite Sarah Crosby's efforts, WUFT reported that Bobby Joe Long was executed by lethal injection on May 23, 2019. He had been on death row for 34 years. Long's last words were "no" and his final meal consisted of roast beef, bacon, French fries, and soda. A&E states that Lisa McVey witnessed his execution. Greg Brown, another one of Long's attorneys, said that, "He was a loving father up until today, and his family has been here to support him. They're devastated by this" (via WUFT). According to the National Enquirer, Crosby, along with 70 others, stood outside of the prison to protest.

Long reportedly did not want his daughter to witness his death. Prior to his execution, Long had told his attorney, Egan, that "He had a lot of worries about his family and about his daughter" (per the Archdiocese of Miami). Before he was put to death, a prayer service was held for Long. Egan told the Archdiocese of Miami that this brought comfort to both Long and his daughter. In an interview with the National Enquirer, Cosby stated "They made me a victim the same way my dad made those girls and their families' victims!." She also revealed that Long had donated his brain to science for research regarding traumatic brain injuries.