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| Zhang, Ying-Ying 6-9-17; Champaign, IL - age 26 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 13 2017, 09:56 AM (129 Views) | |
| tatertot | Jun 13 2017, 09:56 AM Post #1 |
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http://foxillinois.com/news/local/universi...sing-06-12-2017 University of Illinois Student Reported Missing by Fox Illinois News Team Sunday, June 11th 2017 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WRSP) — A University of Illinois student has been reported missing. 26-year-old Ying-Ying Zhang was last heard from on Friday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. Police say she sent a text message to an Urbana apartment complex that she was heading over to sign some paperwork, but never showed up. Zhang is a visiting scholar from China. Police stress they don’t know if she is in danger. If you have any information you are asked to call 911 or the University of Illinois Police at 217-333-1216. |
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| tatertot | Jun 13 2017, 10:04 AM Post #2 |
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http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/201...ui-scholar.html UPDATE: Police seek information on car tied to missing UI scholar Mon, 06/12/2017 - 11:09am | Mary Schenk Updated 2:40 p.m. Monday: URBANA — University of Illinois Police are investigating whether UI agriculture scholar Yingying Zhang may have called a ride-hailing service Friday afternoon before she was reported missing, releasing a video showing her entering a black car along North Goodwin Avenue. “That’s something we’re pursuing,” said UI Police spokesman Patrick Wade, though he said that is standard in any missing-person case. “There’s a thousand different scenarios that could have played out here. We have a lot more work to do before we can say what it was and what it wasn’t.” Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the vehicle, a black Saturn Astra. Detectives are also examining her cellphone records and working with ride-hailing companies such as Uber to see if Zhang, a visiting scholar from China, may have arranged for a ride, Wade said. The video released Monday morning, from the B-4 parking garage on North Goodwin, shows Zhang standing on the east side of Goodwin as the vehicle pulls up beside her. She and the driver speak for some time before she enters the vehicle shortly after 2 p.m., which then continues north on Goodwin Avenue. “The biggest thing right now is we are asking people to watch that video. Our hope is that someone will recognize the vehicle, or have some information about that encounter that we can follow up on,” Wade said. Anyone with information about vehicle or the encounter should call 911 or UI police at 217-333-1216. Non-emergency information may also be emailed to police@illinois.edu. Friends notified police Saturday that Zhang hadn’t been heard from since about 1:30 p.m. Friday. Zhang, 26, a visiting researcher with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, had only been in town since April and was staying at the Orchard Downs complex in Urbana, officials said. She boarded a Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District Teal line bus at 1:35 p.m. Friday at the south shelter at the Orchard Downs complex in Urbana. She got off the bus at 1:52 p.m. at Springfield and Mathews avenues in Urbana, police said. She had been headed to the One North apartment complex on North Lincoln Avenue in Urbana on Friday to sign a lease, texting the property manager at 1:30 p.m. that she was going to be late. After exiting the bus, Wade said she stood along Goodwin for several minutes before the black car pulled up. Her conversation with the driver also lasted a couple of minutes, he said. The video was edited for length. Zhang's research focuses on photosynthesis and crop productivity, according to the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. She has worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Botany at the Chinese Academy of Sciences for about a year, according to the website for the UI's EcoHydro Lab. She received her master’s degree in environmental engineering from Peking University in 2016 and a bachelor’s degree from Sun Yat-Sen University in 2013. — Julie Wurth * * * Update published at 12:46 a.m. Monday: URBANA — University of Illinois police released more details about the last time a missing scholar was seen Friday in Urbana. Police spokesman Pat Wade said Yingying Zhang, 26, boarded a Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District Teal line bus at 1:35 p.m. Friday at the south shelter at the Orchard Downs complex in Urbana. She got off the bus at 1:52 p.m. at Springfield and Mathews avenues in Urbana and hasn't been seen since then. Wade said the last time she was seen, Zhang was wearing a charcoal-gray hat with a white logo on the front, a white/pink flannel long-sleeve shirt, a white undershirt, jeans, white shoes and a navy-blue backpack. She has shoulder-length brown hair and wears glasses. Wade said anyone with information on her whereabouts should call 911 or UI police at 217-333-1216. Non-emergency information may also be emailed to police@illinois.edu. Wade said police are thankful for the great deal of information they have already received and will be following up on every lead, and every bit of information helps. *** Original story, published 3:40 p.m. Saturday: URBANA — University of Illinois police are asking for help finding a missing Urbana woman. Police department spokesman Pat Wade said friends notified police Saturday that Yingying Zhang, 26, was last heard from about 1:30 p.m. Friday. UI police reported that she still had not been found as of 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Multiple attempts to contact her at her home and on her cellphone have been unsuccessful, Wade said. Police have also talked to friends and checked local hospitals, as is routine in missing-persons cases. The visiting scholar from China was headed to the One North apartment complex on North Lincoln Avenue in Urbana on Friday to sign a lease, Wade said. "She texted the property manager at One North at 1:30 p.m., said she was going to be late and never showed up. That was the last anyone has heard from her," he said. Friend Chuck Guo told The News-Gazette that Zhang has been in the community about a month and doesn't know very many people. Wade said she was staying at the Orchard Downs complex in Urbana. "We've exhausted all our options, so we are asking the public for help. We're not ruling anything out," he said. Anyone who might have seen Zhang is asked to call UI police at 217-333-1216. |
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| Begood | Aug 30 2017, 05:02 AM Post #3 |
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80 days after apparent kidnapping, Yingying Zhang remains missing Photo+of+Yingying+Zhang. Photo Courtesy of UIPD Photo of Yingying Zhang. Jessica Bursztynsky, News editor August 28, 2017 Filed under Champaign-Urbana, Crime, News, Showcase, Special Sections, Welcome Back, Welcome Back Guide Shortly after arriving on campus for the first time, Yingying Zhang — a visiting scholar in the College of ACES — was running late to a meeting to sign a lease with a landlord on June 9. The 26-year-old Chinese woman was last seen on surveillance footage entering a black Saturn Astra, allegedly driven by former University physics student Brendt Christensen, 28, on North Goodwin Avenue in Champaign at 2 p.m. Many specifics of the case have not been revealed in the subsequent weeks, but Christensen is in custody, awaiting trial. Zhang is presumed dead, according to the FBI. The initial process The University of Illinois Police Department issued a Facebook post on June 10 asking for help in the search for Zhang, who had not been reached after several attempts to contact her. Police Chief Jeff Christensen sent out a community safety notice two days later, asking for continued help. He noted that while it was not clear whether she was in any danger, the UIPD is working to bring about any information. On June 12, surveillance footage showed Zhang entering the passenger side of a black Saturn Astra, after speaking to the unidentifiable driver for a few moments. “We are deeply troubled anytime we believe a member of our campus community may be in danger, but we are very grateful for our community’s support for Ms. Zhang,” wrote Jeff Christensen in a June 13 notice, adding that the FBI has become involved in the case. The FBI announced a $10,000 reward for those with information leading to Zhang’s location, who had been missing for eight days by that point. Zhang’s father, boyfriend and aunt arrived in the United States from China on June 17. Her mother and younger brother arrived on Aug. 19, as they waited for Zhang’s mother to heal from the emotional and physical distress the case was causing, according to Zhang’s boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou. An additional $40,000 reward — later raised to $50,000 — was announced on June 19 by Zhang’s family, who was working with the Champaign County Crime Stoppers, to help locate Zhang. It was also announced that Zhang’s case was a national priority for the FBI. Photo Courtesy of UIPD. Photo of Yingying Zhang. The findings and the arrest The black Saturn Astra that was presumably used in the kidnapping of Zhang was located on June 27, according to the FBI. Yet no details were released at that time and an arrest had not been made in the case. An arrest warrant and criminal complaint was issued on June 30 for the arrest of Christensen, charging him with violating the statute of 18 U.S. Code § 1201. The federal statute states “Whoever unlawfully seizes, confines, inveigles, decoys, kidnaps, abducts, or carries away and holds for ransom or reward or otherwise any person when … the person is willfully transported in interstate or foreign commerce.” Even though the alleged kidnapping was committed in Illinois, Christensen is facing a federal charge rather than falling under the state’s jurisdiction. “The fact that the car that was allegedly used in the kidnapping is part of interstate commerce is why this is a federal crime,” said law professor Andrew Leipold. “It is what gives federal courts jurisdiction over this case.” Christensen was denied bail by Judge Eric Long on July 5 and is to be held in jail indefinitely. After listening to both prosecutor’s and defendant’s arguments — Long ruled the suspect as both a flight risk and a danger to the community due to evidence presented by Bryan Freres, assistant U.S. attorney. Freres’s argument included allegations that Christensen attended a public vigil for Zhang and explained — while under surveillance — what makes “an ideal victim” as well as pointing out other candidates that fit the criteria. Freres also argued that Christensen was caught on tape describing Zhang’s kidnapping and how she resisted him when he brought her to his apartment. Christensen also allegedly threatened the safety of another person who knew some form of incriminating information. A federal grand jury indicted Christensen of kidnapping on July 12 and he was formally arraigned on July 20. At the arraignment, Christensen pleaded not guilty and his pretrial was set for Aug. 28. One of Christensen’s three attorneys, Tom Bruno said he expects the case to be pushed back, possibly several months, at the pretrial. “They’ll keep rescheduling it until everybody is ready,” Bruno said. The defense team has just now been receiving discoveries and information regarding their client. “We are reviewing thousands of pages of discovery materials, which consist of a variety of reports,” Bruno told the Daily Illini on Aug. 23. “We are still awaiting more investigative reports, which we have been told will be coming in the future which we don’t have yet. So we will review all of what the government claims is their evidence and whether or not the evidence is as they describe it.” Photo Courtesy of UIPD. Photo of Yingying Zhang. Community support A GoFundMe campaign to support the Zhang family’s living expenses was set up on June 17 by the U of I Community Credit Union. The initial goal was to raise $30,000 but was quickly surpassed by $78,826 in donations by June 20. As the case draws on and Zhang still has not been located, the fundraising goal was raised to $500,000. As of publication, a total of 3,354 people donated $145,347. The funds are supporting the family’s six month rental of property in Urbana, food, travel fees and will hopefully launch a private investigation, said Xiaolin Hou, Zhang’s boyfriend. Emily Lux, who has been aiding the family, said at a press conference on Aug. 22 that there are two reasons the family has not started their own investigation. The first being that the FBI is still investigating the case and the second that the family does not have sufficient funds. Lux estimated a private investigation to cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000. As for University support, several statements supporting the family and search for Zhang have been made throughout the past two months. “There are no words that can explain why or how such a terrible thing should happen nor is there anything I might say that will ease the grief of any of you who knew her,” Chancellor Robert Jones wrote in a Massmail sent out the night of Christensen’s arrest and it was announced Zhang was presumed dead. “I ask all of you to help to ensure that Yingying is remembered for her kindness, her gentleness and her smile,” he added. A campus-wide memorial was set for July 1 in order to celebrate Zhang’s life, but was postponed out of respect for the Zhang family and “in accordance with their wishes,” Jones wrote that morning. On Aug. 22 Robin Kaler, associate chancellor for public affairs, announced a yellow ribbon campaign to show continued support for the family, whom she has been working with since their arrival on campus. Those who donate to Zhang’s GoFundMe campaign will receive a small yellow ribbon pin, with the intent of raising more awareness to the case. https://dailyillini.com/news/2017/08/28/80-...emains-missing/ |
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3:34 AM Jul 11