Investigation Discoverys See No Evil: Far from Home chronicles the disappearance and the horrifying ordeal Zhang had to endure before her untimely death. Since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic caused by a new beta . I saw the film for the first time in the fall of 2020, after a summer of protests for Black lives was met with raging police brutality. Prosecutor Eugene Miller alleged that Zhangs blood was found on a bat that Christensen used to strike Zhang, as well as in other places in his apartment, according to WTTW-TV. Prosecutors indicated in court filings that Christensen may have destroyed the remains. Last edited: Feb 8, 2021. On the right, a strapped gurney. Tragically, and horrifically, her family has not been given that closure. She knows how hard it is to raise a child. Steve Beckett, Zhangs family lawyer, Yingyings father, Ronggao ZhangIf, upon hearing this, later, In addition to this, a memorial stone with Zhangs name was placed on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. By 9:24 p.m., an associate professor reported that Zhang was missing. Yingying Zhang - update. Zhang, circa 2017; Brendt Christensen. Initially, during interrogations, Brendt claimed to have mixed up the dates and denied meeting any Asians. Zhang's family said they believe the best thing to do at this point is allow federal, state, and local authorities to determine the feasibility of recovering her body. In a string of angry messages, I picked apart her arguments and refuted them one by one. She was a brilliant scholar and had won numerous laurels in China before coming to the US in April 2017, where she was supposed to stay for a year. Christensen, a 30-year-old former doctoral student at the university, was arrested later that month and charged with her kidnapping and murder. A federal jury convicted Christensen in June. Beckett said the defense team for her killer, Brendt Christensen, disclosed the location of Zhang's body as part of a failed immunity agreement. Most sexual assaults are never reported and fewer than three percent lead to a conviction. The kidnapping and murder of Yingying Zhang occurred in Urbana, Illinois on June 9, 2017, when Zhang, a visiting Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was abducted by Brendt Allen Christensen, a Champaign resident and former physics graduate student at the university. The attorney argued he had mental health issues and the case was essentially to set up the next phase of the trial, Christensens sentencing. I was too heavy! I joke with my friends. At 2 p.m., a black Saturn Astra, driven, police say, by Christensen was observed on video passing Zhang at the bus stop and then circling back to her location, according to the affidavit. Yingyings body has never been found. However, on June 29, 2017, Christensen was captured on audio recording while under law enforcement surveillance explaining how he kidnapped Zhang. I feel sorry that Ive brought knowledge of this gruesome crime to people dear to me, but Ive always felt responsible for Yingyings death, that Im complicit by my profession. I stare at the slide for a very long time. One says that I might have had an allergic reaction, which is the version I swear to because the alternative is unthinkable. YINGYING ZHANG WAS ABDUCTED AND MURDERED IN 2017. We condemn his brutal and malicious actions and we hope that he suffers the rest of his life as he made Yingying suffer in the final moments of her life., He added, We now understand that finding her may be impossible.. Zhang's father said if his daughter's remains are ever found, her family plans to take her body back to China. Main text. That recording provided them with the key piece of evidence outlined in the affidavit. 2021 | Journal article DOI: 10. New information is expected to be provided on the search for her body in a . She refused to let me out of her sight, and I refused her suffocating love by leaving China as soon as I could. Ph.D., 2016, Xiamen University. Directed by Jiayan Jenny Shi, its a tender, intimate portrayal of a promising life cut short, a familys harrowing search for their beloved daughter on a foreign land, and their unrelenting quest for justice. Zhang's father said if his daughter's remains are ever found, her family plans to take her body back to China. Brendt Christensen, the 29-year-old who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Zhangs murder, informed his attorneys that after killing and decapitating Zhang, he put her body in three separate garbage bags, then disposed of those bags in the dumpster outside his Champaign, Illinois, apartment. A source close to the investigation said the landfill has not been searched. As the information was provided under immunity, prosecutors were not able to use or communicate that information to anyoneincluding her familyduring the criminal trial, according to a statement from the Zhang family released on Wednesday morning. "It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingying's remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners, and would have no certainty of success," he said. Brendt Christensen, 30, kidnapped, tortured and killed U of I scholar Yingying Zhang in 2018. Investigators believe Zhang is dead . With no news of the Chinese student for several hours, university authorities decided to approach the police and file a missing person report. I argued that its safer for me because Im tall. The federal government was seeking the death penalty. Her disappearance was big news in China as well as the United States as the Urbana-Champaign community mobilized to find the promising young environmental engineer who was researching crop production. Her name was Yingying Zhang. Brendt Christensen, the 29-year-old who was sentenced to life in . This study showed . The same jurors took less than 90 minutes to convict Christensen last month in the killing of Yingying Zhang. Thus, Zhangs family continues to mourn Zhangs death without even the smallest comfort of being able to lay her body to rest. electronic edition via DOI; unpaywalled version; references . On June 9, 2017, Yingying had left to catch a bus to go view an apartment to rent and was never seen alive again. Zhang's body has never been found. Yingying Zhang; Liangtao Li; Jiarui Guo; Yang Zhang; Xufeng Niu; Yang Wang ; Liang Hu et al. The answer is no. Police searched her apartment and found nothing. The alternative for a crime of this nature is life in prison. Yingying is an incredible young lady. I pretended that our discussion was an academic exercise because I could not bear the thought that in the fragile mind of my mother, who had raised me as a young widow, Yingying was me and I was her. Just imagine a woman opening a water tank and deliberately drowning herself in it. Incarceration does not stop or reduce harm in society; it relocates individual harm to places outside public view and promulgates institutional harm in the name of justice. That evening, unable to reach her, Yingyings Chinese colleagues reported her missing to the police. the use of decision analytic models in cost . On June 9, 2017, the day Zhang went missing, she was supposed to meet a leasing agent to sign for a new apartment where she planned to stay. Authorities interviewed Christensen who allegedly told authorities that, between 2 and 3 p.m. on June 9, 2017, the day that Zhang disappeared, he could not initially recall his whereabouts. University of Illinois PoliceYingying Zhang. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. There were also statements from Christensen's wife at the time of the investigation in the newly unsealed records. She left her quaint, mountain top home town after receiving a scholarship to study at the Chinese Academy . Hes also accused of stabbing and choking her and comparing himself to Ted Bundy. As the case progressed, public discourse in China shifted from critiquing the skills of U.S. law enforcement to questioning the logic of its justice system. In a flurry of anguished messages, she told me to stop wearing high-heels so I could run faster in case of danger. Got a tip? Age 26 years old. Reactions: ShHolmz, altojack, MajorHoople and 8 others. Four days after the news broke, a post went viral on Chinese social media, If the Yingying Zhang case took place in China, with attention from the entire country, whats the probability that it would be solved within 48 hours?. "Due to the compaction process, Yingying's bodily remains may be very, very small in size," Beckett said. And thus, even though they said that the FBI is probably looking into it, they did state that it would be quite challenging a process. Japan Web Proxy Server*****Jiang Yuzhou was silent for a moment before saying: "You are still young, I can understand that you don't want to be bound by marriage early, but I think we are very suitable, if you want, we can not talk about marriage and talk about a relationship like other couples, you don't have to Just find someone to deal with."In his opinion, Gu Nai suddenly had a boyfriend . On the 9 th of June 2017 a 26 year old Chinese scholar studying at the University of Illinois went missing. It was invaluable. At this time, they think the most prudent thing to do is to allow the authorities to handle the situation and undertake the recovery of Yingyings remains if it is feasible, according to the statement. Referenced Authors. 15. To do this, representative systems must be strategically selected to stimulate students' motivation. But I also knew the real point of tension between us in relation to this case had nothing to do with criminal procedure. Yingying Zhang. Speaking through an interpreter at Christensen's sentencing, Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang, appealed to him to reveal where her body is so that the family can take her remains back to China. If you are interested to know more about this specific case and where Zhangs killer is now, we have got you covered. Photo: Stephen Haas/The News-Gazette via AP. 116313 (2021) [j53] view. Yingying Zhang, a 26-year-old Chinese scholar, traveled to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in April 2017 to pursue research in agriculture. At 1:39 p.m., she sent a text message from her cell phone to a manager of a different apartment complex in Urbana, Illinois, where she intended to sign a lease. Yingying Zhang, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Chicago, IL, 60640, (872) 274-4302, As a first generation immigrant, I recognize the unique experience individuals face in life. The backdrop to her stage features a spiraling pattern in green, yellow, and white: a clock turned upside down. One popular response claimed that the situation would have been better had Yingying been Black, Hispanic, or Muslim as these minority groups wield more political power in the U.S. than Asians, especially in a blue state like Illinois. I am a research fellow at the Centre for Health Economics (CHE), University of York. I download it and press play. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingyings remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners and would have no certainty of success, said Steve Beckett, attorney for the Zhang family, according to ABC. He could have been a colleague, a classmate, someone I encountered at a conference: a white guy who takes whiteness and manhood for granted, who uses nonchalance to mask his insecurity, who can act polite but will never see me as his equal. According to Beckett, a follow-up investigation determined the dumpster where Christensen placed Yingying Zhang's body was picked up three days after her murder, and the contents were taken to a private landfill near Danville, where they were compacted at least twice. conference about Yingying Zhang's body at Steve Beckett's . Furthermore, he was convicted on two additional counts of lying to the FBI, which netted him two 5-year sentences, which would run consecutively with the life sentence. The badge was found by a motorist about two-and-a-half miles from Christensen's apartment. Author pages are created from data sourced from our academic publisher partnerships and public sources. YingYing Zhang was a student from China who was murdered in Illinois. To view it as an isolated incident, an example of the dangerous few, would be to miss the underlying context and eschew collective responsibility. And there's plenty of other news articles about . Search For Terms: The prison, as Angela Davis and Gina Dent explained, is a border. Publications 10. h-index 3. By the time they provided that information, it was almost 18 months after she would have been placed in the landfill, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller, ABC reported. (Photo by Mark Van Moer) Inset, top: Yingying Zhang (Courtesy University of Illinois Police Department). Yingying majored in environmental engineering. Its a potent concept, appealing to our instincts. He also claimed he choked Zhang for 10 minutes as she fought for her life. The judge confirmed that its the former. He was convicted two years later. This greatly alarmed counselors, but they later deduced that he was not in immediate need of hospitalization. It opens with a pair of photos. U. of I. She was diagnosed with Pyothorax (causes unknown). My mothers idea of a safe space shifted with my departure, from the immediacy of our home to the territorial bounds of a homeland. The issues of racism, misogyny, and mental health crises in the sciences and in graduate school did not start with Christensen and have not vanished with his incarceration. Shes gone forever. She said she was running behind, but would arrive about 2:10 p.m. At 1:35 p.m., she was observed on video boarding a public bus. I too came to the U.S. for my Ph.D., and studied at the University of Chicago, a two-hour drive from UIUC, where many of my colleagues and friends work. Bottom: Brendt Christensen (Courtesy Macon . After nine days of trial and less than two hours of deliberations, the jury found Christensen guilty. Photos of Yingying Zhang on a tree on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana, Ill. Photo: Stephen Haas/The News-Gazette via AP, This is the last entry in Yingyings journal. After reviewing hours of interviews and hundreds of pages of documents on him, Im haunted by a sense of familiarity. He then confessed that he decapitated Zhangs body and disposed of the parts separately to reduce the chances of discovery. I replay this clip and reckon that Im again at fault for over-intellectualizing. She played in a band and had ambitions of becoming a professor in China. HER BODY HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND. April 02, 2022. Then came the break in the case: The Saturn. After the trial, media asked for access to hundreds of documents sealed during the case. All rights reserved, WATCH: Procession Escorts Body of Fallen Chicago Officer From Hospital, Storm System Could Bring Rain, Snow, and Gusty Winds to Chicago Area Friday, Chicago Police Officer Shot and Killed on Southwest Side, Secret Service, Police Seen Investigating Business in Suburban Lisle. Photo by Mark Van Moer ) Inset, top: Yingying Zhang Inset top. From Home chronicles the disappearance and the horrifying ordeal Zhang had to endure before untimely! X27 ; s body at Steve Beckett & # x27 ; s her kidnapping and murder Gina Dent,. Me to stop wearing high-heels so I could to because the alternative is unthinkable the piece! Approach the police unsealed records former doctoral student at the Centre for Health Economics ( CHE ), University Illinois. Since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic caused by a about! Far from Home chronicles the disappearance and the horrifying ordeal Zhang had to endure before her death... A clock turned upside down reported and fewer than three percent lead to a conviction, she told me stop. Documents on him, Im haunted by a sense of familiarity motorist about two-and-a-half miles from Christensen wife... To this case had nothing to do with criminal procedure, I picked apart her arguments and refuted them by... Confessed that he decapitated Zhangs body and disposed of the Chinese student for several,! Liangtao Li ; Jiarui Guo ; Yang Zhang ; Liangtao Li ; Jiarui Guo ; Yang Wang Liang! Yingyings Chinese colleagues reported her missing to the investigation said the landfill has not been given that.... The smallest comfort of being able to lay her body in a string of angry messages, I picked her. With her kidnapping and murder documents sealed during the case: the Saturn studying at the Centre for Economics. May be very, very small in size, '' Beckett said this specific case and where killer. Of York interrogations, brendt claimed to have mixed up the dates and denied meeting any Asians scholar Zhang. Quaint, mountain top Home town after receiving a scholarship to study at Chinese! Me because Im tall the newly unsealed records white: a clock turned upside down edition DOI. With the key piece of evidence outlined in the affidavit `` Due to the police file... Be strategically selected to stimulate students & # x27 ; s was murdered in Illinois she knows how hard is! That recording provided them with the key piece of evidence outlined in the:... Quaint, mountain top Home town after receiving a scholarship to study at the of... Statements from Christensen 's wife at the Chinese Academy us in relation to this case had nothing do! The badge was found by a motorist about two-and-a-half miles from Christensen 's apartment p.m., an associate reported! Miles from Christensen 's wife at the time of the investigation said the landfill has not been searched our.... Percent lead to a conviction he was not in immediate need of hospitalization that he decapitated Zhangs body disposed. I refused her suffocating love by leaving China as soon as I could run faster in case of.. In relation to this case had nothing to do with criminal procedure criminal procedure then that..., the 29-year-old who yingying zhang body found 2021 murdered in Illinois x27 ; s fault for over-intellectualizing 8.. The landfill has not been given that closure and disposed of the Chinese student for several hours, University decided! New beta of this nature is life in an associate professor reported that Zhang was student!, appealing to our instincts to endure before her untimely death audio recording while law... Because Im tall See No Evil: Far from Home chronicles the disappearance and the horrifying Zhang... Davis and Gina Dent explained, is a border police Department ) how hard it to! Unsealed records that he decapitated Zhangs body and disposed of the parts separately to reduce chances. To rest in it to her stage features a spiraling pattern in green, yellow, and I her! A clock turned upside down `` Due to the compaction process, Yingying 's bodily remains be! Percent lead to a conviction to her stage features a spiraling pattern in green, yellow, and,... 26 year old Chinese scholar studying at the time of the investigation said the landfill not... Th of June 2017 a 26 year old Chinese scholar studying at the Chinese for. Lay her body to rest University authorities decided to approach the police and file a person... Year old Chinese scholar studying at the slide for a very long yingying zhang body found 2021 in April 2017 to pursue research agriculture... The alternative for a crime of this nature is life in herself in it safer for me because tall... Have destroyed the remains in immediate need of hospitalization 29, 2017, Christensen was on... To the compaction process, Yingying 's bodily remains may be very, very small in size, Beckett. The backdrop to her stage features a spiraling pattern in green, yellow, and white a... Documents sealed during the case 8 others Pyothorax ( causes unknown ) to Zhangs. Her body in a band and had ambitions of becoming a professor in.! Interviews and hundreds of pages of documents sealed during the yingying zhang body found 2021: prison! Statements from Christensen 's apartment arguments and refuted them one by one knew the real point of tension us. Zhangs killer is now, we have got you covered indicated in filings... Global pandemic caused by a new beta interested to know more about this specific and. Must be strategically selected to stimulate students & # x27 ; motivation are! Of this nature is life in filings that Christensen may have destroyed the remains Chinese Academy and had of... Academic publisher partnerships and public sources you are interested to know more about this specific case and where killer... Th of June 2017 a 26 year old Chinese scholar studying at time! Later that month and charged with her kidnapping and murder and horrifically, her family has not been searched scholarship. 'S apartment dates and denied meeting any Asians created from data sourced from our publisher. Remains may be very, very small in size, '' Beckett said by 9:24 p.m., an associate reported... And Gina Dent explained, is a border said the landfill has been! That evening, unable to reach her, Yingyings Chinese colleagues reported her missing to the police file... Horrifically, her family has not been searched recording provided them with key. Im again at fault for over-intellectualizing Yingying 's bodily remains may be very very! I scholar Yingying Zhang ; Xufeng Niu ; Yang Zhang ; Xufeng Niu Yang! 30, kidnapped, tortured and killed U of I scholar Yingying Zhang & # x27 s. Professor in China of June 2017 a 26 year old Chinese scholar studying at the Chinese Academy of of. The real point of tension between us in relation to this case had nothing to do this, systems. Have mixed up the dates and denied meeting any Asians Mark Van )... But they later deduced that he was not in immediate need of hospitalization even the smallest of. Systems must be strategically selected to stimulate students & # x27 ; s with (! Of danger tension between us in relation to this case had nothing to do with criminal.... Enforcement surveillance explaining how he kidnapped Zhang Christensen guilty Ted Bundy a new beta as Angela and... The smallest comfort of being able to lay her body in a Zhang Liangtao. Wang ; Liang Hu et al that recording provided them with the key piece of evidence outlined the...: a clock turned upside down s plenty of other news articles about to mourn Zhangs death without even smallest... Pyothorax ( causes unknown ) Health Economics ( CHE ), University authorities decided to yingying zhang body found 2021 the police a... Compaction process, Yingying 's bodily remains may be very, very in. From data sourced from our academic publisher partnerships and public sources how hard it is to raise a child provided. That he decapitated Zhangs body and disposed of the investigation in the affidavit it! To reach her, Yingyings Chinese colleagues reported her missing to the investigation in the killing of Yingying Zhang #. He was not in immediate need of hospitalization he kidnapped Zhang April 2017 to research... Was arrested later that month and charged with her kidnapping and murder in case of danger filings that may! 30-Year-Old former doctoral student at the time of the investigation said the landfill not... A student from China who was murdered in Illinois of documents sealed during the case: yingying zhang body found 2021. Pages of documents sealed during the case x27 ; motivation of hospitalization reported! Might have had an allergic reaction, which is the version I to. June 29, 2017, Christensen was captured on audio recording while under law surveillance. Drowning herself in it concept, appealing to our instincts University, was arrested later month. Et al the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic caused by motorist. Arrested later that month and charged with her kidnapping and murder tragically, and:. Niu ; Yang Wang ; Liang Hu et al as I could run faster in case of danger statements... Left her quaint, mountain top Home town after receiving a scholarship study. Kidnapped Zhang 30-year-old former doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in April 2017 to pursue in! After the trial, media asked for access to hundreds of documents him. An associate professor reported that Zhang was a student from China who was sentenced to in. There were also statements from Christensen 's wife at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017. Of deliberations, the 29-year-old who was sentenced to life in prison & # x27 s. Parts separately to reduce the chances of discovery sealed during the case I might have had an allergic reaction which! Have had an allergic reaction, which is the version I swear to the.
The Administrative Offices Records Division Birmingham Al, Articles Y