Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #1 *Arrest*

[liltexans]

Zhang’s father, Ronggao Zhang, stared ahead silently throughout the news conference, occasionally folding his hands.

Kaler said Ronggao Zhang arrived in Champaign-Urbana on Saturday with Yingying Zhang’s aunt Liqin Ye and boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou. She said all three are staying in university housing. She doesn’t know how long they will remain in the area.

The family members were accompanied by about 20 members of the UI Chinese Students and Scholars Association, which has been providing home-cooked meals for them. Some of the UI students were holding back tears throughout the presentation.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/lo...reward-announced-case-missing-ui-scholar.html

 

[dotr]

Crime Stoppers President John Hecker said the reward is the largest in the organization’s 31-year history.

“We have never offered a reward of this magnitude,” he said. “But this is obviously a very heinous case.”


What sort of information are authorities looking for?

“Things that would help us would be identifying someone who was involved or somebody who was driving that vehicle, the location of the vehicle or anything that might lead us to find her whereabouts,” Hecker said.


“We have had a young lady being apprehended,” Hecker said. “Days have gone by, and we don’t know anything that has transpired. There are unique dynamics and twists and turns to this that differentiate this case from others.”

“We are following through with all the leads, and part of the process is canvassing for videos from cameras from a number of businesses throughout this community,” said UI Deputy Police Chief Tony Brown.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/lo...reward-announced-case-missing-ui-scholar.html

Wondering what is meant by this comment?

There are unique dynamics and twists and turns to this that differentiate this case from others.”

 

[liltexans]

Wondering what is meant by this comment?

If you listen to the full presser in the podcast I linked above, he seemed to be indicating that several factors went into that statement, including that Yingying is from another country and had only been in this country for a little over a month when she was kidnapped. He also talked about all of the agencies involved and the logistics of getting Yingying's family here to the US. I don't know that it's any one thing that makes them say this case is unique. They have stated this is the highest profile missing person case they have ever handled.

 

[GinaSeikwa]

The authorities have said the driver is light skinned but that does not preclude him also being Chinese does it? I'm wondering if it wasn't somebody she knew , ,perhaps even in passing, that called out to her in Cantonese.

 

[GigTu]

His hair looks to be light-dark brown in the video.

 

[flower_girl]

I carry a big purse 24/7. Totally not weird for a woman to carry a lot of things. She just didn't use a purse. I didn't find it odd. I find the way she carried it odd. Super protective.

It kind of just looks like she's fumbling with her things - phone, wallet, keys, etc. You can see something in her hand. She's probably holding it that way temporarily to put her stuff in the bag before she puts it back on her back.

 

[ellbee]

It kind of just looks like she's fumbling with her things - phone, wallet, keys, etc. You can see something in her hand. She's probably holding it that way temporarily to put her stuff in the bag before she puts it back on her back.

"She's careful; she wears her backpack on the front to avoid people stealing from her," Zink Zhang, a University of Illinois student helping spread the word about the case. Zink Zhang said he doesn’t know Yingying personally, but several of his friends do. "Her boyfriend said she's thoughtful, and she doesn't easily trust people."

It has been mentioned a couple times that she often wears it like this.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I think wearing her backpack up front comes from her upbringing in China. I notice Asian tourists in New York City wear backpacks up front.

I found this article:

https://onestep4ward.com/tuesday’s-travel-rant-people-wearing-backpacks-front/

 

[bluehydrangea]

The pressed makes me wonder if they really don't have any information or a suspect, after all...but then again, it lacked some of the forcefulness I would expect I'm that situation. They mentioned that they're looking for information on the driver, car, and license plates, but not much in the way of info on what the public should be looking for in a possible perp. I'm not sure if they're trying to lead the perp to believe that they're not onto him, or if they really don't know. I so want to believe they know more than they're telling.

I also find it interesting that there have been no reports of LE searching the area on foot. Makes you wonder if they believe she was taken out of the area.

 

[CluelessWonder]

I haven't heard anything about money. Did she have money on her when she went to sign the lease? A lot of us assume that it was someone local. However, the interstate billboards makes me question whether we can make such an assumption. I don't think billboards are used unless they have reason to believe that a person may be on the run. And, if she had cash, this person may have enough to spend several days on the run. Also, I don't remember hearing anything about her phone. Usually, we hear where it pinged, when it was shut off, etc. Perhaps it's still active and is serving as a source of information right now.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Crimestoppers and the family are offering $40,000 reward. The family has insisted that all of the money raised go toward a reward. The university is providng housing for the family while they are here, and that the Chinese Students and Scholars Association on Campus is assisting with meals.

In addition, the FBI's is rewarding up to $10,000 for information to help locate her.

potentially $50,000 reward for information.

http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/t...ract-information-zhang-disappearance#stream/0

Those who may have information can submit anonymous tips to Champaign County Crime Stoppers by calling 217-373-TIPS (8477), online at http://373tips.com or by using the P3 Tips mobile app available on iOS or Android.

Tips must be submitted through Crime Stoppers to be eligible for the reward. The Crime Stoppers reward is separate and not linked to the $10,000 reward offered by the FBI for information leading to the location of Ms. Zhang.

Calls and messages to Crime Stoppers are routed to a third-party call center, which strips all identifying information from the call before forwarding the information to police. Callers are assigned a unique identifying number.

Information from the public continues to be an important part of the investigation, and detectives are following up on hundreds of tips already received.

http://police.illinois.edu/search-updates/

Crimestoppers is offering the $40,000 reward for the location of Zhang with no strings attached, which means it allows members of the community to provide anonymous information about criminal activity. But to get the $10,000 FBI reward, the person who submits the tip may be called upon to testify in the criminal case in court.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1052554.shtml

Anyone with information concerning the disappearance or the whereabouts of Ms. Zhang can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.

 

[Elainera]

Here is some information on Yingying:

Since arriving in April, Yingying has developed a close group of friends among her fellow students. Those posting about her case on Facebook describe her as thoughtful and bright. Her disappearance has come as a shock, as several of her friends have categorized her as cautious and reserved with new people.

"She's careful; she wears her backpack on the front to avoid people stealing from her," Zink Zhang, a University of Illinois student helping spread the word about the case. Zink Zhang said he doesn’t know Yingying personally, but several of his friends do. "Her boyfriend said she's thoughtful, and she doesn't easily trust people."

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/miss...-university-illinois-scholar-yingying-n774186

Well after reading that I feel pretty sure that Yingying either knew the perp or he was talking in her mother tongue (as someone above speculated - good thinking!) which made her trust and approach him.

I think wearing her backpack up front comes from her upbringing in China. I notice Asian tourists in New York City wear backpacks up front.

I found this article:

https://onestep4ward.com/tuesday’s-travel-rant-people-wearing-backpacks-front/

Yes it's a crowded country, many are poor, I would think that pickpocketing is more common there than in Western countries.

Maybe Yingying thought that theft is the worst that could happen

I haven't heard anything about money. Did she have money on her when she went to sign the lease? A lot of us assume that it was someone local. However, the interstate billboards makes me question whether we can make such an assumption. I don't think billboards are used unless they have reason to believe that a person may be on the run. And, if she had cash, this person may have enough to spend several days on the run. Also, I don't remember hearing anything about her phone. Usually, we hear where it pinged, when it was shut off, etc. Perhaps it's still active and is serving as a source of information right now.

bbm - or they have spoken to all the local Astra owners and they all checked out, so the logical next step is to widen the search area.

 

[ninij9]

Not sure if this was already mentioned BUT the way she approached the vehicle so swiftly and quickly she must've known this person. Just as from my own experience as a woman in the world, I always hesitate for a moment when someone is trying to get my attention (especially from a car) as a reflex to cat-calling.

It didn't appear to quickly to me. She's a foreign student here. Her manners and culture differs from our. A manipulative psychopath may be able to trick her more easily than you or I. If he flashed a fake badge, or told her the bus line was down, or got her talking and found out where she was going, etc. I visited many foreign country when I was just 22. I felt very vunerable. I shudder to think of all the people I trusted, and rides I took. Even if you understand or can speak the language you are literally a fish out of water.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[sherpa14]

<modsnip>

<modsnip> The most likely scenario is a lone predator on the prowl who attempted several times to kidnap a young girl before succeeding with Yingying

 

[mbison]

<modsnip>

I haven't seen 3) reported, but he could have just turned the phone off / made her turn it off. If the phone did ping indicating a direction of travel out of Chambana, I expect they would have reported such direction.

 

[bluehydrangea]

<modsnip> The most likely scenario is a lone predator on the prowl who attempted several times to kidnap a young girl before succeeding with Yingying

<modsnip> I think the implication is that the driver was Asian himself and possibly someone she knew. I personally don't think that was the case, but people are allowed to have other ideas. Also, no one suggested that LE doesn't know what they're doing or that we know more than they do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ellbee]

<modsnip>

I investigate accidents and criminal activity on a daily basis. It's my job. I can tell you that in the several years I've been doing it, I've rarely been assigned a case in which made complete sense to me. People are twisted and crazy things happen. I would say that most of these theories are not "far out of reality". A lot of them, you claimed that LE would have already looked into. So, how is that "far out of reality"?

 

[ninij9]

I investigate accidents and criminal activity on a daily basis. It's my job. I can tell you that in the several years I've been doing it, I've rarely been assigned a case in which made complete sense to me. People are twisted and crazy things happen. I would say that most of these theories are not "far out of reality". A lot of them, you claimed that LE would have already looked into. So, how is that "far out of reality"?

Good post. Criminal minds are different. Thanks for that reminder.
Also to add, we don't KNOW that LE cleared the landlord. Why the heck would they tell US that? We don't know what they know. So often they have eyes in someone from day one. All of the wisdom behind sharing photos with the public could be to collect additional evidence to firm up a charge. Jmo.[emoji4]

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[flourish]

UPDATE: University of Illinois have released a video of UI scholar Yinying Zhang entering a black vehicle on North Goodwin Avenue before she was reported missing Friday. Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the vehicle, a black Saturn Astra. A security video 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, which then continues north on Goodwin Avenue.
Video: http://www.news-gazette.com/video/2017-06-12/missing-ui-scholar-enters-car.html

Previously reported: 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.

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.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/lo...elease-video-car-tied-missing-ui-scholar.html

Bumping an early post. Where is Yingying? She's the concern here. What could have happened to her?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk

 

[Harmony 2]

:modstop:

The snark needs to stop... You have three options...


Tips to avoid being on the outside looking in:
1. Don't take the bait.
2. Keep scrolling
3. Use your IGNORE feature

I am going to go back to clean up some posts.