FBI thinks U of I scholar is dead, Champaign man accused of her kidnapping

Posted on July 1, 2017
The FBI arrested a Champaign man for abducting U of I visiting scholar Yingying Zhang. Investigators believe the Chinese student is dead.(Photo courtesy of University of Illinois)

By Howard Packowitz

CHAMPAIGN-URBANA -The FBI believes University of Illinois visiting scholar Yingying Zhang is dead, and authorities have arrested a Champaign man for the Chinese woman’s abduction.

FBI agents on Friday arrested Brendt Christensen, 27, for allegedly kidnapping Zhang, but authorities have yet to find her body, and they have not filed a murder charge.

Security video showed Zhang entering a black Saturn Astra in Urbana about 2 p.m. on June 9. Christensen is the car’s registered owner, according to a court affidavit.

The FBI believes the young woman is dead based in part on audio recordings in which Christensen allegedly explained how he brought Zhang to his apartment and held her against her will.

Investigators also said in the court document that Christensen’s cell phone had a record of visiting forums and threads titled Abduction 101, Perfect Abduction Fantasy, and Planning a Kidnapping.

The FBI said Christensen had been under constant surveillance for the past two weeks.

On his Linked-in page, Christensen said he’s a PhD candidate at the U of I in experimental condensed matter physics.

Zhang arrived on campus in April to study photosynthesis and crop productivity.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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