Visiting Scholar From China Reported Missing from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

June 14, 2017

A visiting Chinese student, 26-year-old Zhang Yingying, has been missing from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus since Friday afternoon, local police reported.

The Fujian-native has degrees from Peking University and Sun Yat-sen University, and arrived in the U.S. about a month ago, according to Shanghaiist.

Zhang was last seen a little after 2 p.m. on June 9 after boarding an MTD Teal Line bus at 1:35 p.m. at Orchard Downs, then getting off at Springfield and Matthews avenues in Urbana at 1:52 p.m.

According to WLS-TV, surveillance footage released by police shows Zhang on east side of North Goodwin when a black Saturn Astra pulls up next to her.

She is seen speaking with the driver before she hops in and the car drives off heading north on Goodwin.

The last clip in the video shows a different angle of what transpired before the same car picked up Zhang.

Police said that Zhang, who has shoulder-length brown hair and wears glasses, had on a charcoal gray hat with a white logo on the front and a white and pink flannel print long sleeved shirt, white undershirt, jeans, white shoes and a navy backpack.

Here is the latest update on the case from the University of Illinois Police Department:

“We have received many pieces of information and our detectives continue to work around the clock to develop new information. We continue to work with rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, cellphone companies, check vehicle records and we have pursued other information offered to us by members of the public. We are very thankful for this information and continue to encourage anyone who may know something about the black Saturn Astra or anyone who may have information about her whereabouts to contact us by phone at 217-333-1216 or email, [email protected].”

It added:

“We are deeply troubled anytime we believe a member of our campus community may be in danger, but we are very grateful for our community’s support for Ms. Zhang. We are doing everything we can to search for her, including the use of resources offered by our partner law enforcement agencies and the FBI. Please continue to look out for each other, support each other, and keep Ms. Zhang as well as her family and friends in your thoughts.”

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