Murder of Yingying Zhang

Yingying Zhang (; December 21, 1990 – June 9, 2017) was born in the city of Nanping, Fujian, to Ronggao Zhang and Lifeng Ye. Zhang had one younger brother, Zhengyang. In 2016, she received a master's degree from Peking University. Zhang was a visiting scholar in the Chinese Academy of Sciences before travelling to the United States. She arrived in the United States in April 2017 to conduct research on photosynthesis and crop productivity for one year within the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She was considering entering a doctoral program at the University of Illinois. == Kidnapping ==

On the afternoon of June 9, 2017, Zhang was traveling on a Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) bus in Urbana, Illinois, to an off-campus apartment complex where she was planning to sign a new apartment lease. She was running late and sent a text message to the leasing agent at 1:39 p.m. to inform them that she would arrive at approximately 2:10 p.m. Zhang then walked to another bus stop a few blocks away at the corner of North Goodwin Avenue and West Clark Street, directly in front of the university's PBS radio and television station, WILL. Surveillance video cameras showed that a black Saturn Astra passed by her at 2:00 p.m. as she waited at the bus stop, and then circled back around the block and stopped where she was waiting at 2:03 p.m. She spoke to the driver for approximately one minute, and then entered the car. Zhang was last seen wearing a charcoal-colored baseball cap, a pink-and-white top, a white undershirt, jeans, and white tennis shoes, and she was carrying a black backpack. --> The leasing agent sent a text message to her at approximately 2:38 p.m., but received no reply. As the hours passed, Zhang's friends, aware of her errand and expecting her to return quickly, grew increasingly worried. At 9:24 p.m., an associate professor called police to report her missing. == Search efforts ==

The University of Illinois Police Department and Urbana Police Department worked with FBI agents to locate Zhang, offering a reward of $10,000 for information leading to her location. The university's large Chinese student population helped coordinate search efforts on and around campus. On June 19, the University of Illinois in conjunction with Champaign County Crime Stoppers, announced a reward of $40,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individual or individuals responsible for the apparent kidnapping of Zhang. This reward was, at the time, the largest offered in the 31-year history of the Champaign Crime Stoppers organization. Zhang's family said they would not leave the country until she was found. Several citizens had reported seeing an Asian woman matching Zhang's description in Salem, Illinois, on June 16. Zhang's family traveled to Salem to follow possible leads and the FBI investigated the reports, but it was later determined that the woman was not Zhang. The university announced that they planned to install additional, high-definition, security cameras throughout the campus. == Investigation ==

Investigators were unable to discern the license plate number of the vehicle from security camera footage. However, they determined that there were 18 four-door Saturn Astras registered to owners in the Champaign County area. One of these vehicles was registered to Brendt Allen Christensen, a Champaign resident. Christensen married in March 2011, but at the time of Zhang's murder, Christensen and his wife were in an open marriage, with both of them dating other people. Investigators interviewed Christensen on June 12, 2017, and inspected his car. When questioned, Christensen reportedly claimed that he did not remember what he was doing at the time of Zhang's disappearance. He later told investigators that he may have been sleeping, or at home playing video games. During questioning on June 15, Christensen admitted that he had given an Asian female a ride, ==Legal proceedings==

On June 30, the FBI arrested Christensen and charged him with kidnapping under . According to the law, if a kidnapping results in the death of any person, life imprisonment or the death penalty is prescribed. The FBI report noted that in April, before the alleged kidnapping, Christensen used his cellphone to access the sexual fetish website Fetlife, visiting forums such as "Abduction 101". Christensen had no prior criminal record and no record of disciplinary problems at the university. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres said that there was no "combination of conditions" where Christensen was not a danger to the community. Freres revealed more details from the investigation not presented in the criminal complaint. He told the court that Christensen had attended a vigil held for Zhang on June 29, where he had described "the characteristics of his ideal victim", and had pointed out those in the crowd who matched them. Additionally, Christensen was recorded saying that Zhang had resisted and fought with him, and he was also recorded threatening someone who then provided incriminating evidence to authorities. Christensen pled not guilty at his arraignment on July 20, 2017. Christensen's trial began in June 2019 with his attorney, George Taseff, admitting in the opening statements that Christensen killed Zhang and he was on "trial for his life" because he could face the death penalty. During sentencing deliberations, the jury could not unanimously agree to sentence Christensen to death. As a result, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on July 18, 2019. Following the trial, prosecutors revealed information about Zhang's remains that Christensen divulged through his attorneys in November 2018 under an immunity agreement. The day after he killed Zhang, Christensen claimed he put Zhang's dismembered body in three separate garbage bags which he then disposed of in the dumpster outside of his apartment. Over the next two days, Christensen claimed he disposed of Zhang's personal belongings in various dumpsters in the Champaign-Urbana area. The dumpster in which Christensen placed Zhang's remains was emptied three days later and the contents taken to a private landfill in Vermilion County, compacted at least twice, spread over an area fifty yards wide, and subsequently buried under thirty feet of garbage. Recovery of Zhang's remains would be difficult and a search for her remains has not begun. In October 2019, Christensen was transferred to FTC Oklahoma City for evaluation and processing. In early December 2019, Christensen reported to USP McCreary in Pine Knot, Kentucky to begin serving his life sentence. Christensen was transferred to USP Coleman II in Florida in early 2020. ==Memorials==

On October 11, 2018, a memorial garden was dedicated in honor of Zhang at the corner of North Goodwin Avenue and West Clark Street. Designed by Phyllis Williams and Christina Nordholm, the garden consists of pathways’ stones that were designed to disappear leading to a bench, a weeping cherry tree and a memorial stone. As Zhang's remains were never recovered, a box containing her clothes were buried in the garden. On August 19, 2019, Zhang's parents announced the creation of an endowment fund called Yingying Fund, which is dedicated in honor of her. The fund will be used to support international students in crisis and their families. The Zhang family donated an initial gift of $30,000 to the fund with an additional $24,000 contributed from more than 440 donors. The fund is managed by the University of Illinois Foundation. == Film and television coverage ==

A documentary about Zhang's parents' search for justice, Finding Yingying, premiered at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival on August 27, 2020 and was released on December 11, 2020, by MTV Documentary Films. The case was re-enacted as "Far From Home" on the Investigation Discovery television network true crime series See No Evil in season 6, episode 5 (2020). The case was featured on the Oxygen television network true crime series Final Moments in season 2, episode 4 titled "Missed Bus" (2023). == See also ==