Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #6 *Arrest*

[Deleted member 158085]

okay recapping theories
-he picked her up Presumably he had planned on incapacitating her very quickly.. but not permanently or too seriously, still assuming he wanted her alive for his plan and not dead.
He could possibly have attained this interim goal with a physical blow with an object, a hypodermic syringe, a choke-hold of some description, a gag, ropes etc.. many other theories have been discussed here as well.
Her phone was never recovered, nor was her backpack.
Its likely he immobilised her phone pretty quickly as the apartment owner was texting her when she failed to appear. We do not know whether the text or texts were received by her phone, only that they were sent.

This may provide a time window.. if they were never received he had to have destroyed or immobilised phone within an extremely short timeframe.. less than 30 minutes.
- So he has her in car or out of car, she is unconscious or just immobilised and silenced.. he needs to bring her somewhere for his plan..
Its still daylight. Summer. Early afternoon.

Even if blindsided with excitement at his occupation, he still did not forget to destroy her phone and her backpack.
part of his mind was working efficiently..these items were never recovered.

-He was broke..he needed money and had no desire to earn it legally..
He had a hostage.. what was she worth?
Was she worth more dead than alive?
Was his plan solely to use her for his own warped pleasure or did he also have a financial motive?
If we cannot locate his contacts we have no way to find this out..

The tape allegedly made reference to a struggle..
I dont know how much of the tape was him simply trying to impress the woman he escorted on the march and how much was the truth..

This part, him telling a woman about this, is so bizarre. I sure wish we could know how he knew her and why he felt comfortable telling her all of this.

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[Deleted member 158085]

Recording not available to public far as I know.
I am not sure they knew he would be at vigil.
Its likely the woman may have been either an acquaintance of his, his friend and confidante or his flat mate.
Why did she agree to be wired?
I am not sure..
No idea how the police came across her.. its quite possible it was she who granted them permission to enter on their first visit.. she may have offered to help out or she may not have been given a whole lot of choice..
Her anonymity has been protected.
also unusual.
Does she believe he did it?
we do not know..
mystery person..

I thought his roommate was his wife. So did he and his wife have another roommate?

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[dm92]

As to Chinese women being harassed a lot, I'm not sure how extensive it is. There are so many here, I'm sure they get their share of unwanted attention. I know that plenty of white girls and others have guys offer them "rides" as well. Much of this is probably innocent -guys being guys and just trying to get a chance to hit on a girl. But some of it is most certainly NOT above board. My wife certainly felt scared on a couple of her occasions. As an aside, I've heard nothing to suggest that BC was targeting Chinese/Asian women for any sort of racial-based hatred reasons. If anything, it may have been simply a strategic reason to target them -that time of the year (April-August) there are a lot of new Asian and other international students arriving on campus, and you can often tell who they are. He may have picked up on this when he saw her, and thought it made her an ideal target -if she's new in town, maybe not that many people know her yet, so it might be a few days or so before someone notices her missing.

I know nothing about the extent of internet searches for traces of BC, but my guess is that plenty of people here were looking for him online, and likely still are. Huge computer science and computer engineering departments here. NCSA is based here, after all......

Have not heard much about extent of official searches. I did see for many weeks after she vanished, people out walking around and obviously looking through wooded areas. I myself looked in one area, and might go back to do so again. I did learn of a major tip reported to authorities regarding how he disposed of her. Based on the rules here, I don't know if I would be allowed to share it or not, but I don't feel comfortable doing so anyway. I'm sure this tip was real, because reportedly FBI agents were asking people at his complex about something they believe he had in his possession that was related to this tip, and they were asking if people ever saw him with it.

My own guess is that it's probably pretty simple. He had probably been planning this for some time, and had scouted out a secluded location where he could bury her, and if no one saw him going in there, no one would ever think to look there, and where no one was likely to walk through and notice the ground had been disturbed. All he had to do was leave his phone at home, and no one would be able to use GPS data to track his movements to there. There is also a possible way he might have been able to destroy her remains completely, but that would require him to have knowledge of some University facilities that I don't have any idea if he had or not. My guess would be no, but they guy is very smart, so he could have looked into the possibility.

I know how you feel about wanting to find her. This whole event breaks my heart. Aside from the fact she was Chinese, there are some similarities between Yingying and my own wife, so this hits a little close to home. Also, I've worked with some Chinese students in the past, and they are almost universally friendly and kind-hearted, so it sickens me that someone could do something like this to a guest in our country. It would sicken me no matter who it happened to, but it especially does so in this case. If he is guilty of this and it is as brutal as it is rumored to be, they could execute him three times over and it wouldn't be enough......

 

[Deleted member 158085]

As to Chinese women being harassed a lot, I'm not sure how extensive it is. There are so many here, I'm sure they get their share of unwanted attention. I know that plenty of white girls and others have guys offer them "rides" as well. Much of this is probably innocent -guys being guys and just trying to get a chance to hit on a girl. But some of it is most certainly NOT above board. My wife certainly felt scared on a couple of her occasions. As an aside, I've heard nothing to suggest that BC was targeting Chinese/Asian women for any sort of racial-based hatred reasons. If anything, it may have been simply a strategic reason to target them -that time of the year (April-August) there are a lot of new Asian and other international students arriving on campus, and you can often tell who they are. He may have picked up on this when he saw her, and thought it made her an ideal target -if she's new in town, maybe not that many people know her yet, so it might be a few days or so before someone notices her missing.

I know nothing about the extent of internet searches for traces of BC, but my guess is that plenty of people here were looking for him online, and likely still are. Huge computer science and computer engineering departments here. NCSA is based here, after all......

Have not heard much about extent of official searches. I did see for many weeks after she vanished, people out walking around and obviously looking through wooded areas. I myself looked in one area, and might go back to do so again. I did learn of a major tip reported to authorities regarding how he disposed of her. Based on the rules here, I don't know if I would be allowed to share it or not, but I don't feel comfortable doing so anyway. I'm sure this tip was real, because reportedly FBI agents were asking people at his complex about something they believe he had in his possession that was related to this tip, and they were asking if people ever saw him with it.

My own guess is that it's probably pretty simple. He had probably been planning this for some time, and had scouted out a secluded location where he could bury her, and if no one saw him going in there, no one would ever think to look there, and where no one was likely to walk through and notice the ground had been disturbed. All he had to do was leave his phone at home, and no one would be able to use GPS data to track his movements to there. There is also a possible way he might have been able to destroy her remains completely, but that would require him to have knowledge of some University facilities that I don't have any idea if he had or not. My guess would be no, but they guy is very smart, so he could have looked into the possibility.

I know how you feel about wanting to find her. This whole event breaks my heart. Aside from the fact she was Chinese, there are some similarities between Yingying and my own wife, so this hits a little close to home. Also, I've worked with some Chinese students in the past, and they are almost universally friendly and kind-hearted, so it sickens me that someone could do something like this to a guest in our country. It would sicken me no matter who it happened to, but it especially does so in this case. If he is guilty of this and it is as brutal as it is rumored to be, they could execute him three times over and it wouldn't be enough......

There's an added layer of feeling when a foreign guest in our country is murdered. There was a little extra horror yesterday, as well, when we found out that 6 of the 8 deaths in NY were people on holiday here. In addition to everything else I feel when something like this happens, I also feel something else I can't put my finger on when guests are involved.

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[dm92]

To that end, how far exactly were the traffic cameras?
Thats good news...

I assume that one, maybe both would be able to catch the passenger side of the car from where they are located. They are less than half a mile north on Goodwin from where he picked her up.

MLK Jr Elementary school, straight up N. Goodwin.

There may be others as well I have not noticed. There is an apartment complex parking garage just past University that may have a camera that records people entering, and it might see onto Goodwin as well....

 

[kittythehare]

As to Chinese women being harassed a lot, I'm not sure how extensive it is. There are so many here, I'm sure they get their share of unwanted attention. I know that plenty of white girls and others have guys offer them "rides" as well. Much of this is probably innocent -guys being guys and just trying to get a chance to hit on a girl. But some of it is most certainly NOT above board. My wife certainly felt scared on a couple of her occasions. As an aside, I've heard nothing to suggest that BC was targeting Chinese/Asian women for any sort of racial-based hatred reasons. If anything, it may have been simply a strategic reason to target them -that time of the year (April-August) there are a lot of new Asian and other international students arriving on campus, and you can often tell who they are. He may have picked up on this when he saw her, and thought it made her an ideal target -if she's new in town, maybe not that many people know her yet, so it might be a few days or so before someone notices her missing.

I know nothing about the extent of internet searches for traces of BC, but my guess is that plenty of people here were looking for him online, and likely still are. Huge computer science and computer engineering departments here. NCSA is based here, after all......

Have not heard much about extent of official searches. I did see for many weeks after she vanished, people out walking around and obviously looking through wooded areas. I myself looked in one area, and might go back to do so again. I did learn of a major tip reported to authorities regarding how he disposed of her. Based on the rules here, I don't know if I would be allowed to share it or not, but I don't feel comfortable doing so anyway. I'm sure this tip was real, because reportedly FBI agents were asking people at his complex about something they believe he had in his possession that was related to this tip, and they were asking if people ever saw him with it.

My own guess is that it's probably pretty simple. He had probably been planning this for some time, and had scouted out a secluded location where he could bury her, and if no one saw him going in there, no one would ever think to look there, and where no one was likely to walk through and notice the ground had been disturbed. All he had to do was leave his phone at home, and no one would be able to use GPS data to track his movements to there. There is also a possible way he might have been able to destroy her remains completely, but that would require him to have knowledge of some University facilities that I don't have any idea if he had or not. My guess would be no, but they guy is very smart, so he could have looked into the possibility.

I know how you feel about wanting to find her. This whole event breaks my heart. Aside from the fact she was Chinese, there are some similarities between Yingying and my own wife, so this hits a little close to home. Also, I've worked with some Chinese students in the past, and they are almost universally friendly and kind-hearted, so it sickens me that someone could do something like this to a guest in our country. It would sicken me no matter who it happened to, but it especially does so in this case. If he is guilty of this and it is as brutal as it is rumored to be, they could execute him three times over and it wouldn't be enough......

Thanks for all your insights, its great to get a local perspective.
Do you think its likely he destroyed her remains at his apartment, prior to burning or burying what he could not dissolve?

Its reassuring you believe people are still searching online..
do you think the huge Johnson cement building was thoroughly searched or did you happen to read any local reports to that effect at all?
If he left his phone at home as opposed to removing the chip it would indicate the length of time he was absent following abduction.. 5 hours is not a lot of time.. but the arrest warrants state he 'carried' her back to his apartment- not clear whether this is from tape evidence or additional evidence.
If he killed her first, why would he bring her body home?

 

[dm92]

In addition to everything else I feel when something like this happens, I also feel something else I can't put my finger on when guests are involved.

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They're your guests, so they are under your protection; if something bad happens to them, it's on you. Bad karma, and really really really bad karma if you hurt them deliberately. If you are familiar with Game of Thrones, the story of the Rat King and also the Red Wedding tie right into this.....

 

[Webthrush]

....<snip> 5 hours is not a lot of time.. but the arrest warrants state he 'carried' her back to his apartment- not clear whether this is from tape evidence or additional evidence.
If he killed her first, why would he bring her body home?

Seems clear to me from what we&#8217;ve been told, that 'carrying her back to his apt.' comes directly from his taped conversation (though I have little doubt they have forensic evidence from the apt. to confirm it); moreover he is taped saying she fought back/resisted, so if there is indeed a 5 hr. window, sounds like that is when he killed her (maybe that was his plan all along, or maybe it was the result of her resistance?). My own guess is that he then disposed of the body in the dark of night (Fri., Sat., or Sun. night) by whatever means he used.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

They're your guests, so they are under your protection; if something bad happens to them, it's on you. Bad karma, and really really really bad karma if you hurt them deliberately. If you are familiar with Game of Thrones, the story of the Rat King and also the Red Wedding tie right into this.....

Yes, I very much wanted to say it feels like my responsibility even though on one level that's impossible when I don't know they even exist and are miles from me. But yes, responsibility, because it's on all of us to do what we can to make our country safer.

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[Deleted member 158085]

Can someone tell me if there was a roommate, in addition to the wife, living with him? I am confused on this point.

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[kittythehare]

Seems clear to me from what we’ve been told, that 'carrying her back to his apt.' comes directly from his taped conversation (though I have little doubt they have forensic evidence from the apt. to confirm it); moreover he is taped saying she fought back/resisted, so if there is indeed a 5 hr. window, sounds like that is when he killed her (maybe that was his plan all along, or maybe it was the result of her resistance?). My own guess is that he then disposed of the body in the dark of night (Fri., Sat., or Sun. night) by whatever means he used.

I think you're right.. I think it was from the alleged tape.. and that was sufficient to obtain the arrest warrant, which is what they did.
Same tape reports suggested he was already pinpointing another victim.
Dark of night - wonder whether he buried or hid her remains within walking distance of his apartment..?
Thanks Webthrush.

 

[MomminIt]

There is a profile he made (maybe fetlife) where he describes his "lovely girlfriend." He also posts that he's in an open relationship with his wife. I think the gf may be the informant, I don't think she lived with him.

 

[dm92]

Thanks for all your insights, its great to get a local perspective.
Do you think its likely he destroyed her remains at his apartment, prior to burning or burying what he could not dissolve?


If he killed her first, why would he bring her body home?

I think he probably tortured her and killed her at his home. If he did anything outside, it may be that he took her to a state park or wooded area, tied her up and placed her in a bag -as that would help to explain how he could get her into his apartment in broad daylight. Remember on July 5th at the bond hearing, the authorities revealed that she fought and resisted him at his apartment. That could be when he was taking her out of the bag, he would be undoing some of her binds so he could position her as he wanted, and she began to resist and fight back. I suppose it's possible he could have taken her somewhere else and done things after having her at the apartment, but that would seem risky -carrying her in, then taking her back out again later, that would lead to an increased chance that someone might see him and notice something not right was going on. Also, if they really do think she was dead by about 5 hours after she was picked up, it would seem that it would make more sense that everything would happen in the apartment once he got her there. Getting her back under control, putting her in a bag, then driving somewhere again would eat up a lot of time.

I seriously doubt he could dissolve her at home, or dissolve her period. That would require a LOT of acid. Concentrated acid that gives off very toxic fumes. He would need to place her in several body volumes of the stuff (an oil drum sized container) and it would take at least a couple of days. Then there is the whole requirement for disposing of the acid waste. You can't just run that down the sink. Impossible he could have done that at home. Also, a big drum sized volume of concentrated sulfuric acid would be expensive, and since that can be used to make explosives, him as a private individual trying to buy something like that would likely set off red flags.


IT is also possible that he may have somehow talked her into going to his apartment willingly, then once there, made his intentions known. Then she fought and resisted, and he took her somewhere else to torture and kill her -but that wouldn't account for Zhidong Wang's info that she disappears from view within 15 seconds after initially being picked up.

 

[dm92]

The person living at the apartment with him was his wife.

I have been told she was out of town that weekend visiting friends. She returned sometime on Sunday or Monday.

The affidavit for the arrest warrant states that another resident of the apartment granted agents written permission to search and seize items at the residence. While a roommate could certainly grant them permission to come into the place, I would think it would require a spouse to sign off on taking some of their property.......

 

[Deleted member 158085]

The person living at the apartment with him was his wife.

I have been told she was out of town that weekend visiting friends. She returned sometime on Sunday or Monday.

The affidavit for the arrest warrant states that another resident of the apartment granted agents written permission to search and seize items at the residence. While a roommate could certainly grant them permission to come into the place, I would think it would require a spouse to sign off on taking some of their property.......

Thank you. This is what I thought, but then people continued to mention a roommate, so I thought I may have missed something.

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[kittythehare]

There is a profile he made (maybe fetlife) where he describes his "lovely girlfriend." He also posts that he's in an open relationship with his wife. I think the gf may be the informant, I don't think she lived with him.

That statement actually appeared on his Tinder profile and on his OK-Cupid profile.
This is an excellent recap article
On Tinder, he said he was in an open relationship.

---

[h=2]5. Zhang&#8217;s Father Came From China to Try to Find Her & the Community Rallied Around Him[/h]

University of Illinois Police​

Yingying Zhang.

Zhang&#8217;s disappearance &#8211; and now the announcement that the FBI believes she is dead &#8211; has left many heartbroken in her family and also in the greater university community.
Zhang&#8217;s father, Zhang Ronggao, &#8220;traveled from Nanping, China, to do what he could to help find his daughter,&#8221; reported CNN. He found a lot of support when he got there. The Chicago Tribune described Zhang&#8217;s father as a &#8220;working-class factory driver.&#8221;


Matt Witkos @MattWitkosTV


Just spoke with Zhang's family attorney. He tells me the father hasn't slept since Friday.
[video=twitter;881867651596857344]https://twitter.com/MattWitkosTV/status/881867651596857344[/video]



<modsnip>

&#8220;We realize that this has been a source of anxiety for our entire campus community,&#8221; Police Chief Jeff Christensen wrote before the arrest. &#8220;Our concern for Yingying grows with each day that passes, and we have personally witnessed the pain this uncertain time has created for her family members, friends and colleagues. While we cannot share specific details on the investigation in order to maintain its integrity and direction, we continue to make progress in our search, and we will not give up until we find her.&#8221;
The chancellor released a statement after news of the arrest broke on June 30.
&#8220;The entire campus community is saddened by this news and our hearts are with the family of Yingying Zhang tonight,&#8221; UI Chancellor Robert Jones said.&#8220;This is a senseless and devastating loss of a promising young woman and a member of our community. There is nothing we can do to ease the sadness or grief for her family and friends, but we can and we will come together to support them in any way we can in these difficult days ahead.&#8221;
According to The Chicago Sun-Times, &#8220;Some 5,600 Chinese enrolled at U of I, more than at any U.S. college, according to government data.&#8221;
The chancellor wrote in the statement, &#8220;It is with great sorrow that I must tell you that the FBI announced this evening that they believe Yingying Zhang, a visiting scholar to our campus who disappeared three weeks ago, is no longer alive. They have made an arrest and now it is time for us as a university community to come together in support of her family and friends in this difficult time of loss.&#8221;

 

[kittythehare]

heres link to article I cited below
http://heavy.com/news/2017/06/brendt-christensen-yingying-zhang-brent-facebook-photos-suspect/

 

[dm92]

do you think the huge Johnson cement building was thoroughly searched or did you happen to read any local reports to that effect at all?

I don't know much about that building. I'll have to look into it. If it is close to his complex and it is abandoned, my guess is that they have had people looking in there. I know they were searching Kaufmann Lake (across the street and down a couple of blocks from his complex) with divers while he was under surveillance, so my guess is if there is a big abandoned factory near his building, they had to have people go through there. I would think cadaver dogs would have been ideal to use to search grounds like that at that time. Also, if this is the building I am thinking of, it may look abandoned, but it is actually in use by someone, and they may have a security patrol that goes through there regularly.

With regards to the cameras at the school on N. Goodwin I mentioned earlier: It would take about 40 seconds to 1 minute or so at 30-35 miles an hour for him to get where he picked her up, to the location of those cameras. So, the camera that Zhidong Wang is talking about where she has disappeared from view by 15 seconds after pickup must be another camera on Goodwin near University. It might be the camera at the entrance of the parking garage that is pointed in the opposite direction of the one that observed her getting into the Astra.

One thing those cameras at the school would demonstrate: That his claim he dropped her off a few blocks away after picking her up was a lie. He picked her up and sped away at 2:04. He would arrive and pass by those school cameras around 2:05 or shortly after -thus meaning he did not stop and let her out....

 

[kittythehare]

I don't know much about that building. I'll have to look into it. If it is close to his complex and it is abandoned, my guess is that they have had people looking in there. I know they were searching Kaufmann Lake (across the street and down a couple of blocks from his complex) with divers while he was under surveillance, so my guess is if there is a big abandoned factory near his building, they had to have people go through there. I would think cadaver dogs would have been ideal to use to search grounds like that at that time. Also, if this is the building I am thinking of, it may look abandoned, but it is actually in use by someone, and they may have a security patrol that goes through there regularly.

With regards to the cameras at the school on N. Goodwin I mentioned earlier: It would take about 40 seconds to 1 minute or so at 30-35 miles an hour for him to get where he picked her up, to the location of those cameras. So, the camera that Zhidong Wang is talking about where she has disappeared from view by 15 seconds after pickup must be another camera on Goodwin near University. It might be the camera at the entrance of the parking garage that is pointed in the opposite direction of the one that observed her getting into the Astra.

One thing those cameras at the school would demonstrate: That his claim he dropped her off a few blocks away after picking her up was a lie. He picked her up and sped away at 2:04. He would arrive and pass by those school cameras around 2:05 or shortly after -thus meaning he did not stop and let her out....

Thanks a lot for doing the math on his.. I wonder how long they retain their footage?
I wonder whether his vehicle was picked up anywhere else. too many questions..
The Johnson building is huge.. some pics posted here earlier today..
Do you have any sense of when the searches ceased?
Was there any formal ceasing or did people just stop searching when FBI said they 'believed her to be no longer alive'?
Was there any local response to this evidence less statement?
Is anybody physically still searching or not?

 

[Webthrush]

FWIW, I did relocate a few of the abandoned factory pics (parts of which are being used as a warehouse) that someone posted here back in June:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5b72003847.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d465449d6c.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4ecb4b026f.jpg