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

[yw0403]

I think if I understand everything that Wang has been saying the past couple of weeks, it's that the likelihood of finding her without BC's help is not good -it will be a miracle if she is found by investigators or someone just stumbling across her.

The family wants the death penalty (that's what I have seen reported a few times over the past months), but they want her body more than anything, so they are willing to accept a deal; it's just that no deal would be coming any time soon because of what you say above. Also, if for some reason they DON'T seek death, he has no reason to cooperate until all the legal proceedings, including appeals, have run their course.

So as you ask: will he change his mind?

If they seek the death penalty, maybe. Most people have a sense of self-preservation, so if his defense team tells him it is hopeless and there is no way they can successfully defend him from the death penalty based on the evidence against him, then he would probably deal. However, if he is a cold, cruel, heartless *advertiser censored* and he doesn't want to spend 40, 50, 60 or more years behind bars, maybe he will just accept the death penalty and take it to his grave. My guess is that he will deal. Most do -but that second scenario is also possible.....

I hope there is a miracle and they find her before it comes to this. I don't want him to have a chance to save his sorry *advertiser censored* just because he had a well-executed plan to hide her remains.

The article also quotes from Wang that "we now know that the suspect may be sentenced to life imprisonment or death, if he wants to do a plea bargain, which is the recognition of life in prison but can be exempted from the death penalty, this is the only punishment he can exchange":thinking:

 

[yw0403]

Well, Zhang's family and boyfriend will return to China on Nov 10, not sure whether they will speak to media or not, if they do, I will keep you updated.

 

[dm92]

The article also quotes from Wang that "we now know that the suspect may be sentenced to life imprisonment or death, if he wants to do a plea bargain, which is the recognition of life in prison but can be exempted from the death penalty, this is the only punishment he can exchange":thinking:

Life in prison for kidnapping resulting in death is a mandatory minimum by law, so prosecutors cannot offer a penalty less than this, and a Judge cannot sentence him to anything less than this if he pleads guilty. The only possible major deal would be to exchange pleading guilty and divulging the location of her body in exchange for being sentenced to life in prison instead of execution. This is why it is so important for the DOJ to seek the death penalty if they have not located her body.

As I understand it, there are some other things they could offer him if they only choose to seek life in prison. They can offer to house him in a prison close to his family so it would make visitation easier. They can offer him some nicer accommodations in prison -such as a larger cell or a cell of his own, and they can offer him some prison privileges from the start of his incarceration that would otherwise have to be earned with time served and good behavior. No idea if that would be enough enticement to get him to give up her location -and he certainly could keep it to himself while any appeals are going on; that would likely drag on for years.

It is all so sad and frustrating. Pray for a lucky break that someone comes across something that points to her location in the coming weeks and months....

 

[Webthrush]

I don't even know exactly what this is, or if it's of any pertinence, but passing it along in case any of you sleuthers want to pursue it further; just stumbled upon it, but too lazy to explore it much myself:

http://residentevil.wikia.com/wiki/Body_Disposal

ETA: for what it's worth maybe this page from Wikipedia is worth a glance too (though probably little new we haven't already considered):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposal_of_human_corpses#Criminal_disposal

 

[kittythehare]

From Webthrush post..
'she was dead in 5 hrs'
Is there anything on this list that points to very local to his apartment, convenient etc?
Criminal methods encountered in fiction and actual cases include:[SUP][3][/SUP]

• Illegal use of conventional methods, commonly burial in a place unlikely to draw attention, or water disposal (e.g. Cleveland Torso Murderer)
• Dissolution was used by Jeffrey Dahmer, smashing or dissolving the skeleton
• Cannibalism (e.g. Jeffrey Dahmer)
• Grinding into small pieces for disposal in nature, disposal via a sewer system, or use as fertilizer
• Boiling (used by Futoshi Matsunaga and Dennis Nilsen)
• Encasing in concrete (e.g. murder of Junko Furuta)
• Hiding in trash or landfill (e.g. murder of David Stack, disappearance of Natalee Holloway)
• Feeding to animals (e.g. pigs or flesh-eating insects; used by Ted Bundy)
• Abandonment in an area where the body can degrade significantly before being discovered, if ever, such as a remote area (e.g. West Mesa murders), cave, abandoned well, abandoned mine, or a neglected or hazardous third-party property (known as a dump job); sometimes dropped in an easily discovered but out-of-the-way location to obscure the identity of the murderer (e.g. Fountain Avenue, Brooklyn)
• Dropping into a destructive or impassible natural hazard, such as a volcano, quicksand, or crevasse
• Destruction by industrial process, such as machinery, chemical bath, molten metal, or a junked car
• Injection into the legitimate body disposal system (e.g. morgue, funeral home, cemetery, crematorium, funeral pyre, cadaver donation) or killings at a health care facility (e.g. Ann Arbor Hospital Murders and Dr. X killings)
• Burning, often in a building (e.g. possibly the Clinton Avenue Five)
• Disguising as animal flesh (e.g. abattoir, food waste, food; as Katherine Knight did)
• Attachment to a vehicle travelling to a distant place
• Creating false evidence of the circumstances of death and letting investigators dispose of the body, possibly obscuring identity
• Indefinite storage (e.g. in a freezer or refrigerator, as in the murder of Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.)

[h=3]Illegal disposal of bodies in water[/h]

 

[dm92]

From Webthrush post..'she was dead in 5 hrs'
Is there anything on this list that points to very local to his apartment, gconvenient etc?


Abandonment in an area where the body can degrade significantly before being discovered, if ever, such as a remote area (e.g. West Mesa murders), cave, abandoned well, abandoned mine, or a neg

I am not sure, but I seem to recall that there are old, abandoned underground coal mines in the area. There is also Kickapoo state park about 15 miles east of here. It is an old defunct surface coal mine that has had several of the pits flooded and turned into lakes. They are very deep. A university student who disappeared after driving home from a party was found in his truck in one of these ponds six years after he disappeared. He was discovered only because theny scanned the pond with a new' state of the art sonar system. That case is well known around here, so I would not be surprised if the lakes at Kickapoo have been checked out already. if I were an investigator, Kickapoo woukd be on my list of places to check.

I will see if I can look into finding out about the old underground mines. its possible I am thinking of somewhere else, but I dont think so......

 

[CUlocal]

I am not sure, but I seem to recall that there are old, abandoned underground coal mines in the area. There is also Kickapoo state park about 15 miles east of here. It is an old defunct surface coal mine that has had several of the pits flooded and turned into lakes. They are very deep. A university student who disappeared after driving home from a party was found in his truck in one of these ponds six years after he disappeared. He was discovered only because theny scanned the pond with a new' state of the art sonar system. That case is well known around here, so I would not be surprised if the lakes at Kickapoo have been checked out already. if I were an investigator, Kickapoo woukd be on my list of places to check.

I will see if I can look into finding out about the old underground mines. its possible I am thinking of somewhere else, but I dont think so......

I remember that.. Ryan Katcher... Kickapoo

http://www.commercial-news.com/news...cle_efa08c27-cdc7-58ef-88e9-e6e75d3aec02.html

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2006-07-26/ui-students-body-found.html

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I am not sure, but I seem to recall that there are old, abandoned underground coal mines in the area. There is also Kickapoo state park about 15 miles east of here. It is an old defunct surface coal mine that has had several of the pits flooded and turned into lakes. They are very deep. A university student who disappeared after driving home from a party was found in his truck in one of these ponds six years after he disappeared. He was discovered only because theny scanned the pond with a new' state of the art sonar system. That case is well known around here, so I would not be surprised if the lakes at Kickapoo have been checked out already. if I were an investigator, Kickapoo woukd be on my list of places to check.

I will see if I can look into finding out about the old underground mines. its possible I am thinking of somewhere else, but I dont think so......

OT - I love the legacy of Native American culture in Illinois and Iowa, as it shows up in the beautiful and interesting names of towns and rivers. Two of my favorites are Kankakee and Kickapoo.

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[dm92]

OT - I love the legacy of Native American culture in Illinois and Iowa, as it shows up in the beautiful and interesting names of towns and rivers. Two of my favorites are Kankakee and Kickapoo.

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Keokuk in Iowa. It even got a mention on an episode of The Simpsons.

 

[dm92]

BC's defense team still asking to push date of trial back to October 2018..

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-11-08/accused-kidnappers-attorneys-ask-trial-delay.html

The article gives some insight into some of the evidence they have

 

[kelsie]

BC's defense team still asking to push date of trial back to October 2018..

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-11-08/accused-kidnappers-attorneys-ask-trial-delay.html

The article gives some insight into some of the evidence they have

From the article (BBM):
Giving a brief peek into what prosecutors have, the defense lawyers said the reports they have seen contain several "purported sights of the alleged victim around the country, reports that unknown suspicious individuals were lurking around or surveilling the alleged victim's apartment on the day of or day before her disappearance, reports that accounts associated with the alleged victim were logged into after her disappearance, etc."

 

[Deleted member 158085]

BC's defense team still asking to push date of trial back to October 2018..

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-11-08/accused-kidnappers-attorneys-ask-trial-delay.html

The article gives some insight into some of the evidence they have

From the article, evidence:

"That includes DNA from Christensen, his wife, Ms. Zhang, her father and her boyfriend; two of Christensen's laptop computers; electronic devices belonging to him and his wife; Ms. Zhang's computer; fingerprints; trace evidence including fibers, chothings, shoes, furniture, appliance and carpet samples from Christensen's home and car; Christensen's telephone records; and his email records."

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[HoldySi]

From the article (BBM):
Giving a brief peek into what prosecutors have, the defense lawyers said the reports they have seen contain several "purported sights of the alleged victim around the country, reports that unknown suspicious individuals were lurking around or surveilling the alleged victim's apartment on the day of or day before her disappearance, reports that accounts associated with the alleged victim were logged into after her disappearance, etc."

Wait....what?!?!? Was he stalking her before he kidnapped her? This is totally new information, right?!

 

[dm92]

From the article (BBM):
Giving a brief peek into what prosecutors have, the defense lawyers said the reports they have seen contain several "purported sights of the alleged victim around the country,

Yes, I'm sure there were many reported sightings of her all over. This was all over the news nationally, so it makes sense that some people might think they saw her. There were many reported sightings around here in the days after she disappeared. Investigators likely looked into all of them. I know personally of one sighting in town on Monday the 12th that they looked into. As far as I know, they turned up nothing after looking into it. Another sighting took place in Salem, Illinois (about 2 hrs south of Champaign) on June 16th, and was reported to investigators on June 21. Zhang's family went there in July to pass out flyers, talk with people who believed they saw her, and to search in surrounding areas. The sighting was taken seriously by the FBI and they looked into it. Salem PD interviewed people who saw her, and reviewed security camera footage of shops the sightings were made in. In the middle of July, Salem PD detectives came up to Champaign and showed video footage to the family showing the woman in question seen on the 16th. They also showed them security camera footage showing the same woman that was taken in Salem on May 19th. The family was able to confirm that the woman seen in Salem was not Yingying.

My guess is that all of these reported sightings are just mistaken identity. Of course the defense team is going to point these sightings out, as it is their job to get their client off. They want to sew reasonable doubt in a jury's mind

reports that unknown suspicious individuals were lurking around or

surveilling the alleged victim's apartment on the day of or day before her disappearance,

I remember this being discussed on a local WeChat group. 4-5 unknown Asian males in a car with a Pennsylvania license plate were seen around her apartment building the day before she disappeared. I assume this was looked into, but no idea if it went anywhere or not. Just as possible they were in town to visit someone and were looking for the right apartment building, as it is that they were in town to kidnap Yingying.

reports that

accounts associated with the alleged victim were logged into after her disappearance, etc."

Had not heard this one before today

 

[dm92]

Wait....what?!?!? Was he stalking her before he kidnapped her? This is totally new information, right?!

No, not new to me. I had heard of this report being discussed on a local WeChat (chinese social media app) group. 4-5 unknown Asian males in a car with a Pennsylvania license plate were seen around her building the day before she disappeared. Her apartment was in a three story building that contains 12 units (I think). They could have been there waiting for someone else in that building, or they could have been in town to visit someone and were lost and looking for the right apartment. I'm sure that investigators looked into it. No idea what they uncovered, if anything.

Remember, back on the 11th through the 30th, police were asking people to report anything they might know or have seen that seemed suspicious -even the slightest, smallest of things. They received hundreds and hundreds of reports and tips. Some certainly were informative and helped them build a case. Others, probably most, were not related or went nowhere when investigators looked into them.

Keep in mind what the Defense team's objective is: Sew reasonable doubt in the mind of a petit jury. Of course they are going to highlight these reports and try to make them seem important. Part of the reason these investigations take so long to go to trial is that investigators have to go through every report they get -not just to determine if there is something important that can lead to incarcerating Yingying's kidnapper/killer, but ​also to show that some reports can be demonstrated to not contain any credible evidence about the event; show that the report is not involved, and that it doesn't provide any exculpatory evidence that the defense can point to as exonerating their client.......

 

[Maroon10]

It just seems literally impossible to dispose of a body that quick where it cant be recovered. Ive seen LE dig in landfills, ponds, shallow graves to search for a body but there is no such for this case?

I really want to see what the state presents against him, I honestly feel they jumped the gun and this can go very wrong at trial.

 

[Webthrush]

It just seems literally impossible to dispose of a body that quick where it cant be recovered. Ive seen LE dig in landfills, ponds, shallow graves to search for a body but there is no such for this case?

I really want to see what the state presents against him, I honestly feel they jumped the gun and this can go very wrong at trial.

Assuming BC planned this long in advance and given his knowledge of Champaign, of physics, and whatever he gleaned surfing the ‘net, I'm guessing he was capable of disposing a body in such a manner. One simple scenario I’ve previously suggested is that he deposited the body in some industrial dumpster he gained access to, which was then emptied not to a landfill but to an incinerator (but there are plenty of other possibilities).

 

[Maroon10]

Assuming BC planned this long in advance and given his knowledge of Champaign, of physics, and whatever he gleaned surfing the ‘net, I'm guessing he was capable of disposing a body in such a manner. One simple scenario I’ve previously suggested is that he deposited the body in some industrial dumpster he gained access to, which was then emptied not to a landfill but to an incinerator (but there are plenty of other possibilities).

I mean yeah there are plenty of ways, but I am speaking realistically within the parameters that LE have laid out. Within them, there is not plenty of possibilities.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I mean yeah there are plenty of ways, but I am speaking realistically within the parameters that LE have laid out. Within them, there is not plenty of possibilities.

Can you be more specific about the parameters? I thought time was the main thing. I'm afraid I may be missing something.

IMO, based on other premeditated murders in a landscape like this, he had plenty of time to do multiple things, including preparing a grave ahead of time, unless there are other constraints I'm not aware of.

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[Maroon10]

Can you be more specific about the parameters? I thought time was the main thing. I'm afraid I may be missing something.

IMO, based on other premeditated murders in a landscape like this, he had plenty of time to do multiple things, including preparing a grave ahead of time, unless there are other constraints I'm not aware of.

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But LE has searched and found people buried in shallow graves, landfills, etc.

I just am having trouble wrapping my head around the possible ways he could dispose where LE would throw hands up and say we can never find her like they are now. Acid is too long to happen, incinerator is an idea but I feel LE would have checked this out as BC couldnt have gone far

He abducted her, brought her to his apartment per LE claims, and then she is gone. If they have CCTV of him picking her up, im sure they could have followed him in any direction to get an idea of his movements after.

I just cant think of anything realistically he could have done to make LE back off in a search like they are.