Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #4 *Arrest*

[Strangeworld]

He had no reportable income therefore not a legit uber driver

Sent from my SM-T355Y using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 192280]

I know it's so cliché but LE should check the Walmarts nearby and hardware stores for footage of BC for that morning or the day before. He probably went shopping for kidnapping supplies.

Reminds me of the video of Douglas Garland shopping for similar stuffs before the murder of Nathan O'Brien and his grandparents. (Somehow this case keeps reminding me of that Canadian case)

My guess is their paths had crossed. He wasn't a " stranger" to her.

BC dropped out of the academic program and I think I read that his colleagues/advisors had not seen him since, so I tend to think they had not met before.
(However, he could tell YZ that he's a student/research assistant/faculty/alumni of her university and his knowledge of the physics dept could convince her he's one of their own.)

 

[Skigirl]

We don't know whether he was a legit uber or ride share driver recently or in the near past. It does not seem like he had a job so it's certainly possible. In time we might find that out. If he was a legit driver (though not "on duty" officially at that time), he could have held up a sign or something. That would make her feel even more comfortable.

The more I think about it, I think the ride share angle is the only one that makes any sense to me on why she got in that car and why she was talking to him so long before she got in.

The article upthread that listed his rent and other expenses also said he had no income. His spouse was the sole wage-earner.

 

[dizzychick]

in that pic I posted I noticed BC's forearms looked big like he had been working out. Wonder if he was on steriods? He does not appear to have the big neck but his arms sure looked strong. Poor YZ didnt stand a chance against him. And I dont buy he took her to his apartment either. He found some place comfortable to him perhaps a familiar place too. I would look at all the abandoned farm houses and barns around that area. He told a half truth to the cops, that is she panicked when he took a wrong turn. That is when IMO she realized she was in trouble. Bless her heart.

 

[Skigirl]

I don't understand how it was possible for her to be brought into his apartment without being seen by neighbors or being captured on video as there are cameras everywhere, and if she resisted, surprising that the sounds were not heard. Praying so very hard for the poor woman and her dear family.

I think he subdued her with a real or fake weapon. Otherwise, you would think there would be a mad fight in the car when she realized that he wasn't taking her where she asked to go. I imagine that during normal business hours, most people in his complex would be at work or school or just out and about, and if she was under threat, she might have gone in quietly enough that no one noticed. People really don't pay much attention to what's going on around them. Try to remember three people you passed on the sidewalk or in a store today. I can remember one man, who spoke to me, but otherwise, I have these sort of vague impressions of the people who were around me when I went to the grocery store. I just wasn't paying attention because nothing was amiss.

It's actually amazing what can happen outside a residence without anyone noticing. A copper downspout was stolen right off the front of a house in my neighborhood in the middle of the day and no one saw it or noticed anything amiss. A whole downspout!

 

[annamolly]

The only way I think the ride share premise is plausible is if she knew him at least in passing. Her aunt had said Yingying told her not to use services like that because you don't know who is really picking you up. Makes me think he pulled over and said he was Uber/Lyft and then maybe said something like "Don't I know you? From classes/research?" She may have vaguely recognized him and felt safer. She was running late and felt it would be ok. Everytime I watch that video I wanna tell her to not go!

 

[LadyL]

[bbm]

first time I'm seeing that
did I miss it somewhere? can you provide a link?

The only way I think the ride share premise is plausible is if she knew him at least in passing. Her aunt had said Yingying told her not to use services like that because you don't know who is really picking you up. Makes me think he pulled over and said he was Uber/Lyft and then maybe said something like "Don't I know you? From classes/research?" She may have vaguely recognized him and felt safer. She was running late and felt it would be ok. Everytime I watch that video I wanna tell her to not go!

 

[roche.analisa]

[bbm]

first time I'm seeing that
did I miss it somewhere? can you provide a link?

This one from CNN mentions it:

[video=cnn;us/2017/07/01/chinese-student-arrest-yingying-zhang-hartung-nr.cnn]http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/us/chinese-scholar-disappearance-family-speaks/index.html[/video]

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[kcjpwinn]

that does look like a cell phone next to the water bottle.

 

[parade]

I am not entirely convinced that Yingying was ever in his apartment, but am I the only one who believes that he could get her in there unnoticed simply by telling her something along the lines of "cooperate and I will let you live?" As a petite girl she might have figured she couldn't fight him off, but may have a chance to live if she listened to him. I'm just not sure how no one in the apartment complex wouldn't hear her once she realized he had no plans on letting her live.

 

[Yellow]

He had no reportable income therefore not a legit uber driver

Sent from my SM-T355Y using Tapatalk

I don't know how reporting for income works with Uber, I'm not even sure if they give you a 1099 if you don't meet a certain threshold. Sometimes if it is less than $500 companies don't give a 1099. I assume you could conceivably sign up and get the decal or whatever and then just never do it or do it sparingly. Him not having income does not rule out that he could have had a decal either from recently signing up for uber in the past few weeks or taking the decal from another car or indeed just making up a sign if this was all premeditated.

It would be true to say you had no income if you just signed up with uber and only made $100 so far. Moreover, i think that it just media accounts of his having no income. If you made only a few hundred dollars from Uber, you would probably say that the person does not have a job or income, because the job is so minimal.

 

[liltexans]

Beijing female graduate students lost contact 21 days, reminded aunt do not use shared services

Zhang Yingying was very careful, and she reminded me to go out and be careful. It's better not to use shared car rental service. "You never know who he is."". Zhang Yingying's little aunt, Ye Yu said in memory.

 

[ninij9]

I think requirements vary a bit, but they're supposed to have decals here in So California. I've heard that some drivers do hustle for cash rides though.

I just googled it and apparently your supposed to get a magnetic decal when you register, but this one guy couldn't wait and found unlicensed Lyft and Uber sticker car decals on amazon for 8 bucks. (This is actually scary).

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[ninij9]

We don't know whether he was a legit uber or ride share driver recently or in the near past. It does not seem like he had a job so it's certainly possible. In time we might find that out. If he was a legit driver (though not "on duty" officially at that time), he could have held up a sign or something. That would make her feel even more comfortable.

The more I think about it, I think the ride share angle is the only one that makes any sense to me on why she got in that car and why she was talking to him so long before she got in.

We should go over the video again looking for lyft or Uber stickers. Real or fake.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[liltexans]

Yingying Zhang is so cautious, she warned her aunt in China to "be careful" when going out and to avoid using shared ride services.

"You never know who it is," Liqin Ye recalled her niece saying.

http://www.wicz.com/story/35783264/missing-students-family-has-theories-on-disappearance

 

[Strangeworld]

I don't know how reporting for income works with Uber, I'm not even sure if they give you a 1099 if you don't meet a certain threshold. Sometimes if it is less than $500 companies don't give a 1099. I assume you could conceivably sign up and get the decal or whatever and then just never do it or do it sparingly. Him not having income does not rule out that he could have had a decal either from recently signing up for uber in the past few weeks or taking the decal from another car or indeed just making up a sign if this was all premeditated.

It would be true to say you had no income if you just signed up with uber and only made $100 so far. Moreover, i think that it just media accounts of his having no income. If you made only a few hundred dollars from Uber, you would probably say that the person does not have a job or income, because the job is so minimal.

If he was a current uber driver it would be reported already in the media...i have no doubt

Sent from my SM-T355Y using Tapatalk

 

[Yellow]

I just googled it and apparently your supposed to get a magnetic decal when you register, but this one guy couldn't wait and found unlicensed Lyft and Uber sticker car decals on amazon for 8 bucks. (This is actually scary).

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Exactly, he could have registered either for nefarious purposes just to look legit or he could have bought a decal.

Indeed why wasn't he working? Uber is a great job for those in between jobs or those who can only work in the short term. It would be a great job for someone like him, especially since he was not some 25 year old kid - he was approaching 30, he should do something to contribute to household income.

I just think you only get her going in the car if she knew him or the ride share angle. It's irrelevant to me what her aunt said about ride share- you can say things in conversation with relatives yet do something totally different when you feel like you are in a safe environment and you are in a rush.

I think people also have an inflated view of being able to get out of a car if something went wrong. I thought of this when I use ride car services (in a major city), and I think it would be difficult to subdue a passenger if you are driving and you are being tracked by the ride share company. Also, if you are in a city (not rural area), I think you feel it would be easy to get out of the car if something went wrong.

 

[Strangeworld]

There is no way he was legally earning any $$$ he reported zero income whilst facing a kidnapping charge

Sent from my SM-T355Y using Tapatalk

 

[Yellow]

If he was a current uber driver it would be reported already in the media...i have no doubt

Sent from my SM-T355Y using Tapatalk

I don't think it's possible he would be legitimately on duty. Uber or Lyft would be the only people who know whether he signed up with them and they certainly have no incentive to broadcast he worked with them especially if he was off duty. The high publicity of this case would be disastrous for them. Moreover, it's possible he signed up yet never offered a ride or only offered a few rides. Uber and Lyft aren't going to broadcast that.

If he was a ride share driver that was not on duty, we would only find out if there is a leak from the police department or it's painted as possible motive in the case. I don't think we would know at this early stage because no one would have incentive to let that out now.

Plus he's a proven lyer so I would not believe what he says about his income. A minimum amount of income (less than $1000/year) is basically a 0 is what he would think IMO.

 

[kcjpwinn]

we Chinese has high regard for educated people. Everyone in the campus seems so nice, I bet that he showed her his student ID or faculty ID from when was TA, telling her that he is also a PhD researcher, with a master degree recently graduated from UIUC. With that assumption and under the pressure of being late for her lease signing in the apartment, she accepted his offer. Being in the campus for only a month in, she probably doesn't know her new apartment is only 1 mile away from the bus stop where she was waiting for the bus, which is only about 15 minutes walk. It is very sad this happened and she became the victim. I still have hope that she is alive being captive some where. Hope that the FBI will find her soon, and I trust the FBI is doing everything that they can within guidelines to find YZ.
Learned from this unfortunate case, I am afraid even taking ride from Uber. Public transportation is my limo.