Disappearance of Yingying Zhang

Yingying Zhang
Born (1990-12-21)December 21, 1990
Nanping, Fujian, China
Disappeared June 9, 2017 (aged 26)
Urbana, Illinois, United States
Status Missing for 1 year, 4 months and 4 days, presumed dead
Alma mater
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight 110 lb (50 kg)

Yingying Zhang (simplified Chinese: 章莹颖; traditional Chinese: 章瑩穎; pinyin: Zhāng Yíngyǐng) was a visiting scholar in the United States from China, who has not been seen since she got into a car at a bus stop on the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign campus on June 9, 2017. On June 30, 2017, the FBI arrested and charged Brendt Christensen, a Champaign resident and former physics graduate student at the university, with kidnapping Zhang.[3] Based on evidence uncovered during the investigation, law enforcement officials said they believed Zhang was no longer alive.[4]

Biography

Yingying Zhang was born on December 21, 1990, in Nanping, a small city in the Fujian province in southeast China. She played in a band and had ambitions of becoming a professor in China.[1] Zhang was a visiting scholar in the Chinese Academy of Sciences[2] before travelling to the United States. She arrived in the United States in April 2017 to conduct research on photosynthesis and crop productivity for one year[5] in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences,[6] within the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[7]

Disappearance

On the afternoon of June 9, 2017, Zhang was traveling on a Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District bus in Urbana, Illinois, to an off-campus apartment complex where she was planning to sign a new apartment lease. She was running late and sent a text message to the leasing agent at 1:39 p.m. to inform them that she would arrive at approximately 2:10 p.m.[1] After riding on one bus, she got off at 1:52 p.m. and tried to transfer to another. However, confused about the location of the bus stop, Zhang failed to flag down the bus, and it passed by without stopping.[1]

Zhang then walked to another bus stop a few blocks away at the corner of North Goodwin Avenue and West Clark Street, directly in front of the university's PBS radio and television station, WILL.[5]

Surveillance video cameras showed that a black Saturn Astra passed by her at 2:00 p.m. as she waited at the bus stop, and then circled back around and stopped where she was waiting at 2:03 p.m.[1][3][8] She spoke to the driver for approximately one minute, and then got into the car.[8] She has not been seen since.[9] Zhang was last seen wearing a charcoal-colored baseball cap, a pink-and-white top, a white undershirt, jeans, and white tennis shoes, and she was carrying a black backpack.[10]

The leasing agent sent a text message to her at approximately 2:38 p.m., but received no reply.[3] As the hours passed, Zhang's friends, aware of her errand and expecting her to return quickly, grew increasingly worried. At 9:24 p.m., an associate professor called police to report her missing.[1]

Search efforts

The University of Illinois Police Department and Urbana Police Department worked with FBI agents to locate Zhang, offering a reward of US$10,000 for information leading to her location.[11] The University's large Chinese student population helped coordinate search efforts on and around campus.[12][1] On June 17, Zhang's father and a maternal aunt, and her boyfriend arrived in Champaign to confer with authorities and to aid in the search.[13][14] On June 19, the University of Illinois in conjunction with Champaign County Crime Stoppers, announced a reward of $40,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individual or individuals responsible for the apparent kidnapping of Zhang.[15] This reward is the largest offered in the 31-year history of the Champaign Crime Stoppers organization.[15] On July 14 the reward was increased to $50,000.[16] Zhang's family said they would not leave the country until she is found.[16] On August 19, Zhang's mother and younger brother also flew to the United States.[17] The Zhang family sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to "direct all federal resources to try to find Yingying"; as of 22 August 2017 the family had not received a response.[17]

Investigation

Early investigation

Investigators determined that there were 18 four-door Saturn Astras registered to owners in the Champaign County area. One of these vehicles was registered to Brendt Allen Christensen, a Champaign resident.[3] Christensen, born June 30, 1989, is a former Ph.D. student at the university who graduated with a master's degree in physics in May 2017.[1] Investigators initially contacted Christensen on June 12 and inspected his car. When questioned, Christensen reportedly claimed that he did not remember what he was doing at the time of Zhang's disappearance. He later told investigators that he may have been sleeping, or at home playing video games.[1]

On June 14 investigators reviewed the surveillance video footage and observed that the car's sunroof was similar to the one on Christensen's car. They also noted that the car in the video had a cracked hubcap and, upon reinspecting Christensen's car, found that it had a cracked hubcap. They concluded that the car in the footage belonged to Christensen.[1]

On June 15 local police and FBI investigators questioned Christensen and executed a search warrant for his car. The black Saturn Astra was initially towed to a secure bay at the Champaign Police Department, and on June 18 was transported to the FBI Springfield Division's main office in Springfield, Illinois.[3] Investigators noted that the passenger door of his car "appeared to have been cleaned to a more diligent extent than the other vehicle doors", which they said "may be indicative of an attempt or effort to conceal or destroy evidence".[1][18]

During questioning on June 15, Christensen admitted that he had given an Asian female a ride,[3] but said that he dropped her off after only a few blocks when a wrong turn caused her to panic.[1][19] Concurrent with this questioning, agents at Christensen's apartment sought and obtained written permission from another occupant of the residence for search and seizure of items at the residence. Agents took possession of computers and a cellphone belonging to Christensen, and subsequently sought and obtained a federal search warrant for a forensic examination of the phone. Law enforcement agencies then placed Christensen under continuous surveillance, beginning on or about June 16.[3]

Arrest of Brendt Christensen

An affidavit filed by an FBI agent said that on June 29 police obtained an audio recording in which Christensen said he had brought Zhang back to his apartment and held her there against her will.[1][20]

On June 30 the FBI arrested and charged Brendt A. Christensen with kidnapping Zhang.[1][3] He had no prior criminal record and no record of disciplinary problems at the university.[1][20]

Investigators stated that they believed that Zhang was no longer alive, but declined to elaborate.[4][1] The FBI report noted that in April, before the alleged kidnapping, Christensen used his cellphone to access the sexual fetish website Fetlife, visiting forums such as "Abduction 101".[1] Christensen was charged with kidnapping under Title 18 U.S.C. Chapter 55, § 1201 of federal law (kidnapping).[3][21] According to the law, if a kidnapping results in the death of any person, life imprisonment or the death penalty is prescribed.[21][3][22]

At a court hearing on July 5, U.S. Magistrate Eric I. Long denied bail for Christensen after hearing submissions from the prosecutor and Christensen's attorneys, Evan and Tom Bruno. Long said that Zhang's still being missing weighed against Christensen, and that Christensen was the last person to see Zhang.[20][19] Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres said that there was no "combination of conditions" where Christensen was not a danger to the community. Freres revealed more details from the investigation not presented in the criminal complaint. He told the court that Christensen had attended a vigil held for Zhang on June 29, where he had described "the characteristics of his ideal victim", and had pointed out those in the crowd who matched them. Additionally, Christensen was recorded saying that Zhang had resisted and fought with him, and he was also recorded threatening someone who then provided incriminating evidence to authorities.[19] Christensen's attorney Evan Bruno argued that he should be released on bail due to his lack of criminal record and his ties to the local community.[20][19]

Bruno said there remained things Christensen had not talked about, and that "what matters is whether there will be evidence to support the charge".[23]

False sightings

Several citizens of Salem, Illinois reported seeing an Asian woman matching Zhang's description in Salem on June 16. Zhang's family traveled to Salem to follow possible leads, and the FBI began to investigate these reports. On July 11, detectives from the Salem Police Department traveled to Champaign to meet with members of Zhang's family and show them video surveillance of the woman taken from several local businesses on June 16. Additionally, they were presented with video footage showing that the woman seen in Salem on June 16 had also been in Salem on May 19, long before Zhang was missing. The woman seen in Salem was not Zhang, according to her family.[24][25]

Initial indictment

On July 12, a federal grand jury formally indicted Brendt Christensen for kidnapping Yingying Zhang. The indictment alleges that Christensen "willfully and unlawfully seized, confined, inveigled, decoyed, kidnapped, abducted, and carried away" Zhang "and otherwise held her for his own benefit and purpose, and used and caused to be used a means, facility and instrumentality of interstate commerce, namely, a Motorola cellular telephone and a Saturn Astra motor vehicle, in committing and in furtherance of the commission of the offense". If Christensen is convicted of kidnapping, he could face up to life in prison.[26][27]

Initial pre-trial hearings

Christensen's arraignment was on July 20; he pled "not guilty".[28][5] He spoke for the first time since his appearances and said he was taking a medication, Klonopin, "as an anti-depressant" when answering Judge Eric Long's question. In addition, no new information was revealed on searching for Zhang. After the arraignment, defense attorney Anthony Bruno said: "I think this case could go on a year or more" and also said that Christensen "has demanded a jury trial". Christensen's trial date was initially set for September 12 in Urbana.[29][30] At a pretrial hearing on August 28 federal district court judge Colin Bruce granted Christensen's attorneys' request for a continuance, giving them more time to prepare his defense. The U.S. Attorney's Office joined in the request. Additionally, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres raised the possibility that a superseding indictment, with additional charges, could be filed before the case goes to trial, requiring the case to return to a grand jury. The trial was rescheduled for February 27, 2018. On September 1, Christensen's attorneys filed a motion requesting to withdraw from the case, citing his inability to pay for the intensive defense that would be required for a potential capital offense. At a hearing on September 8 to address the motion to withdraw, Freres confirmed that a superseding indictment would be filed sometime in October. The motion to withdraw was granted, and a public defender was appointed to represent Christensen in the upcoming trial.[31]

Superseding indictment

On October 3, a federal grand jury in Springfield, Illinois returned a new indictment of Christensen superseding the original indictment of July 12.[32][33] The new indictment charged Christensen on three counts. The first was a re-issuing of the kidnapping charge, upgraded to the charge of kidnapping resulting in death. He was also charged with two counts of making false statements to FBI agents; the first on June 12 when he claimed he was at his apartment sleeping and playing video games all day on June 9, and the second on June 15 when he claimed he picked up an Asian woman on June 9 and dropped her off shortly thereafter in a residential neighborhood. The grand jury also issued a notice of special findings regarding the first count of the indictment; alleging that Christensen intentionally killed Zhang, that Christensen committed the offense in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse to the victim, and that Christensen committed the offense after substantial planning and premeditation to cause the death of a person.[33][32] The two counts of making false statements to FBI agents each carry a five-year prison sentence. If Christensen is convicted of kidnapping resulting in Zhang's death, he would receive either the death penalty, or life in prison.[32]

Subsequent pre-trial hearings and motions

On October 11, Christensen appeared before U.S. Magistrate Eric Long for arraignment on the new indictment.[34][35] Christensen pleaded not guilty to all three charges. In response to Long's questioning, he indicated that he was taking medication for depression and anxiety.[36] Long left the trial date of February 27, 2018 as set by Judge Colin Bruce unchanged. Prior to the start of the arraignment, Zhang's mother burst into tears upon seeing Christensen, screaming "Give me my daughter back!" in Mandarin. She was helped from the courtroom before the hearing began.[35]

On October 24, Christensen's attorneys filed a motion to delay the trial until October 2018, citing statistics of average time between indictment and trial for potential federal death penalty prosecutions.[37] The defense team also stated that in order to conduct a proper defense, they needed to investigate purported sightings of Zhang and reported activity on her social media accounts on dates after her June 9 disappearance.[38] On November 15, Judge Bruce issued an order denying the requested delay, leaving the start of the trial set for February 27, 2018. Bruce left open the possibility of delaying the trial further if the Department of Justice decided to seek the death penalty, and in his order directed the government to provide any notice of intent to seek a sentence of death no later than February 1, 2018.[39]

On January 19, 2018, the government filed notice of intent to seek a sentence of death against Christensen, stating in the filing that the circumstances of the charged offense are such that, in the event of a conviction, a sentence of death is justified.[40][41] In addition to listing intent and statutory aggravating factors, the notice alleged non-statutory aggravating factors that were not previously asserted, including the future dangerousness of the defendant. Prosecutors alleged for the first time that Christensen choked and sexually assaulted another victim in 2013 in central Illinois. They also alleged that Christensen claimed additional victims and expressed a desire to be known as a killer.[40][41] In response, on January 23, 2018 Christensen's lawyers filed a motion asking that any pretrial deadlines be removed and that a previously scheduled pretrial hearing be used to discuss a new schedule for the trial.[42] On February 12, 2018, Judge Bruce issued an order moving the trial to April 2019, with jury selection to be held on April 3, and the start of the trial set to begin on April 9.[43]

Controversy

Shortly before her disappearance, Zhang attempted to flag down and board a MTD bus. However, because she was on the wrong side of the street, the bus did not stop.[1] CUMTD defended the actions of the bus driver, stating that it is against company policy to stop for pedestrians on the wrong side of the street, as to do so would encourage them to run into oncoming traffic.[44]

Investigators were unable to discern the license plate number of the vehicle from security camera footage. The University announced that they planned to install additional, high-definition, security cameras throughout the campus.[45]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Rhodes, Dawn; Wong, Grace; McCoppin, Robert (30 June 2017). "'Nobody saw this coming': Arrest in Chinese scholar's disappearance stuns U. of I. community". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 "US police seek information on car where missing Chinese scholar last seen". China Daily. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Manganaro, Anthony (30 June 2017). "Criminal Complaint" (PDF). Illinois Police. United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Champaign Man Arrested, Charged with Kidnapping Visiting Scholar". U.S. Department of Justice official website. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Rhodes, Dawn (12 July 2017). "Grand jury indicts former U. of I. physics student in Chinese scholar's kidnapping". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  6. ↑ "Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences: College of ACES, University of Illinois". Nres.uiuc.edu. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "FBI Investigates Chinese Woman's Disappearance as Kidnapping". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 15 June 2017. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Surveillance Video of Missing Student Yingying Zhang". FBI official website. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  9. ↑ Schenk, Mary (12 June 2017). "Police seek information on car tied to missing UI scholar". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "Search updates – University of Illinois Police Department". Police.illinois.edu. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  11. ↑ Schenk, Mary (17 June 2017). "FBI offers up to $10,000 reward for info leading to missing scholar". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Jackson, Marcus (17 June 2017). "Chinese UI students helping with search for missing countrywoman". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  13. ↑ "For Yingying Zhang, family came first". Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  14. ↑ "Missing student's family arrives in US, FBI offers reward- World - Chinadaily.com.cn". Chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  15. 1 2 Mitchell, Tim (19 June 2017). "Updated: Separate $40,000 reward announced in case of missing UI scholar". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  16. 1 2 Pressey, Debra (14 July 2017). "Missing UI scholar's family 'will not leave ... without her'". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  17. 1 2 Wurth, Julie (August 22, 2017). "Missing UI scholar's family appeals to Trump for help finding her". The News-Gazette. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  18. ↑ The quotes are taken from paragraph 24 of the Manganaro affidavit affixed to Criminal Complaint 17-MJ-7132, filed on June 30, 2017 in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Hartung, Kaylee; DiGiacomo, Janet; Simon, Darran (6 July 2017). "Prosecutor: Suspect in Chinese student's kidnapping discussed 'ideal victim'". CNN. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Bail denied for suspect in kidnapping of U of I scholar". WGN-TV. CNN wire service. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  21. 1 2 "Chapter 55 – Kidnapping". United States Code official website. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  22. ↑ "Zhang Yingying killed more details exposed! And she suspects before, or sentenced to death". Best China News. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  23. ↑ Pressey, Debra (July 9, 2017). "Attorneys for the accused". The News-Gazette. Champaign, IL: The News-Gazette, Inc. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  24. ↑ Greenwald, Dan (7 July 2017). "FBI investigating possible sightings of missing Illinois student". KMOV 4. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  25. ↑ "Salem Police Say Asian Woman Seen In Salem Last Month Wasn't Missing Kidnap Victim". WJBD Radio. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  26. ↑ Marcus Jackson; Jeff D'Alessio (July 13, 2017). "Flowers, anger, regret as accused kidnapper indicted". Champaign, IL: The News-Gazette, Inc. The News-Gazette.
  27. ↑ U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of Illinois (July 12, 2017). "Grand Jury Indicts Champaign Man on Charge of Kidnapping".
  28. ↑ D'Alessio, Jeff (20 July 2017). "Accused kidnapper's attorney says he'll plead not guilty today". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  29. ↑ Bursztynsky, Jessica (20 July 2017). "Now: Christensen's attorney: 'I think this case could go on a year or more'". Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  30. ↑ D'Alessio, Jeff (20 July 2017). "Accused kidnapper's attorney says he'll plead not guilty today". Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  31. ↑ "UPDATE: Judge OKs request by alleged kidnapper's attorneys". News-gazette.com. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  32. 1 2 3 Meisner, Jason. "Suspect in kidnapping of U. of I. scholar from China facing potential death penalty". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
  33. 1 2 "Grand Jury Returns Superseding Indictment that Charges Champaign Man with Kidnapping Resulting in Death". United States Department of Justice.
  34. ↑ "Man accused of abducting, killing U. of I. scholar from China pleads not guilty to new charge". Chicago Tribune. October 11, 2017.
  35. 1 2 Jensen, Jennifer. "Christensen, once again, pleads not guilty".
  36. ↑ Bursztynsky, Jessica (10/11/2017). "Christensen charged in kidnapping of missing Chinese scholar". The Daily Illini. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ↑ "Attorneys For Defendant In Yingying Zhang Case Seek More Prep Time". Illinois Public Media. 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  38. ↑ Meisner, Jason. "Defense seeks trial delay to check on reported sightings of missing Chinese scholar". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  39. ↑ "Judge Denies Delay In Yingying Zhang Trial Date". Illinois Public Media. 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  40. 1 2 "Government Files Intent to Seek Death Penalty Against Champaign Man Charged with Kidnapping, Death of Chinese Scholar". www.justice.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  41. 1 2 Meisner, Jason. "Prosecutors to seek death penalty for kidnapping of Chinese scholar at U. of I." chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  42. ↑ "Accused kidnapper's attorneys ask for delay in death-penalty trial". Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  43. ↑ "UPDATE: Accused kidnapper's trial pushed to April 2019". Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  44. ↑ Pressey, Debra (6 July 2017). "MTD: It's wrong to blame bus driver who didn't stop for scholar". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  45. ↑ Lorey, Christina (6 July 2017). "University of Illinois increasing security on campus following kidnapping". WQAD-TV. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
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