Casefile True Crime - Case 176: Yingying Zhang

Episode Date: May 22, 2021

On June 9 2017, Yingying Zhang vanished on her way to an appointment in Urbana, Illinois. The Chinese visiting scholar missed her bus and after she failed to return to work that day, her colleagues quickly raised the alarm... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-176-yingying-zhang

Have you ever tried BBQ on BBQ? Picture this. Freshly prepared crispy seasoned chicken that's tossed in a smoky BBQ glaze and topped with a creamy BBQ sauce. Can't picture it? Well you can try it now at Tim's. Get our new BBQ crispy chicken loaded bowls and wraps for a limited time. Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. In mid-2017, Emily Hogan was far from home. The British graduate student was studying abroad in the US at the University of Illinois, 135 miles south west of Chicago. The campus, which is nearly equally distributed between neighbouring twin cities Urbana and Champaign, was and remains popular with international students. In that year alone, almost 11,000 students from 113 countries attended UIUC. Over half were from China. On the morning of Friday June 9, 2017, Emily was walking the streets of Urbana Champaign alone. She was on her way to a bus stop when at around 9.30 a black four-door car pulled up alongside her. Behind the wheel was a male driver wearing mirrored aviator sunglasses and a black t-shirt. He wound down the driver's side window and yelled out to Emily, I'm an undercover cop, and said he was doing some work in the area.

He then flashed what appeared to be a police badge that was hanging around his neck on a chain. Emily approached the car. The undercover officer requested that she get in so he could ask her some questions about things that had been going on in the neighbourhood. Emily paused. Something about the situation didn't seem right. Sensing that the man wasn't really a cop, Emily firmly said no before backing away. Surprised by her answer, the man remarked, well, if you see anything suspicious, call the police. He then drove away. Unsettled by the encounter, Emily phoned the University of Illinois campus police. They scoured the area but failed to find the so-called undercover cop. A bulletin was published alerting the college community of the potential danger and Emily posted about the incident on Facebook where it quickly spread among campus forums. She described the man and his ploy but couldn't recall the make or model of his car, simply referring to it as a black sedan. She warned other students, don't get into the car, even if they claim to be police or have a badge.

Friday, June 9 was a warm, sunny day. The sprawling grounds of the University of Illinois were unusually quiet, with many students off for the summer break visiting family, vacationing or completing work placements. That morning, Yingying Zheng, a 26-year-old international student from China, arrived on campus and headed for the laboratory where she worked. She said about cleaning some equipment with her colleague and friend Guo Feng now. Guo Feng had been a pillar of support for Yingying, who had found herself struggling while in America. Yingying had been attending the UIUC for a little over a month now. Her plan was to complete a year-long research appointment, focusing on photosynthesis in soybeans and corn, but she found herself longing for home. She missed her family and the closeness they shared. Yingying was also concerned that her English wasn't as fluent as she'd believed it to be. In an effort to distract herself, Yingying threw herself into her work, where she met and befriended Guo Feng. The pair helped each other come out of their shells, often sampling new cuisines and traveling together.

When they took a work trip to Nebraska, Yingying was fascinated. The state's flat, sprawling fields were so different to the hilly landscapes of her home province and the bustling city of Beijing. As her homesickness dissipated, Yingying considered staying on at the UIUC to complete a doctoral program once her appointment had ended. At around noon, Yingying got permission from Guo Feng to take a longer lunch break than usual. This would give her ample time to attend an appointment. As she did an owner car and was reliant on buses to get around, Yingying could be gone for a couple of hours. At 12.30pm, she bid Guo Feng farewell and headed to her apartment on the south end of campus. After having something to eat, Yingying made her way to a nearby bus stop.

Not long afterwards, Ron Trez's stone cell phone pinged. It was 1.30pm and he had just received a text message. It was from Yingying Zheng, who he had an appointment with that afternoon. She informed Ron Trez that she was running late and would now be meeting him at around 10 past 2. Ron Trez was the marketing manager for One North Student Living Apartments two miles from the UIUC. One North was an off-campus residential facility that offered university students a range of amenities and social events. Its apartments were modern and nicely furnished and the complex was safe and secure with a non-site property manager and gated grounds. One North appealed to Yingying as it was less expensive than her current residence.

Their apartments were also larger and even had a spare bedroom. Yingying was excited. Maybe she could find a roommate to help her overcome her loneliness. By early June, she'd submitted an application and scheduled an appointment to view an apartment. Yingying had planned to meet Ron Trez's stone at around lunchtime on Friday June 9. When Ron Trez received a text from Yingying informing him that she was running late and would be there just after 2pm, he replied to say it was fine. He continued to wait, but Yingying was a no-show. Ron Trez pulled out his phone, opened his messages and typed, Hey Yingying, just checking in to see if you're on your way.

He never received a reply. By the middle of the afternoon, Yingying had not yet returned to the lab. This concerned her colleagues. Over the past month, she had proved herself to be a responsible employee. She wasn't someone who would take half a day off on a whim. Guo Feng was particularly worried for her friend. The pair had discussed getting dinner together that night. Yingying would always confirm plans with her first, but Guo Feng hadn't.

At around 4pm, Guo Feng and others rang Yingying's mobile phone. There was no answer. Guo Feng was forced to grab dinner alone. She rushed back to the laboratory at around 6.15 to check if Yingying had returned. There was still no sign of her. Guo Feng then went to Yingying's apartment, but no one answered the door. Convinced something was wrong, Guo Feng reported Yingying missing to the campus police. As it was a Friday night, they were inclined to think Yingying might have just gone out.

Guo Feng was also worried that Yingying might have gone out. As it was a Friday night, they were inclined to think Yingying might have just gone out. But the overt concern expressed by her colleagues hinted that something was truly amiss. Officer Ezard Hoskins headed over to Yingying's apartment to check up on her, but no one came to the door. Although the student population had dwindled over the break, there were still plenty of young people milling about. No one recalled seeing Yingying. During his search, Hoskins continued to call Yingying's cell phone. Each time, it rang out.

Officer Hoskins headed back to Yingying's apartment. Her worried colleagues were gathered outside awaiting news. Hoskins noticed that a business card he had left at Yingying's front door hadn't been touched. Housing staff unlocked the apartment and Hoskins entered with a colleague to conduct a preliminary search. The apartment was lived in, but nothing appeared to be out of place. An unassembled bicycle lay in the living room. There were several pots and pans out in the kitchen. The covers of Yingying's bed were pulled back slightly.

Some cash had been left on top of a dresser. The officers agreed that everything appeared to indicate that Yingying had intended to return. By midnight, Yingying was still missing. As the situation had become increasingly dire, Yingying's colleagues phoned her family in China. Her father raced home from work and her mother fainted upon hearing the news. One of the last people Yingying spoke to from back home was her boyfriend Xiaoling. The couple had been classmates at university in China and started dating towards the end of their first year of studies. They were maintaining a long distance relationship while Yingying was in the US and hoped to get married later in the year.

Yingying spoke to Xiaoling on the phone the night before she vanished. She was looking forward to moving apartments and detailed her plans to sign a lease for her new place the following day. Xiaoling was certain that something terrible must have happened. He knew Yingying would never want to cause undue concern to others. He called her over and over, but there was never any answer. Officers spoke with Rontrez Stone, the one North student living apartments marketing manager. He hadn't heard from Yingying since she texted him to say she was running late to their appointment. Phone records revealed that Yingying's cell phone was last active on the afternoon she vanished.

It pinged a cell tower in downtown Champaign around a 4 minute drive from the UIUC. The final ping was at 2.28pm, near 20 minutes after she had planned to get to one North. The Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District is a bus network that serves both cities. Locally it's known as the MTD. This was the system used by Yingying to navigate around town. Buses within the MTD are equipped with multiple CCTV cameras. While examining footage taken by the vehicles on June 9, investigators caught sight of Yingying outside her apartment building at 1.35pm. A bus's external camera captured Yingying as she boarded. Internal cameras recorded her as she walked down the aisle and found a seat.

She was dressed in jeans, a pink and white long-slave shirt with a white top underneath and white shoes. She was carrying a navy blue backpack and on her head was a grey baseball cap. The bus was operating on what was called the Teal Line. Its route took passengers North East through the college campus. At 1.52pm, it stopped at the intersection of Springfield and Matthews Avenues in Urbana where Yingying disembarked. As this site was still about one and a half miles south of the one North apartments, it seemed likely that Yingying had intended to transfer to another bus. Four minutes later, a bus known as the 22 Limited travelled through the area.

The vehicles' external cameras filmed Yingying walking North along Springfield Avenue towards another stop. When Yingying noticed the bus passing her, she ran after it and attempted to flag it down. It was clear she wanted to board. However, as she was on the wrong side of the road, it continued on without stopping. The bus turned left onto a street named Goodwin Avenue. Yingying chased after it, but didn't make it to the next stop in time and ultimately missed it. To piece together Yingying's movements from then onwards, Yingying was on the other side of the road. Investigators pulled footage from security cameras in the vicinity of her last known location.

UIUC Campus Police Telecommunications Officer Kenny Costa was scrutinising footage taken from a parking garage camera when he noticed something. Standing across the road was Yingying waiting by a bus stop. She had seemingly continued along Goodwin Avenue to the stop after missing the bus. Officer Costa kept watching the video. At 2pm, a black four-door hatchback could be seen driving South along Goodwin Avenue on the opposite side of the road from Yingying. The car then turned left onto a side street before reappearing on Goodwin Avenue several minutes later. This time it was on Yingying's side of the street. The vehicle approached her, slowed down and pulled over.

Yingying approached the car and chatted to the driver through the passenger window. After almost a minute, she opened the front passenger door and climbed inside, closing the door behind her. The car then pulled away from the curb, continued North along Goodwin Avenue and disappeared from view. This sequence of events bore striking similarities to an incident reported to police just hours before Yingying vanished. Another UIUC student, Emily Hogan, had been approached by a black car in a similar manner while walking alone to a bus stop. In Emily's instance, the car's male driver posed as an undercover police officer in an attempt to coax her into his vehicle. The area where Emily was confronted was roughly four blocks from where Yingying Zheng was taken. Other security cameras in the area captured the car containing Yingying travelling a quarter mile before it turned onto a street named University Avenue.

It couldn't be tracked any further. It appeared as though the motorist had been following Yingying well before approaching her. As she chased after the bus, the black vehicle was filmed driving along the same road. No matter how they looked at the footage, investigators couldn't get a clear view of the driver or the vehicle's license plate. They tried zooming in, but the images became too pixelated. However, the footage was sufficient to identify the vehicle as a black satin Astra. This was a very rare make and model. Satin Astras were first produced in 2008, but due to the global financial crisis, only a few thousand were sold.

The model was discontinued after just one year of production. Police firmly believed that Yingying had been kidnapped. As there was a chance she might have been transported across state lines, the FBI were brought in to assist the investigation. A list of all satin Astras registered in the county was quickly obtained. There were approximately 26 in total. Of these, only 18 were four-door hatchbacks. Agents began visiting the individuals that these vehicles were registered to. They started with an address in Champaign that was the closest to their field office.

But none of the inquiries provided any leads. Back in China, Yingying's case was making headlines. The fact that Yingying was from an ordinary family increased intrigue. Though the household was full of love, Yingying's family did not have much money. They lived in a modest apartment with simple furnishings. Yingying's father, Rong Gao, was a truck driver. Her mother, Li Feng, was a homemaker who was unable to read or write. The family didn't have much to contribute to any prospective ransom, making the scenario seem unlikely.

The Chinese parents of other students attending college in the US were gripped by fear that their children might be randomly targeted next. Yingying's distraught family couldn't understand why she would have gotten into a stranger's vehicle. Her boyfriend speculated that she must have been desperate to get to her appointment. Just over a week after Yingying vanished, her boyfriend, father and aunt arrived in Champaign to join the search. Her mother was too exhausted to make the journey. She hadn't slept or eaten since learning of Yingying's disappearance. The college community rallied around Yingying's loved ones, providing them with housing and meals. Students also set up an online fundraiser to support the family financially with an initial goal of $30,000.

In less than a week, $80,000 had been donated. Champaign County Crime Stoppers worked with the Yingying's family to provide a $40,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. It was the largest of its kind ever offered by the organization. The FBI offered its own reward of $10,000. Volunteers assisted as Yingying's family scoured the streets and followed up on leads. One tip said that Yingying had been spotted in the city of Salem, 124 miles southwest of Champaign. Her family made the considerable journey, only to discover the sighting was a case of mistaken identity. Complicating matters was Yingying's father's inability to speak English and the difficulties of navigating a foreign country.

Ron Gao-Jung struggled to sleep at night and would often leave his bed to go stand outside his daughter's apartment. He waited there for hours, hoping Yingying would come home. Ron Gao gave his first media interview on Thursday, June 22 through a translator. He begged the person who had taken Yingying to return her before addressing his daughter directly. Ying, be strong. Dad is waiting for you here. I hope that being a good person, you will be safe forever. I will wait for you and we will definitely find you. In an effort to raise awareness, Yingying's boyfriend, Xiaoling, organised a vigil to take place on the night of Thursday, June 29.

Participants would begin at the campus' Cranet Centre for the Performing Arts, then walk to the location where Yingying was last seen. After pausing at the site, they would return to the Cranet Centre for a concert. That evening, Megan, not her real name, received a text message from her boyfriend. The pair had only been dating a month after meeting on a dating website. In his message, Megan's boyfriend requested that she accompany him to the walk that was being held for Yingying Zhang. He wrote, I am going to this no matter what, I'd love it if you were there with me. Megan was aware of Yingying's case. She asked her boyfriend why he was interested in going and why he wanted her to go too.

He replied that he didn't know, but he was asking her to. Megan agreed. When the couple met at the venue, Megan's boyfriend held up a collar that she sometimes wore when they were intimate and asked her to put it on. The pair often engaged in acts of BDSM, erotic consensual role-playing that includes bondage, discipline, dominance and submission. Megan refused to wear the collar, stating that it wouldn't be appropriate. The occasion was too somber and she was uneasy wearing such an item in public. He accepted this and didn't press the matter. The pair joined the 350 strong crowd, including Yingying's loved ones, chatting quietly as they strolled.

After briefly talking about their relationship, Megan's boyfriend brought up the nearby FBI field office. He described where it was located, then named some of the media agencies covering the walk. He also made some obtuse remarks about the walk's participants being there for him. After a while, he picked up one of Megan's hands and traced the number 13 on her palm. She was confused. At the end of the walk, Megan went to the bathroom. When she returned outside, her boyfriend was sitting on a bench waiting for her. He grabbed her iPhone and tapped away on it before handing it back.

He had written a short message on her Notes app. It read, It was me. She was number 13. She's gone. Forever. After Megan had seen the message, her boyfriend deleted it. The pair then attended the concert. Megan's boyfriend exhibited strange behavior throughout the show. He consumed a large amount of alcohol and clapped in a weirdly slow staccato fashion. When the crowd gave Yingying's boyfriend a standing ovation, he remained seated.

At one stage, he pointed out another attendee to Megan and remarked that she would make, quote, A good target. By the time the concert concluded, Megan was extremely disturbed. As the pair walked off, her boyfriend brought up the message he had typed earlier on Megan's phone. He revealed that he was a serial killer. He had started murdering when he was 19 and had killed a total of 13 women. He didn't know the names of any victims aside from Yingying Zhang. She was the only one who'd had a public profile and could be tied back to him.

He told Megan she was the first person he'd ever confided in and remarked, The last person I would consider at my level that actually did anything was Ted Bundy. He was caught in the 80s. Concealing her fear, Megan continued the conversation. She asked if 13 was a large number of victims. Her boyfriend responded incorrectly. It's bigger than Jeffrey Dahmer, bigger than John Wayne Gacy. I have caught the nation's attention, apparently.

He then reassured Megan that he would never harm her. She responded, Unless for some reason I'm a complete idiot and say something to somebody and then I'm not safe. He replied, That's true. Investigators fronting the Yingying Zhang case remained tight lipped, Refusing to divulge publicly how it was progressing. Behind the scenes, they had been working around the clock to find her.

Ongoing efforts to enhance security camera footage of the suspect's satan astra proved fruitless. UIUC campus police officer, Sergeant James Carter, asked whether he could help. Carter was known for his knowledge of cars and eye for detail. Over the course of five to ten minutes, he continually slowed and paused the video to make sure nothing escaped him. Carter then noticed something. The hubcap on the car's right front wheel appeared to have a dark spot. He rewound the footage and studied every single frame. He realized that the hubcap was broken with a chunk missing from its outer rim.

Sergeant Carter also determined that the vehicle had a sunroof. Of all the black satan astra hatchbacks within the county, only one was noted as having a sunroof. It was the first vehicle the FBI had inspected during their initial inquiries. It was registered to a 27-year-old local man named Brent Christiansen, who lived right there in Champaign. It was registered to a 27-year-old local man named Brent Christiansen, who lived right there in Champaign. Christiansen, a former master's student at the UIUC, had no criminal record. He lived with his wife Lisa, not her real name, in a two-bedroom apartment on West Springfield Avenue. Christiansen had also been a teaching assistant at the university, but was currently unemployed and looking for work.

When initially questioned by the FBI, Brent Christiansen had been polite and upfront. He was familiar with the Ying Ying Zheng case and acknowledged that he drove a car matching the suspect's vehicle. He maintained that he was at home all day on Friday June 9, sleeping or playing video games. He allowed his apartment and car to be searched. Nothing suspicious was found. But the discovery that the suspect's car had a sunroof narrowed the investigative spotlight directly on Christiansen. His black satin Astra was the only one in the county that had such a feature. Officers headed straight to the parking lot at Christiansen's apartment building. They honed in on his car. A large chunk was missing from its front passenger hubcap.

It had been a week since Emily Hogan's unsettling encounter with the man purporting to be an undercover police officer. Investigators for the Ying Ying Zheng case approached her once again, seeking her assistance. They provided her with a photographic lineup that contained six different driver's license pictures. When she saw the third photograph, a wave of nausea washed over Emily. She was sure that the man pictured was the one who had tried to lure her into his car. Emily then reconsidered, saying that she was 60% sure. The third image was of Brent Christiansen. Investigators were granted a federal warrant to search Christiansen's home and car.

They arrived at his apartment and knocked on the front door. It opened a fraction. The officers couldn't see who was on the other side. One of them called out that they were there to search the property. The door opened wider. A surprised but calm Brent Christiansen stood before the group dressed in his underwear. It appeared as though he had just gotten out of bed. He permitted the investigators to enter his home. His wife Lisa was standing a few feet behind him naked. One of the agents asked her to put on a robe.

Christiansen was shown the warrant and was asked if he was willing to talk back at the investigators office. Looking nonchalant, Christiansen turned to Lisa and asked, Everything I've seen in the movies tells me I shouldn't talk to the police. What do you think? In an equally unconcerned tone, she replied, Yeah, I think you should go. Christiansen put on a black t-shirt and some pants before he was escorted to the FBI field office. Once there, he was asked to recap his alibi. Although he admitted that he couldn't recall Friday June 9 clearly, he maintained that he was at home playing video games.

He suspected that he had a nap for a couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon. One of the interviewing detectives abruptly asked, Look, you know that we didn't bring you all the way up here to talk about video games or what you had for lunch that day. Why do you think that we brought you up here? Christiansen replied, Because the car I own was seen picking up a girl that's missing. When asked who was driving his car on the day in question, Christiansen said no one else had access to it. In an effort to get him talking, Christiansen was told there was footage of him picking up Yingying Zhang.

He remarked that he hadn't seen himself in any of the footage shown by the media. A detective retorted, You've seen what we've allowed you to see. Christiansen began breathing heavily. His eyes darted around the room. There was a long pause that seemed to drag. Suddenly, he said that he might have gotten his days mixed up. He now admitted to picking up an Asian girl on what he thought was Saturday, June 10.

He'd been out driving around the UIUC when he saw a girl looking distressed and pulled over to speak with her. She was late for a meeting with her professor and showed Christiansen a map on her phone of where she needed to go. He offered her a lift and she accepted, but after he'd driven a few blocks, the girl became distraught. She tried to get out of the car. Christiansen thought he must have accidentally taken a wrong turn and inadvertently scared her. He stopped and let her out. After the girl exited the car, she stood on the sidewalk looking at her phone. Christiansen then drove back home.

He couldn't remember his passenger's name but provided a brief description of her. She spoke broken English, had been wearing jeans and was carrying a backpack. He estimated she had only been in his car for five minutes or less, but he couldn't remember where he had taken her. When asked why he had withheld this information, Christiansen insisted that he thought he'd given the girl a lift on the Saturday, not the Friday, that Ying Ying Zheng was taken. The topic of Christiansen's marriage was then raised. Christiansen and his wife Lisa were in a mutually agreed upon open relationship, which enabled them to date other people while remaining married. Lisa had a boyfriend whom she knew through work. The weekend Ying Ying was taken, Lisa and her boyfriend were vacationing interstate.

Christiansen was left home alone. He admitted that he had gone out driving because he'd been stir crazy and lonely. All he'd wanted was to clear his head. Christiansen pointed out that he still wasn't sure the girl he'd met had been Ying Ying Zheng. He was asked if he'd picked up the girl because he wanted to sleep with her. Christiansen replied, I mean that would have been nice, but then he trailed off.

A more forceful approach was taken. Interviewing officers demanded that Christiansen tell the truth. Where'd you take her Brent? We need to find Ying Ying. There was a pause, then Christiansen said, I think it's time that I stop answering questions. I know the typical advice is to get a lawyer before you answer anything, and I think I've tried to help enough. Forentic examination of Christiansen's cell phone revealed that less than two months earlier, he had visited a website for individuals interested in sexual fetishes and kinks. He spent time in a forum titled Abduction 101.

In threads labelled Perfect Abduction Fantasy and Planning a Kidnapping, he chatted to a woman about how he would like to abduct her. He described how he would bind and gag her, then put her in a large duffel bag in the trunk or back seat of his car. The following month, Christiansen purchased a six foot long green canvas duffel bag online, but soon returned it. Then, just six days before Ying Ying vanished, he reordered the same bag. Investigators hadn't found the bag at his home. The search of Christiansen's apartment did uncover a pair of aviator style sunglasses, like those worn by the phony undercover cop that approached Emily Hogan hours before Ying Ying was taken. In the main bedroom, two twin mattresses had been pushed together to form a king sized bed. On one of these mattresses were three reddish brown stains, two towards the middle and one at the end by the wall.

A baseball bat was also found. Luminol revealed it too contained a stain. Christiansen's satin astra was also examined. The front passenger seat and side of the car had been recently and thoroughly cleaned. Investigators were certain that Brent Christiansen was involved in Ying Ying's disappearance, but they didn't want to keep him in custody. If released, they believed he might slip up and do something that would lead them to Ying Ying. On Friday, June 16, Christiansen was sent home without charge. Christiansen was well aware that his movements were now being monitored by the FBI.

He turned off the tracking function on his phone and switched to a virtual private network to encrypt his internet connection. In the meantime, his marriage deteriorated further. His wife had taken to sleeping in the spare room and pushed heavy items against the door to prevent him from entering. The cold shoulder didn't impact Christiansen too harshly. As per the rules of his open marriage, he had another intimate partner he could reach out to. A young woman he'd recently started dating named Megan. Megan had been terrified of her boyfriend since the night of Ying Ying Jiang's vigil. Christiansen had insisted she accompany him to the walk, during which he confessed to being a serial killer.

That night, he detailed in an excited and boastful manner exactly how he had attacked Ying Ying. He said he had taken her to his apartment, cut off her clothing and raped her on his bed before strangling her with his hands. As he was over six feet tall and had a large build, it was easy for him to overpower the much smaller Ying Ying. Nevertheless, she had fought back fiercely. Christiansen described it as, quote, unbelievable, supernatural almost how she didn't give up. He estimated that he had choked Ying Ying for ten minutes. Despite this, she kept breathing. He then carried her into the bathroom and placed her in the tub before striking her with his baseball bat.

Uncertain whether he had killed her, he grabbed a knife and stabbed her in the neck. Either consciously or as a reflex, Ying Ying tried to grab the weapon. Christiansen then decapitated her. He told Megan this final act put a stop to what he called this fucking zombie shit. But spoke admiringly of Ying Ying's fight for survival, describing her as valiant. Christiansen then laughed about the fact that some people at Ying Ying's vigil had thanked him for attending. I am apparently very good at this, he boasted. They will never find her because I will never tell anyone.

The family, they won't leave until she's found. They're gonna leave empty-handed. Megan returned home a short time later and walked inside alone. She then spoke directly into her clothing. It's 10-01 and I hope I got at least some of that. Two weeks before the vigil for Ying Ying Zheng, FBI agents paid Megan a visit. By this stage, all eyes were on Brent Christiansen, but he had yet to be directly implicated in the crime. Investigators needed the help of someone close to him to secure the smoking gun.

Their efforts were kept under wraps, not even Ying Ying's own family were aware that a suspect had emerged. They continued to carry out their own inquiries, all the while Christiansen was being questioned and his belongings searched. Megan was upset to learn that her boyfriend was a prime suspect in a kidnap investigation. Yet, she couldn't deny her own concerns. Although her relationship with Christiansen seemed promising to begin with, in late May he'd sent her a series of text messages in which he rambled about not wanting to fade away into obscurity. Quote, I would rather destroy humanity than let that happen. I know most would disagree. It was proposed that Megan work with investigators by covertly recording Christiansen whenever they were together.

She was conflicted. While she loved Christiansen, Megan ultimately agreed to participate, believing that her actions could help exonerate him. She was provided with two recording devices. One was hidden inside a coffee mug. The other was the size of a post-it note and could be worn underneath clothing. Megan started recording Christiansen later that same day. He initially seemed nervous about being under investigation, but then at another point he appeared amused by the situation. Christiansen often talked about the Yingying Zheng case with Megan. He came up with excuses regarding the evidence against him, often using Megan as a scapegoat.

He said he had purchased the duffel bag to transport a cat-scratching post for her, although she never received it. He also said that the blood in his bedroom belonged to her, even though Megan knew this wasn't true. On Friday, June 23, Megan recorded a phone conversation in which Christiansen said he was worried about what would happen to him if the investigation goes south. He added, They're desperate. I will be in prison for life. The pair continued their conversation via text messages. In one, Christiansen admitted, I was the one who picked that girl up. I dropped her off shortly after. I didn't do anything wrong, but she is missing and I am officially the last one who saw her. Lisa loses a husband if this goes wrong. I will literally lose my life.

By the time Christiansen asked Megan to attend Yingying's vigil with him, she was already deeply troubled by his various remarks. Prior to leaving home, Megan hid a recording device on her body. When she returned home later in the night, she phoned the FBI to notify them of Christiansen's chilling serial killer confession. She then burst into tears. The following day of Friday, June 30 was Brent Christiansen's 28th birthday. FBI agents arrived at his apartment and charged him with the federal crime of kidnapping. A cadaver dog brought into the residence alerted in the bathroom where Christiansen had confessed to killing Yingying.

There were no human remains at the address, but agents seized a number of items including a roll of duct tape. None of Yingying's belongings were found. An alternative light source revealed hand prints and swabbing marks on the drywall and carpet alongside and underneath Christiansen's bed, suggesting someone had cleaned the area. A dark reddish stain was found on the underside of the carpet, as well as on its tack strip and the floor beneath. Samples of this staining were tested, along with swabs previously taken of Christiansen's mattress and baseball bat. All items returned a positive result for Yingying's DNA. Although it couldn't be proven that it was Christiansen who had taken Yingying, further evidence proved he was in the area at the time.

Security cameras from a local supermarket caught Christiansen buying a bottle of rum at 7.40am on Friday June 9. From there, he drove around the UIUC campus. In the aftermath of Yingying's disappearance, Christiansen used his smartphone to research the ingredients in cleaning products, news articles about the case, and information on Illinois' obstruction of justice laws. He also looked up information on how iPhone tracking works, despite not owning one. Yingying, however, had used an iPhone. Months before the abduction, Christiansen filled out an intake form for the UIUC's counselling centre. He had written that alcohol and drug addiction were ruining his life and that he wanted to harm others.

When asked about his desire to hurt people, Christiansen revealed that he'd been spending lots of time researching serial killers, particularly Ted Bundy. He remarked, I've always been interested in the bad guys. He admitted to making homicidal plans, which progressed to the point of purchasing items that could be used in a murder, but said he later returned them. He insisted he didn't want to actually hurt anyone because he didn't, quote, want to live with the guilt. He refused to attend a substance abuse facility or a meeting at Alcoholics Anonymous. However, Christiansen did attend two follow-up appointments with clinical counsellors. Another counselling session was planned for April 6, 2017. Christiansen filled out an intake form for the appointment, but never met with the counsellor.

After that, he stopped attending counselling sessions. During his time in custody, Christiansen phoned his wife, Lisa. Their conversation was recorded. Christiansen wanted Lisa to delete his account on the discussion website Reddit, as well as any of his stupid comments. In a post discussing the possibility that Ying Ying's kidnapper might have been posing as an undercover police officer, Christiansen had commented, That's very Ted Bundy-esque. Scary. Christiansen had once confided in Lisa that he was fascinated by serial killers, as well as, quote, This troubled Lisa. She issued her husband with an ultimatum to stop drinking. When he failed to do so, Lisa announced in March 2017 that she wanted a divorce.

This caused Christiansen to become emotional and distraught, so Lisa suggested they open their relationship as a compromise. Lisa returned home from her weekend away with her boyfriend days after Ying Ying was abducted. She didn't notice anything strange about her husband's behaviour. However, on Monday, June 12, she saw him leave the apartment carrying a duffel bag that didn't look to have much inside it. She also noticed the petrol gauge in Christiansen's satin Astra was at the halfway point. This indicated that Christiansen had driven 200 miles over the weekend. Lisa was surprised by this as her husband was a homebody that never really travelled anywhere. Staff and students from the UIUC were shocked upon learning of Brent Christiansen's arrest.

He was remembered as a mild-mannered and normal student and teacher's assistant, if a little awkward. However, one young woman who lived in the same apartment building as him told the media she had always found him creepy. Photographs and video footage taken at the vigil for Ying Ying featured Christiansen with Megan. He was captured holding her hand and walking alongside her with an arm around her shoulders. In hindsight, these innocuous images were chilling as they implied Ying Ying's killer might have walked with her family that night, pretending to show his support. On the morning of Monday, July 3, members of the media and the UIUC community queued outside Urbana's small federal courthouse to attend Christiansen's first hearing. Only 45 people could fit inside the courtroom. Hundreds of others gathered outside, chanting justice for Ying Ying while holding banners and signs that read, We are with you Ying Ying. When Christiansen appeared in court, he was shackled at the ankles and said little.

Ying Ying's father and boyfriend watched on in silence as the judge ordered him to be held without bond. He was facing charges of kidnapping resulting in death and lying to federal agents. The prosecution was seeking the death penalty. Christiansen pleaded not guilty. Ying Ying's mother and brother joined the rest of the Jiang family in the US in anticipation of the trial. Li Feng sobbed as her husband spoke through an interpreter to the press. This is a very painful process. Our dreams have been shattered. We just keep on telling ourselves this is the worst and we cannot really lose anymore. He vowed that he would not leave the US until his daughter had been found and could be given a proper burial in accordance with their beliefs and culture.

Delays by the defense meant the trial didn't begin until April 2019, almost two years after Ying Ying's disappearance. In the interim, her family returned to China to conserve their money and so Li Feng could recover from illness. The trial was held outside of Champaign Urbana after Christiansen's attorneys successfully argued that extensive media coverage of the case might have prejudiced the local jury pool. The venue change would inconvenience Ying Ying's family who had returned to Illinois. They were soon offered a place to stay locally for the trial's duration. Christiansen's attorneys shocked the court by starting his opening address with the line, Brent Christiansen killed Ying Ying Zheng and nothing that we say or do during this phase of the trial will be an attempt to sidestep or deny that Brent Christiansen is responsible for her death. The defense explained that they were only having a trial because Christiansen might face the death penalty if convicted. Their intention was to prevent this sentence. Star witness for the prosecution, Meaghan, was the first witness to draw any emotion from Christiansen.

He looked down at his hands and occasionally wiped away a tear as she spoke. When asked how it felt to be testifying against her former boyfriend, Meaghan replied, Meaghan replied, terrifying. She was then asked, so why are you doing it? Before answering, because it's necessary. Christiansen did not take the stand. The defense asserted that the government wanted to take his life. They relied on Christiansen's long-term alcoholism as an excuse for his actions, going so far as accusing Meaghan of plying him with booze to get him to confess. They also blamed her for introducing him to BDSM, claiming she, quote, injected the idea of fantasy and sex. They described Christiansen as a happily married, successful student who was led astray by alcohol and linked sex with violence after discovering BDSM culture. After two hours of deliberation, the jury found Brent Christiansen guilty on all three counts.

Following Christiansen's conviction, lawyers representing Yingying's family issued a statement thanking investigators for their hard work on the case, describing their coordinated efforts as nothing short of remarkable. They also thanked all the witnesses who had testified, in particular Meaghan, quote, Meaghan's courage is self-evident and the assistance she gave to law enforcement was invaluable. The close-knit, loving, Zhong family were able to tell the world how the loss of Yingying had impacted them at Christiansen's sentencing hearing. Her father wept over the last photo he had taken with his daughter. It depicted Yingying flanked by both her parents outside a train station moments before she departed for the US. She had just celebrated her 26th birthday, the party doubling as a farewell celebration. Through tears, her mother asked the court,

This wonderful daughter of mine, she is my everything. How am I supposed to carry on living? I really don't know how to carry on. One of the few times Christiansen showed emotion throughout the hearing was when his father testified that the thought of his son being executed was unbearable. This caused Christiansen to break down in tears. In order for Christiansen to receive the death penalty, the jury had to reach a unanimous decision. They deliberated for almost two days. Ultimately, ten wanted to deliver the death penalty while two were opposed. As a result, Brent Christiansen was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release. He was also given five-year sentences for the two charges of lying to federal agents and the maximum fine of $750,000. Christiansen chose not to address the court upon hearing the verdict, but smiled at his mother when he heard his life would be spared.

The judge told him, The mercy extended to you by the jury is a testament to their humanity, not your character. The Jung family must live with the thought that Yingying was ripped away from them by a total stranger, thousands of miles away, fulfilling his self-absorbed and selfish fantasies with no regard yet to this day for anyone other than himself. Your complete and total lack of remorse was not lost on anyone and emphasized one more time today, when given the opportunity to speak and not subject to any cross-examination, you could have said whatever you wanted to say for as little or as long as you wished. And yet today, 769 days after you took Yingying's life, you could not muster a simple, I'm sorry. Christiansen's outcome caused an uproar in China. Many citizens shared the desire of Yingying's family to see him receive the death penalty. However, Yingying's family accepted that the life sentence was still a suitable punishment that reflected the significance of their loss. Her father said,

We hope that every day he spends in prison, he feels the pain and suffering that we feel for the loss of Yingying. He added, Now that the trial is over and the jury has made its decision, we ask the defendant to unconditionally tell us what he knows about Yingying's location. If you have any humanity left in your soul, please help end our torment. Please, let us bring Yingying home. The search for Yingying's remains had been long but futile. Dumpsters, creek beds and abandoned mine shafts had been thoroughly searched. Crime stoppers and Yingying's family offered a $50,000 reward for information that led to her discovery. They were completely unaware that Christiansen had already revealed what had become of Yingying.

In November 2018, Christiansen had divulged the truth to federal prosecutors in an attempt to negotiate a deal that would prevent him from receiving the death penalty. As this information was part of an immunity agreement, prosecutors had been unable to share it until after Christiansen was convicted and sentenced. After killing Yingying, Christiansen had dismembered her and placed her remains in three separate garbage bags. The following day, he threw the bags into a dumpster outside his apartment building. On Monday, June 12th, he placed Yingying's iPhone, clothing and backpack in the large duffel bag he'd purchased earlier that month and then drove around disposing of them in various dumpsters around the Champaign Urbana area. Finally, he threw the duffel bag away. The dumpster where Yingying's remains were placed was emptied the same day.

Its contents were taken to a private landfill, then compacted twice, spread over an area spanning 50 yards and buried beneath 30 feet of garbage. Due to the compaction process, Yingying's remains would have likely been reduced to a size smaller than a cell phone. Investigators believed it would be near impossible to recover them. Any attempt to do so would be extremely complicated and expensive. Yingying's family fronted a press conference after finally being told what became of her. Yingying's father told assembled reporters, If what that man said is true, it further confirms that he is a heartless and evil person. 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.

We now understand that finding her may be impossible. But if Yingying's remains are ever found, we will return to take her home to China where she belongs. Two days after learning what had happened to Yingying, her family had a memorial service in Illinois. That same month, it was announced that they had assisted the UIUC in creating an endowment in honor of their daughter. Named Yingying's fund had aimed to assist international students and their families in times of crisis. Yingying's parents donated $30,000 to the fund from the GoFundMe money that was raised for them. The UIUC's chancellor spoke of his admiration for their gesture. The Jungs, cherished members of our own Illinois family, are going through one of the most challenging points in their lives and yet they are still thinking of others.

Their gift will make an enormous impact when these students and their families need it most. Yingying's family also donated a further $20,000 as rewards for individuals who helped solve her case. The UIUC also awarded three members of their police department the institution's highest honor, the chancellor's medallion, for their work on Yingying's case. Sergeant James Carter, who identified the Saturn Astra's distinctive hubcap and sunroof. Telecommunicator Kenny Costa, who traced Yingying's path to the second bus stop and discovered she had been abducted using CCTV footage. And Detective Eric Stiverson, who interrogated Christensen. Despite Brent Christensen boasting that he was a prolific serial killer, nothing has ever been found linking him to any other crimes. Investigators concluded that this element of his confession was nothing more than a fantasy.

Yingying's parents chose her name as it meant the twinkling of the stars or candlelight. From an early age, their daughter proved to be extremely intelligent. She ranked at the top of her class at every school she attended. In 2009, Yingying was accepted to study environmental science at university. She was the first member of her family to pursue a tertiary education. Four years later, Yingying graduated as one of the top students in her year. Next, she began a master's degree in environmental engineering at Beijing's prestigious Peking University. By 2016, Yingying had her masters and began working as a research assistant at the Chinese Academy of Science.

She set aside some of the money she earned and purchased gifts that would make her family's lives easier, such as a microwave and a cell phone. Yingying's ultimate ambition was to become a professor. This career path would help her support her family financially. Despite never having left China before, she decided that the best way to achieve this goal was to travel to the United States for further education. Thank you for watching!