Kidnapping of Yingying Zhang

Yingying Zhang is a visiting scholar from China, who has not been seen since she got into a car driven by a man at a bus stop near the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Biography: Yingying Zhang was born on 21 December 1990 in China. She arrived in the United States in April 2017 to conduct research on photosynthesis and crop productivity in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. Abduction: On the afternoon of 9 June 2017, Zhang was waiting at a bus stop in Urbana, Illinois for an MTD bus to take her to an off-campus apartment complex where she was going to sign a new lease. She was running late and sent a text message to the leasing agent to inform them. Surveillance video from a nearby parking garage showed that a black Saturn Astra approached her, after circling the surrounding area a few times. She spoke to the driver for a couple of minutes, then got into the car. She has not been seen since. From surveillance video obtained from a nearby parking garage, the perpetrator appears to be a white male. The car circled the campus for some time before approaching the victim. Zhang was last seen wearing a charcoal-colored baseball hat, with a pink-and-white top, was wearing jeans, and with white tennis shoes, and was carrying a black backpack. Search efforts: The University of Illinois Police Department is working with the FBI to find Zhang. Chinese students at the university are helping with the search. The FBI has announced a reward of $10,000 for information leading to her location. On June 19th, 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. This reward is the largest offered in the 31-year history of the Champaign Crime Stoppers organization. Arrest of Brendt Christensen: On June 30th, the FBI arrested and charged a Champaign man, Brendt Christensen, with kidnapping Zhang. Based on evidence gathered during the investigation, they believe that Zhang is no longer alive. Prior to the alleged kidnapping, Christensen used the sexual fetish website, Fetlife, to explore topics such as "Abduction 101." Christensen is charged under 18 U.S.C. Code § 1201. If Zhang is found to be dead, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty. At a court hearing on July 5, US Magistrate Eric Long denied bail for Christensen charged with kidnapping Zhang. The assistant US attorney Bryan Freres said no “combination of conditions” where Christensen was not a danger to the community.