Chicago

Family of Missing U of I Student Holds Candlelight Vigil

The family of missing University of Illinois student Yingying Zhang held a candlelight vigil in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood Saturday night, pleading for her safe return after she disappeared earlier this month.

Zhang, who arrived at the Champaign campus from China earlier this year, was last seen on June 9, and the FBI is investigating the disappearance as a kidnapping. The bureau has called the case an “agency priority,” and they are offering a significant reward for information in the case.

According to police, surveillance cameras captured 26-year-old Zhang getting into a black Saturn Astra in Urbana. Zhang was leaving to sign a lease on an apartment, according to her family, and she has not been seen since. [[428004063, C]]

Now, her father and the rest of her family have traveled to the United States to help in the search for their daughter, but despite hundreds of leads, she has not been found yet.

A $50,000 reward is being offered by the FBI and Crime Stoppers for information that leads to her safe return. Community groups are hoping to double that reward through fundraising efforts as the search continues. 

Anyone with information about Zhang’s appearance is asked to call 911 or the University of Illinois Police Department at (217) 333-1216.

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