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

[Ursamajr]

What if he didn't post? Just lurked?

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You still need an account to look through groups. He didn't have to be a member of the specific group to do that but... it seems like he was. He is now scrubbed and the person he was linked to on the site has scrubbed their profile of references and photos relating to him as well.


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[liltexans]

Please stop mentioning the perp's wife or any other family members.

We do not have MSM links to confirm that the perp is married or that his possible wife was in any way involved.

This post falls at random.

 

[rikkukileo]

Him being able to get Ms. Zhang into his apartment is what confounds me the most about this. Did he do it by himself? Was he armed, or implied physical threat? Is there any proof he took her there? Too many unanswered questions to be sure.

If Ms. Zhang is still alive, I'm not sure why the FBI announced that they presume her to be dead. If she is, I would assume someone else has to be involved, but that seems unlikely considering what we know at this point.

IMO, if I were in her shoes and he threatened me with a knife or a gun, I would be too scared to make any movement. One wrong move and I'm done for. YingYing was probably so scared, she froze. She probably had hopes that if she complied with him, he won't kill/hurt her.

I'm hoping she is alive somewhere, I can't imagine having your child missing in some foreign country!

 

[Elainera]

His failure to get his PHD, could that be the impetus for his descent into criminality?

Yes I definitely think so. Probably made him very angry. No surprise he let out his anger on another promising student.

 

[thekarmabus]

You still need an account to look through groups. He didn't have to be a member of the specific group to do that but... it seems like he was. He is now scrubbed and the person he was linked to on the site has scrubbed their profile of references and photos relating to him as well.


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That person can scrub away however anyone that was in the group with him must know the FBI is watching and guessing made contact with the ones in direct contact with him.

I wonder about his past relationships, close friends etc... were there red flags ? Did he start having a mental breakdown or schizophrenia. I find the way he did it very odd. Daylight hours in his car...takes to his apartment. It doesn't seem Ike he cared if he was caught.


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[Elainera]

He is clearly an intelligent man. He has the credentials to back that. He made some really stupid mistakes when committing this crime. My fear is, he did a better job covering his tracks, after the fact, than he did the day he kidnapped YZ. I hope that bc the FBI tracked him so quickly he didn't have time to cover the foresics related to YZ.

He really is a dumb criminal. If this wasn't his 1st kidnapping was he unraveling? <modsnip> His prior attempts were unsuccessful and he knew time was running out <modsnip>. Do you all believe this is his first abduction? I am worried after hearing about the kidnap group in Fetlife. <modsnip> What if he was part of a group? Or had been in the past? I know that's statistically unlikely.

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I think the group on Fetlife is only about the fantasy of kidnapping (power play), not about how you kidnap someone for real? That's how I understood it.

Other Fetlife members are probably devastated at this news as well, especially if he was a known poster there, and not just a lurker.

 

[Elainera]

You still need an account to look through groups. He didn't have to be a member of the specific group to do that but... it seems like he was. He is now scrubbed and the person he was linked to on the site has scrubbed their profile of references and photos relating to him as well.


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Like I thought. They are horrified as well.

 

[Elainera]

That person can scrub away however anyone that was in the group with him must know the FBI is watching and guessing made contact with the ones in direct contact with him.

I wonder about his past relationships, close friends etc... were there red flags ? Did he start having a mental breakdown or schizophrenia. I find the way he did it very odd. Daylight hours in his car...takes to his apartment. It doesn't seem Ike he cared if he was caught.


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I was just reading about the Annie Le murder yesterday. The murderer's ex gf said he had always had anger issues. BC might have as well. When his PhD fell through he probably unraveled. Possibly he stalked Yingying in May as she had just arrived in the US and was more vulnerable. jmo

 

[liltexans]

[video=twitter;881239955330215936]https://twitter.com/mtarm/status/881239955330215936[/video]

 

[JaimeSommers]

But really, what kind of grown <modsnip> man watches anime?

I think you're confusing anime with Disney/Pixar. Completely different genres. Much broader age appeal.

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[thekarmabus]

Like I thought. They are horrified as well.

They may be horrified but seriously wt* does one think might occur ? They are on a site for fetish behavior. I understand to each their own and no judgement... you are opening the doors though for sick humans on these sites .

Fetish:b : an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion : prepossession
c : an object or bodily part whose real or fantasied presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification and that is an object of fixation to the extent that it may interfere with complete sexual expression


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[Yvettea]

My theory is that something happened when YZ was in the passenger seat and that's why the forensic expert reported that the seat was cleaned so heavily compared to the rest of the car. So I believe she was incapacitated and he carried her to his apt.

It doesn't explain how no one saw this though. Maybe witnesses will come forward or already have to LE.

Do locals know what type of apartment complex it was (each unit rented by separate landlords or is there management for the building?) Are there cameras? Would the residents mostly be students, families, a mix?

These are questions I'm asking myself. All
MOO


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I believe YZ may have been injured in the passenger seat, possibly knocked unconscious. Shortly after leaving the curb he rolled down the driver side window (possibly hot from the adrenaline rush.) You can see him slumped down behind the steering wheel; his eyes are concealed by shades. It could be YZ never regained consciousness or died from her injuries. JMO.

 

[liltexans]

The Latest: Professor saw no signs of trouble with suspect

A University of Illinois physics professor and graduate student adviser says he saw no signs that a 28-year-old former student charged with kidnapping a visiting Chinese scholar was acting unusually.

Professor Lance Cooper said Saturday that Brendt Christensen was accepted into the highly competitive physics program in 2013. The Champaign, Illinois, man intended to get his Ph.D., but told Cooper in 2016 he&#8217;d decided not to do so. He continued teaching as a graduate assistant and earned his master&#8217;s degree in mid-May.

Christensen was charged Friday with kidnapping 26-year-old Yingying Zhang. She disappeared on June 9. Authorities say they believe she is dead, though her body hasn&#8217;t been found.

Cooper says there are many ways he would have been notified if Christensen was acting differently or having problems. He says &#8220;None of those flags were raised.&#8221;

 

[dove28]

my 2 cents: he pulled up to her, said something like "are you a student here? I think I know you from ____insert some event here that like all students go to____." That makes him seem familiar and non threatening. She probably said yes, I'm running so late, etc etc and that was that.

I also agree with a post a page or so back that leaving a PhD program after four years is very odd. I am also a PhD candidate (6th year) and people either left after the first or second year with a masters, or they're going all the way. To get a boot 4 years in seems more like... behavioral or red flag issues

 

[NewMama]

I went away for a week and came back to find significant updates on Yingying. My heart hurts for her family. Hopefully this guy will fully confess so that Yingying can be brought home.

 

[nezined]

please provide the link?

Here's the most recent story from the local newspaper. Some good official updates here:

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-07-01/now-none-them-saw-coming.html

Christensen, who began his studies in the top-rated condensed matter physics program in 2013, received his master&#8217;s degree from the University of Illinois in May and is no longer at the university.He had withdrawn from the Ph.D. program the previous year but wanted to finish a master&#8217;s degree before he left campus, Cooper said.
&#8220;He was making progress towards a degree. We weren&#8217;t moving him out of the program. This was his decision,&#8221; said Cooper, who supervises the graduate student program for the department.

 

[Daae]

That person can scrub away however anyone that was in the group with him must know the FBI is watching and guessing made contact with the ones in direct contact with him.

I wonder about his past relationships, close friends etc... were there red flags ? Did he start having a mental breakdown or schizophrenia. I find the way he did it very odd. Daylight hours in his car...takes to his apartment. It doesn't seem Ike he cared if he was caught.


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I caught myself assuming he was being honest about taking her back to his apartment!!! Do we know that? Is there any evidence to corroborate this. He is very smart.

 

[Laughing]

The Latest: Professor saw no signs of trouble with suspect

A University of Illinois physics professor and graduate student adviser says he saw no signs that a 28-year-old former student ... was acting unusually.

Cooper says there are many ways he would have been notified if Christensen was acting differently or having problems. He says &#8220;None of those flags were raised.&#8221;

IIRC, the Counseling Center at Virginia Tech was very concerned about Cho -- but the HIPPA policy in place at that time prevented any information from leaving that center.

Privacy over public safety.

Maybe today that's different today, and maybe the advisor would be included today?

(BFF's hubby earned his PhD at Virginia Tech, missed this event by months, Librescu visited their home....)

 

[liltexans]

NOW: 'None of them saw this coming'

3 p.m. Saturday

Chinese students who had spent the last two weeks working to find Yingying Zhang said today they&#8217;re &#8220;disappointed&#8221; and not sure what to do next.


2 p.m. Saturday

Students and professors who have worked with Brendt Christensen over the last four years were stunned when their colleague was arrested Friday night for the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang.

&#8220;Every email that I&#8217;ve gotten has been conveying utter shock,&#8221; UI physics Professor Lance Cooper told The News-Gazette on Saturday. &#8220;This is something that caught everybody off guard, particularly because we&#8217;ve all been following this story.

&#8220;Nothing indicated anything like this,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s just stunning.&#8221;
Christensen, who began his studies in the top-rated condensed matter physics program in 2013, received his master&#8217;s degree from the UI in May and is no longer at the university.

He had withdrawn from the Ph.D. program the previous year but wanted to finish a master&#8217;s degree before he left campus, Cooper said.

&#8220;He was making progress towards a degree. We weren&#8217;t moving him out of the program. This was his decision,&#8221; said Cooper, who supervises the graduate student program for the department.

Christensen hasn&#8217;t been seen in Loomis Lab or by anyone in the department in recent weeks, Cooper said.

For the past year, in fact, Christensen had only been taking courses outside the department and had little interaction with other physics students, Cooper said. He declined to provide more specifics or characterize his academic performance because of federal privacy rules on academic records.

The professor said he was unsure of Christensen&#8217;s plans after graduation.

Christensen had worked as a teaching assistant for several introductory physics courses for four semesters, and had research assistantships during other semesters.

Cooper didn&#8217;t know him well but met with him when he arrived on campus to discuss his course schedule and other matters.

&#8220;There were no indications of any problems with him,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I never got complaints.&#8221;

The tight-knit physics graduate students were upset by the news, particularly those who were part of Christensen&#8217;s 2013 entering class.

&#8220;None of them saw this coming,&#8221; he said.

 

[shadowdancer]

Would he have had access to any chemicals that he could have used to subdue YingYing in the car?