Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #2 *Arrest*

[Webthrush]

My opinions below:
1) The FBI believes Yingying was kidnapped. It's been listed that way in everything they release since day 1.
2) As noted upthread, a standard feature of that car is multiple tracking softwares built in - theft tracking and onstar. The FBI can get the data of the car's traveled path.
3-4) Releasing info about the car or owner would likely interfere with the investigation and possibly derail it, thereby jeopardizing Yingying. Besides, they've made it abundantly clear that they will not be releasing information about the investigation. We are lucky they told us about the car.
5) The public does not know what this means, but it's easy to speculate that one thing led to another and could be one or both (new/different, or more of the same). Like a scavenger hunt.

Thanks GigTu, but one issue I still have is that while FBI can get tracking data from the vehicle they can't get what any witnesses SAW -- like if someone saw 1, 2, or multiple individuals enter or leave the vehicle at some point -- I just can't recall a case where the FBI specifically said DON'T send us any more information about something relevant to a crime.
On a more minor note, yes the FBI consistently calls this a kidnapping, but the question some have raised is whether the kidnapping occurred after the Astra ride (not saying I believe that, just that I'm more open now to many possibilities I wasn't early on).

 

[-Chelle-]

I just played the video again, probably 20 times now and I have a question. (go figure) She has appears to be carrying a lot of items....and wearing the backpack on the front of her chest. YET when she gets into the car, she has to have a hand free to open the door. Once she gets in, the car it immediately takes off! Almost as if it takes off even before she has time to move the items and pull a seat belt over her chest and click it in place. I don't know about anyone else, but it takes me a while to get situated and find the seat belt in a strange vehicle. (I'm kind of clutzy and flustered trying to get that accomplished, even in a vehicle I use often.) Who takes off that quickly without leaving time for the passenger to adjust the seat, put items on the floorboard (like a purse etc), and reach across to buckle their seat belt and just speeds off??? (I don't even know if we can glean as to whether or not he put on his left turn signal when he turned the wheels back onto the streets.) I am now thinking, "a kidnapper" would take off like that if he had AUTO LOCKS on his door that engage when he puts his vehicle in drive, or reaches a certain speed. I wouldn't budge an inch unless I made sure my passenger was comfortable, adjusted their seats and more importantly buckled their seat belt. Wow, I think I just convinced myself....and I don't like the feeling I just got. "Hey buddy, what's the big rush?" .....he doesn't care about her safety, just moving quickly out of the area.

Maybe she isn't aware or used to cars even having autolock, because I'm not from the US and I think it's the first time I'm hearing about it.

Also about the culture I'm pretty sure if I was studying in the US if someone pretended to be campus police and asked me if I needed a lift I probably would have said yes, specially if they showed me a badge, because I feel like foreigners, or at least people I know, feel like the US is a really really safe place, and specially college capuses. Where I live I don't even take cabs because of how dangerous it is for women, but in the US, specially if I hadn't been there for long I feel like I would be much more trusting, even with people I didn't know because of the way TV and movies portray life in the US.

 

[Cardinal47]

Now that FBI no longer need info regarding the Astra I can't help but wonder if they're even considering the Astra her last point of contact with the public. Is the Astra driver the kidnapper? Or, did he drop her off elsewhere? Did she come into contact with another person that kidnapped her? Where would he have taken her that would've been an acceptable place to drop someone that may have gotten confused about the buses? If not THE terminal I wonder if it's nearby where cameras wouldn't have picked her up. Or is this his convenient excuse?

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BBM that's an interesting thought and maybe why they no longer wanted calls about the car or driver.

If the Apartment complex is what I think it is the set up is like this. An apartment with four bedrooms with bathrooms and locking doors. Common areas of LR and Kitchen.

They usually have a marketing director that is responsible for bookings. That person receives a salary plus a bonus for bookings. They also kind of wine and dine the students with pizza parties and snacks. They are furnished and I believe the common areas are cleaned by a service once a month.

It's completely different from the run down homes near campus that a lot of us rented in our college days.

So they can be pretty agressive with the several phone calls if they were all made the morning and afternoon of the appointment.

 

[HoldySi]

I keep re-reading the (vague) official FBI announcement of finding the black Astra, trying to make sense of it:
http://police.illinois.edu/dpsapp/w...ingying-Zhang-Press-Release-pdf-6-27-2017.pdf


1) The title implies they DO believe the Astra driver kidnapped Yingying.
2) BUT they write, “We will not need any further information from the public regarding the Black Saturn Astra.” Surely, if it were involved in the crime they WOULD WANT any further details/sightings public might have as to the car’s travels/whereabouts over the last 2 weeks!?
3) Why no info whatsoever on the owner of the vehicle? — was it, as some have surmised, a stolen vehicle, and the owner is innocent?
4) They say nothing of when/where car was located — is this because they now believe Yingying may be far from the central Illinois area, and they don’t want to name a location that may focus attention on any one (wrong) area?
5) When they say they have “developed several additional leads” — are these different leads then they have had before (were they initially off in a wrong direction)? or does it simply mean further, more updated leads in direction they were already pursuing?

I agree with all of this, very confusing.

 

[liltexans]

We need a link for anything presented as fact in this case.

Rumors from social media, including Facebook, are not allowed.

 

[agilbe]

Or SpanishMossAntiques This snippet from an article on WOMEN SAFETY and CHILD-LOCK.....the trainer asked, “what should you check for when you sit in a hired cab?” The answer to that is child lock. The room was silent for a few seconds as no one had said that. The trainer went on to tell us that in the last 4 years all cases related to rape/ molestation in cabs/by cab drivers had one thing in common, the victims were in cars that had child lock on them.
Could not the same scenario/warning be applicable to any vehicle in which a woman enters?
https://wordsandnotion.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/women-safety/

Some vehicles also have a lock for the windows. If she tried to scream out the window she would not have been able to. I have used this feature for one of my son's friends (not child age) who used to habitually leave the window down when he would get out of my car.

 

[liltexans]

[video=twitter;880430596887109632]https://twitter.com/illinois_intl/status/880430596887109632[/video]

 

[liltexans]

The search for Yingying Zhang: Day 20

The case of missing University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang continues to draw national attention, with a live report from the Quad by CNN this morning.

 

[Sleepyface]

Pure conjecture on my part, but I assume no more tips are required about the car for two reasons - that evidence shows the car was most likely driven straight from the abduction site to the location it was found, possibly where there was evidence or indication of a vehicle swop or similar, with cctv, pings etc largely confirming the route. Secondly, all useful information regarding ownership, registration, storage, previous usage, how it was acquired and so on has already been compiled. Personally I'd assume it's stolen and on false plates. All MOO

E.t.a: If the car & driver were innocent/genuine lift, there would likely have been a clear statement ruling it out of the investigation.

 

[Daae]

Or SpanishMossAntiques This snippet from an article on WOMEN SAFETY and CHILD-LOCK.....the trainer asked, “what should you check for when you sit in a hired cab?” The answer to that is child lock. The room was silent for a few seconds as no one had said that. The trainer went on to tell us that in the last 4 years all cases related to rape/ molestation in cabs/by cab drivers had one thing in common, the victims were in cars that had child lock on them.
Could not the same scenario/warning be applicable to any vehicle in which a woman enters?
https://wordsandnotion.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/women-safety/

This is a very pertinent video to watch!!!! I'm not sure if this pertains to the front seat as well.[video=youtube;MF21xnU9_dA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF21xnU9_dA[/video]

 

[IQuestion]

This is a very pertinent video to watch!!!! I'm not sure if this pertains to the front seat as well.[video=youtube;MF21xnU9_dA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF21xnU9_dA[/video]

Thank you DAAE The video was difficult to understand at first (wind and noise in background) but the LAST ONE MINUTE IS AMAZING!!
Every parent/student should watch this!!

 

[IQuestion]

It has been mentioned many times about earlier June incident of someone flashing a badge and trying to get women into vehicle??
Interesting "badge" huh? It almost looks official. How difficult would it be for any schmoe to obtain something similar?
http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/40/44/6687024/15/1024x1024.jpg

 

[liltexans]

[video=twitter;880438158005084160]https://twitter.com/ui7news/status/880438158005084160[/video]

 

[annamolly]

The fact LE has asked for no more info on the car is a bit confusing. So either the car was stolen and the car gives no direct information to identify the abductor or police know who they are looking for and that is why they say no more leads on the car. Those seem like the only 2 possibilities. The latter seems most likely, but if they know who it is why not ask for information about the person? Makes me have hope they have reason to believe Yingying is alive and they don't want to tip off he perp they are onto him!

 

[HoldySi]

The fact LE has asked for no more info on the car is a bit confusing. So either the car was stolen and the car gives no direct information to identify the abductor or police know who they are looking for and that is why they say no more leads on the car. Those seem like the only 2 possibilities. The latter seems most likely, but if they know who it is why not ask for information about the person? Makes me have hope they have reason to believe Yingying is alive and they don't want to tip off he perp they are onto him!

I tend to agree with this. Something about this case feels different than most others we see. In a vast majority of cases, we know the outcome doesn't look good for the victim. For example, I think most of us know what happened to Danielle Stislicki though there isn't any proof of that yet. I don't get the same feeling from this one. The vague language and behavior of LE gives me hope that this case might have a more positive outcome.

 

[Satchie]

Many women will get into an Uber vehicle, possibly the driver said he was an Uber taxi?

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[Satchie]

Re the statement about the car, I believe they want the public to stop looking for the car because there's otherwise the repeated invasion of privacy/suspicion of all the innocent people who own similar cars. Especially with social media, I think the police want to avoid creating social havoc where ordinary people are treated with suspicion by everyone in their community.

As to how they've positively id's the car, hopefully it's with a tracking device and not forensics.

My 3rd question is, did the person use his own car, not expecting it would be caught on surveillance, or did they steal a car for the purpose. Either way, the owner of the car will be claiming it was stolen, LE will be investigating whether or not that can be confirmed or is a lie.

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[Millhouse]

Many women will get into an Uber vehicle, possibly the driver said he was an Uber taxi?

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The difference here to me is that when I get in an Uber, I previously requested it and have an idea of who is coming. I know that that doesn't necessarily mean it is safe, but it is different to me than getting in a random car that pulls up and claims to be one.

It is still up in the air as to whether she requested an Uber or ride service, so perhaps this is what happened. When it first happened, the cops were saying they were trying to confirm whether she requested one or not and no further information has been released.

 

[Webthrush]

There’s still so much confusion out there… wish the FBI would just come out with a definitive statement (IF it’s the case) that: they believe Zhang was kidnapped by the driver of a black Saturn Astra that has been recovered, and the owner either IS or is NOT a person-of-interest. Is that too much to ask? (many other things I’d like to hear, but start with that). Feeling frustrated.

 

[Millhouse]

There’s still so much confusion out there… wish the FBI would just come out with a definitive statement (IF it’s the case) that: they believe Zhang was kidnapped by the driver of a black Saturn Astra that has been recovered, and the owner either IS or is NOT a person-of-interest. Is that too much to ask? (many other things I’d like to hear, but start with that). Feeling frustrated.

I wish they'd come out with ANY statement at this point.

I can't imagine how frustrated her family is. Do you think they've given her family any other indication as to what is going on? Probably not much info if any has been given to them, but I just can't imagine how horrible it would be to know nothing about the investigation in to where your loved one might be.