Deceased/Not Found IL - Yingying Zhang, 26, Urbana, 9 June 2017 #5 *Arrest*

[Skigirl]

I keep thinking about one of the mysteries of this case: why LE (who seems quite certain YZ is deceased) has never engaged the public to assist in specific searches for the body, nor even been seen searching themselves? …a few thoughts:
1) They believe/know from evidence they have that the body was incinerated, chopped up, or otherwise destroyed and then parts spread to multiple locations (and it’s too gruesome to have the public searching for).
2) They believe the body ended up at a landfill (or some other site off-limits to the public), and have been searching themselves out-of-sight of the public, but not asking for assistance.
(not sure how long it would take to discover a body at a landfill with cadaver dogs, and wouldn’t word leak out if they’ve been searching a landfill for this long?).
3) They believe the body was dumped in a body-of-water, again where the public can’t easily assist, but again why haven’t we heard of professional divers/equipment etc. being employed at specific locations?
4) If evidence pointed to the body being dumped in a farm-field, I s’pose a farmer may not want 100’s of townspeople trampling through his field?
5) They have reason to believe the body was taken far outside the area, but they don’t know where or what direction.
6) They have found the body or parts of it, but aren't releasing any information, subject to further testing and piecing together more of what happened.
I don’t find any of these possibilities very satisfactory; other ideas? I hope once the crime is fully solved, this and other elements of the FBI’s behavior will make more sense.

I don't really have anything novel to add to your list, but this question has come up in another case I've followed over the last months (Danielle Stislicki). Maybe not calling for public searches is a new "best practice" when the victim is presumed dead and there isn't the urgency of finding a living person? Maybe having 100s of people tramping around runs a greater risk of damage to evidence that outweighs the potential benefit of finding remains or anything else of evidentiary value more quickly than when they are found incidentally or by law enforcement?

 

[altojack]

I'm following this case with great interest 'tho alas, not one wanting to miss a word I'm way back on Thread 4. I'll catch ya all at some point in the next few days, hopefully.

i have an intense 2 day reading marathon ahead of me , yikes .

 

[altojack]

I'm following a case pretty local to me here in UK. LE are searching for a body in a landfill site, 5 months so far and no trace found in the cell they are working on.

Back to the case in hand, I do however feel that FBI have YZ body but are busy making connections to BC, they don't want to get a single thing wrong.

right, reading awaits, bye for now and thanks for all the hard work you guts are putting in xx

 

[Elainera]

I keep thinking about one of the mysteries of this case: why LE (who seems quite certain YZ is deceased) has never engaged the public to assist in specific searches for the body, nor even been seen searching themselves? …a few thoughts:
1) They believe/know from evidence they have that the body was incinerated, chopped up, or otherwise destroyed and then parts spread to multiple locations (and it’s too gruesome to have the public searching for).
2) They believe the body ended up at a landfill (or some other site off-limits to the public), and have been searching themselves out-of-sight of the public, but not asking for assistance.
(not sure how long it would take to discover a body at a landfill with cadaver dogs, and wouldn’t word leak out if they’ve been searching a landfill for this long?).
3) They believe the body was dumped in a body-of-water, again where the public can’t easily assist, but again why haven’t we heard of professional divers/equipment etc. being employed at specific locations?
4) If evidence pointed to the body being dumped in a farm-field, I s’pose a farmer may not want 100’s of townspeople trampling through his field?
5) They have reason to believe the body was taken far outside the area, but they don’t know where or what direction.
6) They have found the body or parts of it, but aren't releasing any information, subject to further testing and piecing together more of what happened.
I don’t find any of these possibilities very satisfactory; other ideas? I hope once the crime is fully solved, this and other elements of the FBI’s behavior will make more sense.

I have another thought but don't know if it's at all realistic. Our member Yellow and others with more understanding of legal procedures and jurisdictions etc have explained that right now this is a federal case because of the kidnapping charge, and if a murder charge was added it might be bumped back to state level. Did I get this correct?

Now my thought was , maybe FBI and LE don't hurry to find the body right now because they want to keep this case in federal court for as long as possible to be able to dangle the possibility of a death penalty above BC's head.

Possible?

 

[Hatfield]

Been trying to think of the possibilities where he deposited her body and the key to finding that out is if LE can determine his movements.

JMO
Based on all his mistakes I think he mainly planned for how he was going to abduct and hold someone and even what he was going to do with the person while alive but I dont think he planned too well what to do with the person once they were deceased. I think he planned on keeping the person alive as a sex slave based on his crazy fantasies. So he concentrated on holding the person and didnt spend much time on what he was going to do if he ended up killing the person.

I think what confirms some of this is his half truth in his statements to LE where he said something about her panicking in the car. I think there may be some truth to that where she realized he was up to no good and she panicked and then he attacked her right there in the car to try to capture her. I think whatever injuries he caused on her that day were severe and I would not be surprised if she did not survive that first day.

Which if it happened that way then he had to quickly find a place to put her. Knowing he made a lot of mistakes I think the simple dumpster theory is a good one. I really think LE should concentrate on trying to find where the dumpters get placed and do some serious searching in the right landfill.

I know some landfills have pretty good records on what piles and dates of where trash is placed. I hope the landfill in this case can identify where the larger dumpsters get placed and it would really help to look there.

He comes across so haphazard in his mistakes I do think a simple dumpster close by may be what he did. Especially if she did not survive that first day.

Finding her is so important. It serves a lot of important purposes.
It helps the family to have a proper funeral and place for her remains.
It helps LE convict the murderer.
It helps the community know they did all they could to return her to her family.

I hope and pray she will be found soon.

 

[Calzone]

Disposing of a body in a dumpster is a good theory. However, there is no landfill in Champaign. Depending on which garbage company used, it could go to Danville or elsewhere making a landfill search problematic. Further complicating a landfill search is knowing where the dumpster was. One could easily get on the interstate and pass hundreds or thousands of dumpsters in a 30 minute drive. While there are a finite number of defined landfills, there are a lot of them.

 

[WindyJuris]

I have another thought but don't know if it's at all realistic. Our member Yellow and others with more understanding of legal procedures and jurisdictions etc have explained that right now this is a federal case because of the kidnapping charge, and if a murder charge was added it might be bumped back to state level. Did I get this correct?

Now my thought was , maybe FBI and LE don't hurry to find the body right now because they want to keep this case in federal court for as long as possible to be able to dangle the possibility of a death penalty above BC's head.

Possible?

Been following this case from the beginning, from Urbana, and currently in law school. I am nowhere near an expert in federal jurisdiction, or criminal law for that matter. However, from what I have learned so far, the federal government can keep this case in federal court if they can show that the murder took place during a kidnapping, and the kidnapping has to connect one way or another to interstate commerce. Interstate commerce is so important in the criminal complaint because that is how the federal government can retain their jurisdiction. The constitution states that congress can pass laws and regulate interstate commerce. Therefore, when congress passed laws to criminalize kidnapping and murder, the congress had to cite how kidnapping and murder is connected to interstate commerce, thus giving congress (and the US government) jurisdiction over those type of cases.

That is my theory on why the criminal complaint keeps mentioning interstate commerce so much. If this is true, it means that because BC kidnapped YZ using tools of interstate commerce (i.e. cell phone, car, etc.), the murder charge could be brought in federal court.

 

[Calzone]

I keep thinking about one of the mysteries of this case: why LE (who seems quite certain YZ is deceased) has never engaged the public to assist in specific searches for the body, nor even been seen searching themselves? …a few thoughts:
1) They believe/know from evidence they have that the body was incinerated, chopped up, or otherwise destroyed and then parts spread to multiple locations (and it’s too gruesome to have the public searching for).
2) They believe the body ended up at a landfill (or some other site off-limits to the public), and have been searching themselves out-of-sight of the public, but not asking for assistance.
(not sure how long it would take to discover a body at a landfill with cadaver dogs, and wouldn’t word leak out if they’ve been searching a landfill for this long?).
3) They believe the body was dumped in a body-of-water, again where the public can’t easily assist, but again why haven’t we heard of professional divers/equipment etc. being employed at specific locations?
4) If evidence pointed to the body being dumped in a farm-field, I s’pose a farmer may not want 100’s of townspeople trampling through his field?
5) They have reason to believe the body was taken far outside the area, but they don’t know where or what direction.
6) They have found the body or parts of it, but aren't releasing any information, subject to further testing and piecing together more of what happened.
I don’t find any of these possibilities very satisfactory; other ideas? I hope once the crime is fully solved, this and other elements of the FBI’s behavior will make more sense.

there must be reason to believe that she is deceased. That is either a confession, which I wouldn't think would preclude a search, or there is enough evidence that supports an inability for life to be sustained like a lot of blood. So, why no apparent search, and why FBI jurisdiction? Theory: After BC was identified as a person of interest, cell phone or credit card records indicate he left the state. Where would he go? The closest state is Indiana, but I doubt he knew western Indiana very well, there isn't much there. Sure, that would make it a good place to hide a body but only if you know the area. He does know Wisconsin. Perhaps cell phone or credit card records indicate that shortly after the abduction, could be a couple of days, he was in Wisconsin. Four to six hours gets you to either Madison or Stevens Point. Presuming he didn't leave Yingying behind, he crossed state lines in the commission of a crime, even if he hid the body along the way. That is a LOT of area to search. Otherwise, the body has been recovered already and withholding that information is a ploy to get BC to confess in the hopes of a more favorable outcome for him.

 

[Elainera]

Been following this case from the beginning, from Urbana, and currently in law school. I am nowhere near an expert in federal jurisdiction, or criminal law for that matter. However, from what I have learned so far, the federal government can keep this case in federal court if they can show that the murder took place during a kidnapping, and the kidnapping has to connect one way or another to interstate commerce. Interstate commerce is so important in the criminal complaint because that is how the federal government can retain their jurisdiction. The constitution states that congress can pass laws and regulate interstate commerce. Therefore, when congress passed laws to criminalize kidnapping and murder, the congress had to cite how kidnapping and murder is connected to interstate commerce, thus giving congress (and the US government) jurisdiction over those type of cases.

That is my theory on why the criminal complaint keeps mentioning interstate commerce so much. If this is true, it means that because BC kidnapped YZ using tools of interstate commerce (i.e. cell phone, car, etc.), the murder charge could be brought in federal court.

Welcome Windy! Great first post. Thank you for your insight.

So if they find the body and charge him with murder this could still STAY in federal court? Do I understand this right?

 

[khaki]

I have been following along from the beginning as this tragic case caught my attention right away because I'm a graduate of this school. I really appreciate all the comments and photos and maps. Don't have much to add except to ask if anyone thinks there's a possibility they have electronic video evidence posted to some dark pay to view type site, hence the interstate commerce language?

 

[dizzychick]

Do Universities have incinerators?

 

[GigTu]

BC lived just down the way from the Illinois Central Railroad yard, and a few industrial locations. There's another gym or athletic store (Gill Athletics) just north of the 74, that has two ponds tight next to it. It wouldn't surprise me if she was located that close to his apartment.

 

[WindyJuris]

Welcome Windy! Great first post. Thank you for your insight.

So if they find the body and charge him with murder this could still STAY in federal court? Do I understand this right?

Thank you! And yes, it could stay in federal court. Will it? I have no idea. The defense would need a reason to get it removed from federal court to state court. I know defense counsel already cited the distance from Champaign-Urbana to where BC is being held as a possible barrier for their ability and legal right to adequately represent BC, but I do not see a court granting a motion to remove the case from federal to state court because of an hour drive. I would think that there would need to be something more there.

 

[roche.analisa]

BC lived just down the way from the Illinois Central Railroad yard, and a few industrial locations. There's another gym or athletic store (Gill Athletics) just north of the 74, that has two ponds tight next to it. It wouldn't surprise me if she was located that close to his apartment.

https://www.gillathletics.com/

Looks like manufacturing?

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[Chambana]

For the past few weeks everyday the news gazette (local newspaper) has been making a post “the search for Yingying Zhang day (20,21,22, 23 etc....) as of about 5-6 days ago, those posts have STOPPED. Not sure if that’s of any significance or not.

 

[crhedBngr]

Without being graphic, I think they (LE) have enough circumstantial evidence to declare her deceased.

I can't begin to imagine the anguish and pain her Family and Friends are feeling.

Hopefully, they will find her soon, if she still is missing.

:tears::tears::anguish:

 

[AnemoneBrown]

Are searches done only when there is a chance someone is still alive? I've read many posts here justifying the lack of organized searches based on a "belief" by LE that Yingying is no longer alive (a belief not even strong enough to charge B.C with murder at this time). I may be wrong but it seems to me searches are done to make a case stronger against the perp and to give family closure. As I said before, I am sure the family would appreciate having a hair strand back if that is all that is left of her. Am I way off here? What would a "belief" have to do with halting searches?

 

[TiffanyL_AS]

Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but I have a strong feeling that Yingying's remains have already been found.

Imo, I think if they had found her we'd be hearing about a murder charge tacked onto the kidnapping charge.


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[All4CompleteJustice]

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[Russian Blue]

Are searches done only when there is a chance someone is still alive? I've read many posts here justifying the lack of organized searches based on a "belief" by LE that Yingying is no longer alive (a belief not even strong enough to charge B.C with murder at this time). I may be wrong but it seems to me searches are done to make a case stronger against the perp and to give family closure. As I said before, I am sure the family would appreciate having a hair strand back if that is all that is left of her. Am I way off here? What would a "belief" have to do with halting searches?

No, I have seen many searches happening years later.