Illinois man charged with kidnapping Chinese scholar

An Illinois man has been charged in the kidnapping of a Chinese student at the University of Illinois, the Justice Department said Friday.

Yingying Zhang, a 26-year-old graduate student at the university’s Urbana-Champaign campus, went missing on June 9. A security camera video from that day shows her getting into a black car.

The FBI said earlier this week that agents had found the car, though Zhang was not found with it.

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Brendt Christensen, 27, has been charged in her disappearance. Agents surveilling Christensen on Thursday reportedly overheard him say that he had kidnapped Zhang.

Zhang’s whereabouts still remain unknown, though investigators believe that she is dead.

“Members of Ms. Zhang’s family, the Chinese consulate, and University of Illinois officials have been advised of Christensen’s arrest and the evidence in the possession of the FBI,” the Justice Department said.

Supporters of Zhang gathered at the University of Illinois on Thursday night for a walk and concert, including the missing student’s family, who traveled to Illinois from China upon being notified of the disappearance.