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

[TiffanyL_AS]

Most of the Astra hatchbacks I've been looking at have a red emblem on the grill. I haven't detected red on any of the video or still shots. I wonder if that's relevant.

Good lord, I feel like you can almost make out the license plate in this picture.

The university will be skimming all footage from cameras across the campus. I really hope they get a good read on the plate #. I have high hopes they'll be able to at least find the car. *fingers crossed* I'm remaining optimistic.

IMO, I think there's just this 1 perp. I doubt she would have gotten in if there were 2 suspects; one in the rear, as some have mentioned.


Somebody posted a screen still earlier in the thread that had the perp's face. I believe he had blond hair and sunglasses on. I'll try to find it and bring it forward.

 

[Millhouse]

Am I the only one who feels like I can't see anything in those car pictures other than the fact there is indeed someone driving the car? Impressed by all of you making out these details in the pictures of the car!

 

[Ven]

Good afternoon from southern Illinois everyone! This is my first time posting to Websleuths but Yinying's case has really resonated with me and I hope she is found safe and sound soon. I have a couple of questions/concerns I was hoping someone could answer for me.

Hi Parade, welcome to WS.

I have read various articles and through this forum but I may have missed something still so I'm sorry if these questions are repeats.

1. Who reported her missing? How was it discovered she was missing? Was it the landlord, her parents, or someone else?

Yingying was abducted just after 2:00 p.m. local time on Friday June 9th. Her friends reported her missing the next day on Saturday June 10th.

3. In the released surveillance video, it appears as if the bicyclist looks at Yingying talking to the driver. Has the bicyclist been contacted by LE?

I assume the bicyclist has been located and interviewed by authorities. There have not been public pleas by LE for witnesses in the area at that time to come forward, so I think that means most likely all of the possible witnesses have been interviewed.

4. Did LE follow the car through all of the surveillance videos possible? If so, which direction did the driver go? I'm assuming they eventually got onto a highway or interstate.

I don't believe LE knows which direction the vehicle went after it left the area. It's been reported that there are billboards up for Yingying and the black astra everywhere from St. Louis, MO to Iowa to Chicago to Indianapolis. Since the billboards are spread out, I think it means the abductor could have taken her in any of these directions. LE doesn't seem to know, or at least didn't at the time those billboards went up.

5. This is just me being whiney but how is it possible, with all of the amazing modern technology we have today, that a license plate number cannot be pulled from any of the surveillance videos? It is the same thing with the Missy Bever's case and it just infuriates me. Especially with them saying it appears a white male is driving in Yingying's case. In the released videos, I can't see anything distinguishing about the driver at all except for their hands. I'm sure there is more footage that hasn't been released, but they must be pretty confident of the driver's sex and race to be stating that. Investigators don't usually seem to give out too much information unless they are absolutely sure so as to keep the public's eye open for any possibility.

They also have witness statements, including another woman who was most probably approached by the same man and vehicle earlier that morning just a few blocks away. They have other camera angles we can't see. Some people have speculated on here that the man looks "Asian" to them; or that there could be a second person in the backseat.

Authorities have said they are specifically looking for one white male driving this vehicle. They are sure he is white. They are sure nobody else was visible in the vehicle besides the suspect and Yingying. It seems extremely unlikely someone was concealed in this vehicle, or ducking behind the back seat without being noticed by Yingying. Speculation that she was targeted because she was Chinese or that she was abducted by spies or anything like that seems completely baseless as well. She was not stalked--rather, there was a white man circling the area, trying to entice women into his car. I think he drove down the street at the same time she was standing there by chance, and he saw a potential target and approached her. Because of language and cultural barriers, Yingying was vulnerable and got into his vehicle. I hope she is safe, but whatever happened to her I'm sure the FBI will find this and bring him to justice. It is just a matter of time.

 

[Elainera]

Am I the only one who feels like I can't see anything in those car pictures other than the fact there is indeed someone driving the car? Impressed by all of you making out these details in the pictures of the car!

Me neither. But my eyes are not the best I have to say.

 

[Nick_1]

Abductions happen all the time, often resulting in a missing person who may never be found. They happen in every country of the world. The moment one has decided they are somewhere against their will, or they realize they cannot leave, that is when a situation becomes an abduction.

Define "stranger". Is it someone you've seen around but never met, someone you've met a few times but don't know them or even their name, is it a random person who's first contact with you is that encounter? I think all are "strangers".

No, that is not an abduction. If I walk into a bar with a friend, and he or she says "you are not free to leave," I am their against my will. Even though I willingly arrived at this bar. At this point, I realize I cannot leave, as you defined it. This is called false imprisonment, not an abduction.

 

[Nick_1]

I think this person has abducted and harmed women in the past. I don't think he is known to police as a S.O. or in that way. I think he has been doing this before, unbeknownst to authorities, and when he is found, and further investigated, there will be other female victims in their teens and/or twenties from other unsolved cases.

I'd categorize that as an unlikely theory. However, no theory can be discounted. Your specificity promotes greater discussion, which is what any unsolved case needs.

 

[GigTu]

No, that is not an abduction. If I walk into a bar with a friend, and he or she says "you are not free to leave," I am their against my will. Even though I willingly arrived at this bar. At this point, I realize I cannot leave, as you defined it. This is called false imprisonment, not an abduction.

Fair enough

 

[Nick_1]

What does the victim's social media footprint look like? Are the pages public, private or a little bit of both? Are the posts written in Mandarin or English?

 

[DoctorSpacewoman]

What does the victim's social media footprint look like? Are the pages public, private or a little bit of both? Are the posts written in Mandarin or English?

I did a little searching earlier, there are a LOT of Yingying Zhang's on Facebook!! I couldn't find anything. I didn't spend a ton of time searching but I was not able to find any English Facebook page that appeared to belong to her. Who knows what her privacy settings might be, though, if she does have one.


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[proctorelites]

Me neither. But my eyes are not the best I have to say.

When I zoom in I can see some silouettes. I assume what I see in the passenger seat in the video is her bc she just got in. I've also gotten carried away and thought what I was seeing in some still shots I captured from the video were showing something that probably wasn't there at all. I think everybody just wants to help and we all see different things. Its NOT clear. What appears like a cover over the rear window may just be a pixel issue? Thought I was seeing possible ppl in the hatchback, backseat and leaning back in various stills. I think I'm just being a little over the top lol And let's just get real, the FBI would NOT post video or photo of an actual attack. I was wondering if one part of the video had been altered to blur the interior bc faces weren't visible & a possible attack was occurring from behind. Wild ideas and crazy visuals. I've been staring at this for too long the past few days [emoji5] lol I think alot of my problem is paleigonia. And in reality I'm not an inveatigator. Why on earth am I capturing stills from the video to begin with? Is this neurotic/morbid behavior or do sleuthers usually do that when video is released?

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[Nick_1]

Good lord, I feel like you can almost make out the license plate in this picture.

The university will be skimming all footage from cameras across the campus. I really hope they get a good read on the plate #. I have high hopes they'll be able to at least find the car. *fingers crossed* I'm remaining optimistic.

IMO, I think there's just this 1 perp. I doubt she would have gotten in if there were 2 suspects; one in the rear, as some have mentioned.


Somebody posted a screen still earlier in the thread that had the perp's face. I believe he had blond hair and sunglasses on. I'll try to find it and bring it forward.

Has this been posted before? FBI now calling him a, "white male?"

Link: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/yingying-zhang/@@download.pdf

 

[Ven]

Am I the only one who feels like I can't see anything in those car pictures other than the fact there is indeed someone driving the car? Impressed by all of you making out these details in the pictures of the car!

Some of the comments I don't see, like her ducking as some people claimed. But I do see the Saturn emblem on the grill, and I do see her silhouette sitting upright as the vehicle drives away.

 

[HoldySi]

Am I the only one who feels like I can't see anything in those car pictures other than the fact there is indeed someone driving the car? Impressed by all of you making out these details in the pictures of the car!

Me either. I have no idea how people are seeing a watch, a sleeveless shirt, or someone crouching in the backseat. If the image is too distorted to make our a license plate number, I highly doubt such detailed characteristics can be identified.

 

[Nick_1]

I dislike quoting myself. However, I posted the following in a different thread, regarding an unrelated case. Apply these excerpts to this case. The bottom line? Terminology and phrasing are important.

Let's be clear, I am all for the public requesting clear and concise information from law enforcement. Specifically, with regards to potential serial offenders, this is especially true. In the hours after an active killer incident such as Aurora, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech (years ago), information is nearly always conflicting. This is due to a myriad of factors such as the necessity to verify the suspect is neutralized, the number of patients hospitalized or deceased, potential other suspects and so forth. Timely, accurate information is not always available in those kinds of cases. On these 4 cases as you mentioned, it should be. I agree.

[FONT=&amp]As a good rule of thumb, analyze the newest statements from law enforcement in possible serial (or major) cases. Ideally, commanding officers or public information officers have a good understanding of these cases. In turn, they can present basic and consistent information that would say something to the effect of, " I do not have that information at this time." Yes, that is frustrating. If a true serial offender has perpetrated these crimes a press conference would be most beneficial, I believe. The press conference could include members of the investigative team and law enforcement leaders. If it is unclear whether these first four crimes are connected, a press conference or public statement saying, "We are actively exploring any possible connection between these cases," would suffice in my mind. That way, information could be presented that keeps the public informed. A fine line exists between maintaining the investigation's integrity and keeping the citizen's up to date. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]On the most recent case, information can't be deduced that quickly, usually. The FBI's involvement is likely for investigative resources and may be a signal of well; mixed signals thus far. As I stated above, law enforcement may too be confused by evidence that would suggest they are all unrelated. On the contrary, evidence may also be present that would suggest they are all connected. FBI personnel can provide expertise and resources that may clarify this. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]On your last point, for that matter your whole post, I agree with the need for greater transparency. It could be said, "based on the information developed at this time, we are investigating the possibility that these cases are connected." That way if they don't suspect or have evidence that suggests a connection the public can at least know they are inquiring on the possibility of it.[/FONT]

Food for thought when analyzing any case(s).

- Nick

 

[Millhouse]

http://foxillinois.com/news/local/f...-across-town-sharing-flyers-of-yingying-zhang

I feel so bad for her family

 

[AC's Grandma]

In one of the stills posted earlier today where there are 3 pic the car, I see a white male with what looks like very thick dark eyebrows and or glasses on his face. He definitely has dark hair. I don't believe him to be Asian. He looks like a normal size person in that picture, not a smaller framed person.

 

[JnRyan]

http://foxillinois.com/news/local/f...-across-town-sharing-flyers-of-yingying-zhang

I feel so bad for her family

They need help. I have little knowledge of the area, but they are from China with a language barrier to overcome as well.

I have no clue where to start. I had noticed earlier that the abductor wasn't far from the interstate and going east from there they had wide open rural land. I guess I would drive east on I-75 and hit all the exits for the next 50-100 miles with posters. Once Yingying got in the car and was out of sight she could be anywhere.

At some point Yingying's father might be contacting the Chinese embassy or consulates if the family's dissatisfaction with LE starts to grow. If I were him, I would. The more he does to make LE see he is not going away, the better for Yingying.

 

[JnRyan]

It's hard for me to understand how we can have cases with a surveillance video and it doesn't provide a timely answer. Jennifer Kesse's case, Missy Bevers case, the Abigail Williams/Liberty German murders. With a car - Saturn Astra - that is not that common, I'm hoping that gives LE enough.

 

[JnRyan]

It's been almost 2 weeks, so this might be too late but what about car washes/detailers. Yingying was in that car, so he knows he has to do everything to remove forensic evidence. Put posters up in those places. Hopefully LE talks to some of them, but they may have their hands full tracking down all the owners of black Saturn Astra's. He might try to clean the car himself, but I would still check those places and not just in Urbanna-Champaign.

 

[Owl4]

Thank you for posting this. In this image it looks as though the driver has both hands on the wheel.

Any idea how long this was taken after she got into the car? I don't see her in the passenger seat here.

It's interesting to me that the driver has both hands on the wheel and she isn't visible anymore.

I hate to say it but this leads me to believe someone else is in the car- a second perp.

That, or the driver incapacitated her immediately when she got into the car (assuming this image was taken shortly after the bus stop video). If that's the case, he must be pretty confident that she won't move - whether by sitting up and becoming visible, putting her hand on the window, or attempting to open the car door.

That's chilling. Makes me think he must have committed similar crimes in the past.

MOO



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The hand I can see on the steering wheel looks like a white mans hand.

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