The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Tuesday that investigators have located the black Saturn Astra used in the kidnapping of a Chinese student in Illinois who has been missing for over two weeks.
"The University of Illinois Police Department and FBI have received numerous leads regarding the vehicle, and we are announcing we have located the vehicle. We will not need any further information from the public regarding the Black Saturn Astra," read a press release by the FBI.
However, the FBI did not state when and where the vehicle had been found.
Zhang Yingying, a 26-year-old visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), was last seen on June 9 in Urbana, Illinois. Security footage showed her speaking with the driver of a black Saturn Astra, which pulled up on the east side of Goodwin Avenue, for some time around 2:00 p.m. local time before stepping inside the vehicle.
The FBI, which stated it is treating Zhang’s disappearance as kidnapping, announced a reward up to 10,000 US dollars for information leading to her location.
Zhang's family and her boyfriend arrived at the UIUC on June 17 and met with law enforcement officials and the university’s representative. They were accompanied by staff from the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago.
The FBI said they would like to "remind the public that this is still an active investigation" as they continue to analyze security camera footage, electronic information, tips and other information.
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