"Updates on our search for a missing scholar"
June 15
"Police officials are urging that community members not misinterpret a lack of updates as a sign that no progress is being made. Dozens of police officers are working on the case, and the entire University of Illinois Police Department as well as the Illinois State Police and FBI investigators working the case are singularly focused on finding Ms. Zhang.
Although the investigation is moving forward very quickly, we are unable to comment on many specifics of the case both to protect the integrity of the investigation and make sure we can find Ms. Zhang as quickly as possible.
Detectives have used vehicle records to identify a number of registered owners of the type of vehicle in the video, and they continue to speak to those owners. Investigators continue to utlize image enhancing technology available through the FBI. Information about the search is being shared widely, reaching more than 1 million people on social media, on billboards throughout the state, and through media both locally and throughout the country.
These are just a few of the things we are doing at this time.
We have received lots of questions about what volunteers can do to help. We encourage you to continue to share accurate information on social media and elsewhere, and consider printing and distributing this bulletin to local businesses and other highly-visible areas.
If you have any information, please call 911 or the University of Illinois Police Department at 217-333-1216. Non-emergency information may be emailed to
police@illinois.edu. You can also share information anonymously by contacting Champaign County Crime Stoppers at 373tips.com, calling 217-373-TIPS (8477) or by downloading the P3 Tips mobile app (for iOS or Android)."
http://police.illinois.edu/search-updates/
I'm afraid I may be breaking the 10% copyright rule, but I hope this is allowed in this particular case since it is an official statement from LE.
Good to hear that they are making progress.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the investigators are not necessarily in dire need of information from the public. They are providing information on how to contact them with tips, but obtaining additional leads does not seem to be their top priority the way it often is in missing person cases, IMO.
I also find it interesting that the FBI classified the case as an abduction/kidnapping rather quickly. This makes me wonder if the perp has been in contact with LE somehow. I know it's something that rarely happens anymore -thank goodness-, but could this be financially motivated, as in the perp is asking for ransom or something else in exchange for Yingying's return? In that case, it would make more sense for the perp to go after a child -perhaps from a wealthy family-, though. Another possibility I've thought of is someone was holding a grudge against her because of something related to her research work, like a colleague at UI or anyone working in the same academic field anywhere.
But then the way she was snatched away seems so random.
In any case, I hope today is going to be the day Yingying is found. Again, I really feel the time of the essence here.
