Illinois man charged with kidnapping Chinese scholar at U of I
Source: Associated Press
Illinois man charged with kidnapping Chinese scholar at U of I
CHICAGO NEWS 06/30/2017, 09:48pm
Yingying Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9, 2017. | Courtesy of the University of Illinois Police Department via AP
Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN — Kidnapping charges were filed Friday against a central Illinois man in connection with the disappearance of a visiting Chinese scholar last seen three weeks ago and who is believed by authorities to be dead.
Yingying Zhang, the daughter of a working-class factory driver from China, disappeared on June 9, just weeks after arriving at the University of Illinois where she was pursuing studies in agriculture sciences.
The affidavit filed in federal court in support of the complaint says Christensen was under surveillance Thursday when agents overheard him explaining that he kidnapped Zhang. Authorities say based on this, and other facts uncovered during the investigation, agents believe Zhang is no longer alive.
. . .
Some 5,600 Chinese enrolled at U of I, more than at any U.S. college, according to government data. There are more than 300,000 Chinese students in the U.S. in all. Some parents in China wondered if Zhang’s disappearance meant it wasn’t safe to send to their children to the United States.
Read more: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/report-arrest-made-in-kidnapping-of-missing-chinese-scholar-at-u-of-i/
Brendt Christensen: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Yingying Zhang and Brendt Christensen.
Published Jun 30, 2017 at 10:45pm
Updated Jun 30, 2017 at 11:30pm
Brendt Christensen, a 27-year-old PhD student researcher from Champaign, is accused of kidnapping Yingying Zhang, a missing University of Illinois visiting scholar.
Authorities said in an affidavit that they believe Zhang is dead. The affidavit in support of the charges provides chilling details; it says that authorities examined Christensen’s phone and alleges that he had accessed a website entitled “Abduction 101” and sub-threads that were called things like “perfect abduction fantasy” and “planning a kidnapping.”
More:
http://heavy.com/news/2017/06/brendt-christensen-yingying-zhang-brent-facebook-photos-suspect/
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