Family of kidnapped Chinese student Zhang Yingying asks Trump for help
US president is urged to provide more resources to find Zhang Yingying, who police believe was killed after she was abducted in Illinois
Family members of a Chinese student presumed kidnapped in Illinois asked US President Donald Trump on Tuesday to provide more resources to help find her.
Zhang Yingying, a 26-year-old visiting scholar at the University of Illinois from southeast China, disappeared on June 9. Police believe Zhang is dead, although no body has been found.
Brendt Christensen, a former master’s student at the university, has been charged with abducting Zhang. Christensen, 28, pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping last month and is expected to stand trial in September.
Zhang’s father, Zhang Ronggao, cited the president’s own role as a father in a letter sent to Trump earlier this month and read by Zhang’s boyfriend, Hou Xiaolin, at a news conference on Tuesday.
“As a loving father to your own children, you can understand what we are going through,” the letter said. “We fervently request that you direct all available federal law enforcement and investigatory resources be used to find our daughter as soon as possible.”
A White House representative could not immediately be reached for comment.