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

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I hope the manager calling her phone sparked a ping.
 
I'm very curious why the FBI classified it as a kidnapping so quickly, when as a previous poster noted, there are very few kidnappings listed on their page from this year. Do they have better video than what has been released to the public showing the suspect actually debilitating her in some way? Do they have indication he took her out of town/state? Most kidnappings aren't handled by the FBI, so IMO, they must have more information than they are letting out, and they likely have a good reason for keeping it quiet.

But... since the police have called the case "complex" and continue to offer reward money, maybe they don't know as much as I hope they do.

I do wonder what kind of video from the surrounding interstates they were able to get, and if they do know where he went after picking her up (ie- did he get on the interstate?). Additionally, if he did go through the Chicago area, he was picked up by the open road tolling areas and either had an EZ Pass to pay or didn't pay and got flagged in the system. Unfortunately, much of the rest of the state doesn't have tolling but there might be cameras near interchanges and elsewhere.
 
I'd guess they are calling it a kidnapping because there is video of someone picking her up, and she has disappeared since then.

If you open google maps and drive the street view, you can see where all the cameras are in the immediate area. I hope they are ALL being looked at, including those that are in the path prior to him picking up Yingying.
 
I'd guess they are calling it a kidnapping because there is video of someone picking her up, and she has disappeared since then.

If you open google maps and drive the street view, you can see where all the cameras are in the immediate area. I hope they are ALL being looked at, including those that are in the path prior to him picking up Yingying.

BBM. That makes sense, but why is the FBI involved? It's not really standard for the FBI to get involved with every missing person or kidnapping case so I'm just curious how/why the FBI became involved. Is it simply because she is an international visitor? I know that the FBI investigates violent crimes including kidnappings but it is definitely not the norm for them to be involved, so I'm just curious as to why.

(also, I'm legitimately curious- I can't find a way to make my questions sounds less confrontational :) )
 
Just joining. I feel so sad that Yingying came to the US to study and now she is missing!

I think they have a person of interest but haven't been able to identify the person as a suspect for lack of evidence. That's just a hunch that I have. It would be relatively easy to narrow down the suspect list based on that vehicle and alibis. It was a Friday during the day in June. A lot of people would have been at work. Some may have been on vacation out of town with family or friends. There couldn't be more than a dozen or so Astras in the C-U area.

bbm If the number is that low LE surely has already talked to all of them and either ruled them out via alibis, or is watching someone quietly in the hopes that he might lead them to her or that he does/says something to give himself away.

But if they have information on the vehicle and suspect, then they have the video footage of that vehicle and suspect. And that would be sufficient.

This man might have attempted the same with another woman, who was able to provide a description of the man and vehicle.

bbm This is quite likely the case as there was another report in the beginning from another student who was approached by a man in a black car who posed as a police officer. She did not get into the car but I'm sure she had a lot of details about the guy to provide to LE.
 
Which states in the surrounding area of Illinois require a front license plate?

Can anyone make out if it is at least an IL license plate on that Astra?
 
Which states in the surrounding area of Illinois require a front license plate?

Can anyone make out if it is at least an IL license plate on that Astra?

I can't tell what is on the Astra. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri do require a front plate. Michigan, Kentucky, and Indiana do NOT require a front plate.
 
Thoughts I have regarding her phone...

Hopefully they have been able to look at her iCloud (if it is in fact an iPhone) to see if any activity occurred on her phone after she was taken. For example, maybe she was able to snap a picture?

The reason I think this is possible is because she had her backpack sitting on her lap when she got in the car. Wouldn't she have quick access to her phone if things started going south?

This also ties into the theory that he may have debilitated her somehow, very quickly. You'd think she would have moved towards her phone once she started getting uncomfortable, so perhaps he rendered her unable to almost immediately after picking her up.
 
I can't tell what is on the Astra. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri do require a front plate. Michigan, Kentucky, and Indiana do NOT require a front plate.

To me, it doesn't appear to be the newest IL plates, because I feel like the dark shadow of Lincoln on the left would be more visible.

2017plate.png

The previous ones looked like this, though, and the Secretary of State is still in the process of mailing out new ones to replace these (they started peeling and they are replacing them at no cost). It could be this one, but it's hard to tell.

Illinois-DMV-test.jpg
 
It seems that the FBI assists in a lot of cases involving students. By the way, Delphi, Indiana, is only about 100 miles from Champaign-Urbana.
 
I wonder if the bicyclist shown in the video has been able to offer any information to LE?
 
I wonder if the bicyclist shown in the video has been able to offer any information to LE?

I hope they were able to locate the cyclist (seems likely, otherwise I'd imagine they'd be making more of a push to locate him). I wonder how much he remembers- he probably bikes back and forth to campus a lot and probably focuses on staying safe.

My husband is the least observant person in the world, so I always tell him I hope someone else is around if I'm the victim of a crime! Hopefully this cyclist is a bit more observant.
 
Subscribing.
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/miss...-university-illinois-scholar-yingying-n774186
[h=1]FBI Offers $10k Reward for Information in Kidnapping of University of Illinois Scholar Yingying Zhang[/h]
Although officials have said they do not believe there is any immediate danger to the public, they are asking anyone who may have seen something suspicious to call in, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Yingying Zhang is described as 5”4” tall, weighing 110 lbs. with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a charcoal-colored baseball hat, a pink and white long-sleeve top, jeans and white tennis shoes. Her black backpack also remains missing.

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is urged to call the FBI’s Springfield Field office at (217) 522-9675. Tips can also be left anonymously on the Champaign County Crime Stoppers tip line at (217) 373-TIPS or at 373tips.com.
 
I hate thinking the worst, but I can't help it. The odds are not with her right now. And it bothers me to know that the corn in Central Illinois is tall enough right now to conceal a body for several weeks.
 
I wonder if the bicyclist shown in the video has been able to offer any information to LE?

He appeared to be looking in the direction of the car. But when I'm bike riding solo - no paceline - I'm looking ahead at the road (sidewalk in his case) for hazards such as potholes, large cracks parallel to my path and cars. When I look at cars I may briefly look at the driver but only to see if there is a 'tell' that might indicate where the car is going. I MIGHT be able to get a license number, but only if the car presents an obvious danger and I have time. That is why a lot of avid cyclists now use Go-Pro's or something similar - so it will capture aggressive motorists on video.
 
I hate thinking the worst, but I can't help it. The odds are not with her right now. And it bothers me to know that the corn in Central Illinois is tall enough right now to conceal a body for several weeks.

That's what I thought of when I saw they were within 5 minutes of I-74 and then just a short distance east to those cornfields.
 
I hate thinking the worst, but I can't help it. The odds are not with her right now. And it bothers me to know that the corn in Central Illinois is tall enough right now to conceal a body for several weeks.
Why will corn not be tall in a couple of weeks? Will they harvest it in a couple of weeks?
 
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