1
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<i> [ominous music]</i>

2
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

3
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<i> - She missed the bus</i>
<i> just by a second.</i>

4
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All of a sudden,
she disappears.

5
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<i> - She harbored this hope to</i>
<i> continue her doctoral studies</i>

6
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In the u.S.,
but then going back to china

7
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To be a leader
in her discipline

8
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Of environmental engineering.

9
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- Maybe this is a situation
where she was kidnapped.

10
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<i> Or she's just confused,</i>

11
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<i> Something happened</i>
<i> to her medically.</i>

12
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<i> - There was almost an exact</i>
<i> 1-minute conversation</i>

13
00:01:06,867 --> 00:01:10,169
Between the driver
of this vehicle and yingying.

14
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<i> [ominous music]</i>

15
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

16
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<i> [suspenseful music]</i>

17
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<i> - June 2017.</i>

18
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<i> 26-year-old yingying zhang is</i>
<i> boldly following her dreams.</i>

19
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<i> She's a visiting scholar</i>
<i> from china</i>

20
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<i> At the university of illinois,</i>

21
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<i> Conducting research</i>
<i> on crop production.</i>

22
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

23
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<i> - Yingying got here</i>
<i> in April of 2017.</i>

24
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I've got a picture of mom,
dad, and yingying

25
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<i> At the train station when</i>
<i> she got on the train at home</i>

26
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<i> To leave to come to illinois.</i>

27
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

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She was really, really
interested in crop production,

29
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And improving methods of crop
production back in china.

30
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<i> She's in her early 20s,</i>
<i> she's at school,</i>

31
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She's learning, she's happy.

32
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

33
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<i> - Before coming to america,</i>
<i> yingying grew up</i>

34
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<i> Over 7,000 miles away</i>
<i> in southeastern china.</i>

35
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<i> She's the oldest child in</i>
<i> a close-knit family of four.</i>

36
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<i> - Going to college,</i>

37
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<i> Moving from three hours away</i>
<i> from home was a lot.</i>

38
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I can't imagine what
it's like to move

39
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From a different country,

40
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<i> Trying to navigate life</i>
<i> that way.</i>

41
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<i> I know that she did</i>
<i> miss her family.</i>

42
00:03:03,083 --> 00:03:04,583
<i> She would call them often.</i>

43
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<i> And I know that they</i>
<i> missed her a lot too.</i>

44
00:03:06,486 --> 00:03:08,921
<i> [bright piano music]</i>

45
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<i> - ♪ tell me, why'd</i>
<i> you have to go and make ♪</i>

46
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<i> - She loved to sing,</i>
<i> and she was part</i>

47
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<i> Of a band called cute horse.</i>

48
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She is someone who is genuinely
very, very kind.

49
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She has a certain
innocence to her.

50
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She was very close to her--
to her parents,

51
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Especially to her mother.

52
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<i> - Ronggao was the father.</i>

53
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<i> He is a truck driver</i>
<i> back in china.</i>

54
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<i> Lifeng is the mom,</i>
<i> and she was in poor health</i>

55
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<i> And very fragile.</i>

56
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<i> Life was a struggle for them.</i>

57
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Yingying was
a dutiful daughter who

58
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Performed many of the
functions within the household.

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<i> - Coming from families</i>
<i> with limited means,</i>

60
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Academic excellence was
seen as the only way out.

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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

62
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She did her master's degree
at peking university's

63
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<i> Graduate school,</i>
<i> where she studied</i>

64
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<i> Environmental engineering.</i>

65
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Afterwards, she received
a researcher position

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At the chinese
academy of sciences.

67
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<i> Her monthly salary</i>
<i> was 4,000 yuan,</i>

68
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Which would probably be
about 700 u.S. Dollars.

69
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And she would use that
to supplement

70
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Her family's income.

71
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<i> [upbeat music]</i>

72
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<i> - Now, in 2017,</i>
<i> yingying accepts</i>

73
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<i> A one-year research position</i>
<i> as a visiting scholar</i>

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<i> At the university of illinois</i>
<i> in urbana-champaign.</i>

75
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<i> - Champaign-urbana is</i>
<i> a modest-sized community,</i>

76
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A small town in a lot of ways.

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<i> The students travel all</i>
<i> around town, ride bicycles.</i>

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It's very pastoral.

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And there are a significant
number of students,

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Undergrad and graduate,
from china.

81
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- Being able to go
to another country,

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Especially the united states,

83
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To pursue further studies,
especially

84
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Trained as a scientist, is--

85
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Is an affirmation
of personal excellence.

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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

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<i> - On June 9, 2017,</i>
<i> two months after she arrives</i>

88
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<i> In the united states,</i>
<i> yingying schedules</i>

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<i> A 2:00 p.M. Appointment</i>
<i> to tour a new apartment.</i>

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<i> - Yingying was excited</i>
<i> to be moving.</i>

91
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She was meeting one
of the leasing agents

92
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To tour it
and potentially sign.

93
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<i> - She has the opportunity</i>
<i> to move</i>

94
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To a new apartment
in north urbana,

95
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Which is north of campus.

96
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<i> And so she has to take the bus</i>
<i> to get down to central campus,</i>

97
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<i> Then she has to</i>
<i> get off that bus</i>

98
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<i> And catch another bus</i>
<i> that's going to take her</i>

99
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<i> North on lincoln</i>
<i> out of campus,</i>

100
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Where it's student housing.

101
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There's a significant
number of students.

102
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<i> [ominous music]</i>

103
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<i> - Five hours later,</i>
<i> at 7:00 p.M. That night,</i>

104
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<i> Yingying is supposed to</i>
<i> meet a group of her labmates</i>

105
00:06:03,831 --> 00:06:06,531
<i> For their regularly</i>
<i> scheduled meeting.</i>

106
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<i> She never arrives.</i>

107
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<i> They call and text,</i>
<i> but no one can reach her.</i>

108
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<i> - Yingying was always on time.</i>

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So her labmates thought
that was really weird,

110
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That she didn't show up,
because yingying would never

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<i> Not show up to anything</i>
<i> without notice.</i>

112
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- I was the head
of the department

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Yingying was associated with.

114
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<i> I was at the movies with</i>
<i> both my sons, and I got out,</i>

115
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<i> And I got a text</i>
<i> from the leader</i>

116
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Of the lab group saying, I
have a student that's missing.

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And then I gave
that person a call.

118
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And I just said,
have you called the police?

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<i> [tense music]</i>

120
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<i> - At 9:24 p.M.,</i>
<i> yingying's labmates</i>

121
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<i> Report her missing to the</i>
<i> university police department.</i>

122
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- This was unusual.

123
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I've never had anything
like that happen

124
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With a student gone missing.

125
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We were concerned about her.

126
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We wanted to know
what was going on.

127
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<i> - University police officers</i>
<i> check her apartment.</i>

128
00:07:12,332 --> 00:07:14,298
<i> She's not there.</i>

129
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<i> But they find cash,</i>
<i> important documents,</i>

130
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<i> And belongings, which tells</i>
<i> them she didn't go far.</i>

131
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<i> ♪ ♪</i>

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<i> While searching her apartment,</i>
<i> officers locate her diary.</i>

133
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<i> They skim through its pages</i>
<i> for clues to her whereabouts.</i>

134
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<i> - One of the last things that</i>
<i> she had written in it was,</i>

135
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<i> "life is too short</i>
<i> to be ordinary."</i>

136
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<i> I think about that almost,</i>
<i> like, weekly, if not daily.</i>

137
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<i> It just really</i>
<i> shows how she wanted</i>

138
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To continue living her life.

139
00:07:53,906 --> 00:07:56,040
I think it's just a really
heavy thing to hear,

140
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Especially being
the last entry there.

141
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<i> [somber music]</i>

142
00:08:00,180 --> 00:08:03,281
- That evening, university
of illinois police

143
00:08:03,349 --> 00:08:07,752
Make a difficult phone call
to yingying's family in china.

144
00:08:09,155 --> 00:08:12,224
<i> - The thought of</i>
<i> yingying leaving china</i>

145
00:08:12,292 --> 00:08:17,562
And coming to the united states
had to be scary to the family.

146
00:08:17,631 --> 00:08:20,899
<i> Then to have this happen,</i>
<i> they were devastated.</i>

147
00:08:20,967 --> 00:08:24,135
- I think the best word
I could use to describe

148
00:08:24,137 --> 00:08:27,005
What they were feeling
was horrified.

149
00:08:28,475 --> 00:08:32,811
<i> - On June 10th, the day after</i>
<i> yingying was last seen,</i>

150
00:08:32,879 --> 00:08:35,914
<i> University police begin</i>
<i> working the case</i>

151
00:08:35,982 --> 00:08:39,651
<i> As a missing persons</i>
<i> investigation.</i>

152
00:08:39,719 --> 00:08:41,586
<i> - The university</i>
<i> police department</i>

153
00:08:41,655 --> 00:08:47,058
Went to all the hangout places
where students congregated.

154
00:08:47,127 --> 00:08:51,496
<i> They searched tirelessly over</i>
<i> that weekend for yingying.</i>

155
00:08:51,564 --> 00:08:52,564
<i> [tense music]</i>

156
00:08:52,966 --> 00:08:56,968
<i> - I worked at the school</i>
<i> newspaper, "the daily illini."</i>

157
00:08:57,037 --> 00:08:58,903
<i> I think this was</i>
<i> such a big case,</i>

158
00:08:58,905 --> 00:09:01,039
And I was just interested
in it in that way,

159
00:09:01,107 --> 00:09:02,674
As a student journalist,
both of us

160
00:09:02,742 --> 00:09:05,877
<i> Being new to the university.</i>

161
00:09:05,945 --> 00:09:08,312
It just struck me
on a personal level.

162
00:09:08,381 --> 00:09:09,914
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

163
00:09:09,983 --> 00:09:13,284
<i> - The city of champaign--</i>
<i> it's a smaller city.</i>

164
00:09:13,353 --> 00:09:15,787
There was such a
tremendous outpouring

165
00:09:15,855 --> 00:09:19,290
Of support of yingying's
family, to find yingying.

166
00:09:20,394 --> 00:09:24,262
<i> - Missing posters for yingying</i>
<i> were posted on every corner.</i>

167
00:09:24,331 --> 00:09:26,798
People who were on campus
were basically

168
00:09:26,866 --> 00:09:28,532
Surrounded by these posters,

169
00:09:28,602 --> 00:09:30,468
And her picture was everywhere.

170
00:09:30,537 --> 00:09:32,170
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

171
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- I was on the faculty at

172
00:09:33,806 --> 00:09:35,073
The university of illinois
college of law.

173
00:09:35,141 --> 00:09:36,941
I had a graduate course
where I would

174
00:09:37,010 --> 00:09:42,213
Teach international students
the american trial system.

175
00:09:42,282 --> 00:09:45,216
<i> It was devastating to us,</i>
<i> the thought that</i>

176
00:09:45,285 --> 00:09:48,386
<i> Something like this</i>
<i> could happen on our campus</i>

177
00:09:48,455 --> 00:09:50,321
With one of our students.

178
00:09:50,390 --> 00:09:51,889
This is crazy!

179
00:09:51,958 --> 00:09:53,091
This is crazy.

180
00:09:53,159 --> 00:09:57,228
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

181
00:09:57,297 --> 00:10:00,332
<i> - The search for</i>
<i> yingying intensifies.</i>

182
00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:02,901
- We received a lot
of surveillance footage,

183
00:10:02,969 --> 00:10:07,038
And we were able to trace
yingying's entire route.

184
00:10:07,107 --> 00:10:10,141
<i> - The investigation</i>
<i> takes a dark turn.</i>

185
00:10:10,210 --> 00:10:12,376
<i> - Another university</i>
<i> student said</i>

186
00:10:12,446 --> 00:10:15,914
She was approached by a strange
individual who presented

187
00:10:15,982 --> 00:10:18,582
<i> Himself as an undercover</i>
<i> police officer</i>

188
00:10:18,584 --> 00:10:21,219
<i> And wanted her</i>
<i> to get into the car.</i>

189
00:10:21,287 --> 00:10:24,488
<i> - And a community fears</i>
<i> the worst.</i>

190
00:10:24,558 --> 00:10:27,691
- Once it's clear that
she got in that car,

191
00:10:27,693 --> 00:10:29,327
Now it's kidnapping.

192
00:10:33,665 --> 00:10:36,500
<i> [ominous music]</i>

193
00:10:36,570 --> 00:10:40,371
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

194
00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,406
<i> - Monday, June 12th.</i>

195
00:10:42,475 --> 00:10:45,376
<i> Two days after yingying zhang</i>
<i> was last seen</i>

196
00:10:45,378 --> 00:10:47,178
<i> At the university</i>
<i> of illinois,</i>

197
00:10:47,247 --> 00:10:49,414
<i> Word spreads of</i>
<i> her disappearance,</i>

198
00:10:49,482 --> 00:10:52,984
<i> Shaking the</i>
<i> quiet college community.</i>

199
00:10:54,488 --> 00:10:57,989
<i> - Police were all around,</i>
<i> looking for her.</i>

200
00:10:58,058 --> 00:11:02,527
And students who were still on
campus were extremely scared.

201
00:11:03,397 --> 00:11:07,531
<i> - That fear increases as more</i>
<i> details of the investigation</i>

202
00:11:07,601 --> 00:11:09,367
<i> Become known.</i>

203
00:11:09,436 --> 00:11:11,769
<i> University police reveal that</i>
<i> a check</i>

204
00:11:11,838 --> 00:11:13,805
<i> Of yingying's cell phone</i>
<i> records show</i>

205
00:11:13,873 --> 00:11:17,075
<i> The last text she sent was</i>
<i> on the afternoon of June 9th,</i>

206
00:11:17,143 --> 00:11:20,211
<i> To the leasing agent</i>
<i> for her new apartment.</i>

207
00:11:21,747 --> 00:11:24,782
- At 1:39 p.M., yingying sends
a text saying she would

208
00:11:24,851 --> 00:11:27,051
<i> Be about 30 minutes late.</i>

209
00:11:27,053 --> 00:11:28,786
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

210
00:11:28,855 --> 00:11:31,856
<i> And she ends up</i>
<i> never showing up.</i>

211
00:11:31,924 --> 00:11:36,560
<i> At 2:38 p.M., he checks in</i>
<i> again, seeing where she's at.</i>

212
00:11:36,562 --> 00:11:38,763
<i> But there is no answer.</i>

213
00:11:38,832 --> 00:11:41,065
There's no more texts
between them.

214
00:11:41,067 --> 00:11:44,803
And the last communication
anybody had with yingying

215
00:11:44,805 --> 00:11:47,138
Was with that leasing agent.

216
00:11:47,207 --> 00:11:50,341
- All of a sudden,
the communication stops.

217
00:11:50,343 --> 00:11:51,476
She's just gone.

218
00:11:53,980 --> 00:11:55,747
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

219
00:11:55,815 --> 00:11:59,417
<i> - Three days into the search,</i>
<i> university police reach out</i>

220
00:11:59,486 --> 00:12:02,019
<i> To the fbi for help.</i>

221
00:12:02,088 --> 00:12:04,655
- They had been working
almost nonstop

222
00:12:04,724 --> 00:12:06,458
For the last several days,

223
00:12:06,526 --> 00:12:11,062
And were in some ways exhausted
and in other ways

224
00:12:11,131 --> 00:12:13,597
<i> Just kind of needing</i>
<i> some more resources.</i>

225
00:12:13,599 --> 00:12:16,467
<i> So when they called,</i>
<i> our entire office</i>

226
00:12:16,536 --> 00:12:19,337
<i> Showed up to help them with</i>
<i> what they had on their hands.</i>

227
00:12:19,405 --> 00:12:22,206
<i> [tense music]</i>

228
00:12:22,208 --> 00:12:24,676
<i> - The first move</i>
<i> for fbi agents is</i>

229
00:12:24,744 --> 00:12:26,711
<i> To retrace yingying's steps.</i>

230
00:12:26,779 --> 00:12:28,880
<i> They know on the day</i>
<i> she went missing,</i>

231
00:12:28,948 --> 00:12:32,883
<i> She had an appointment to tour</i>
<i> an apartment north of campus.</i>

232
00:12:32,953 --> 00:12:34,786
<i> Based on her cell data,</i>

233
00:12:34,854 --> 00:12:37,288
<i> They also know</i>
<i> she took the bus.</i>

234
00:12:38,625 --> 00:12:41,092
<i> - She's going to come</i>
<i> to main campus on a bus,</i>

235
00:12:41,161 --> 00:12:42,861
Because she doesn't have a car.

236
00:12:42,863 --> 00:12:46,330
She's going to use
public transportation.

237
00:12:46,399 --> 00:12:48,767
- We received a lot
of surveillance footage

238
00:12:48,835 --> 00:12:50,501
From the metro system.

239
00:12:50,570 --> 00:12:54,472
The buses had a lot of cameras,
and from those cameras,

240
00:12:54,541 --> 00:12:58,443
We were actually able to
trace yingying's entire route.

241
00:13:00,746 --> 00:13:03,114
<i> - Federal agents scan</i>
<i> through the mountain</i>

242
00:13:03,183 --> 00:13:05,717
<i> Of digital footage</i>
<i> from June 9th,</i>

243
00:13:05,785 --> 00:13:07,519
<i> The day yingying went missing.</i>

244
00:13:07,587 --> 00:13:09,521
<i> They get their</i>
<i> first glimpse of her</i>

245
00:13:09,589 --> 00:13:15,126
<i> When they identify yingying</i>
<i> boarding a bus at 1:35 p.M.</i>

246
00:13:16,228 --> 00:13:19,597
- You see yingying get on
the bus from her apartment.

247
00:13:19,665 --> 00:13:24,402
She smiles at the bus driver
as she shows her bus ticket.

248
00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:27,905
<i> - The surveillance video</i>
<i> shows yingying exiting the bus</i>

249
00:13:27,974 --> 00:13:31,475
<i> 17 minutes later, at 1:52 p.M.</i>

250
00:13:31,477 --> 00:13:34,812
<i> Then she walks down the</i>
<i> street toward another stop</i>

251
00:13:34,881 --> 00:13:37,448
<i> To transfer to another bus.</i>

252
00:13:37,517 --> 00:13:40,718
- The security camera
that caught yingying,

253
00:13:40,787 --> 00:13:45,022
<i> You can see yingying</i>
<i> trying to catch the next bus.</i>

254
00:13:45,091 --> 00:13:47,958
I think she missed it
by a few seconds.

255
00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:50,728
<i> And then you can kind of see</i>
<i> her in the footage sort of,</i>

256
00:13:50,797 --> 00:13:53,030
<i> Like, giving up and</i>
<i> letting the bus go,</i>

257
00:13:53,099 --> 00:13:55,599
And probably trying to
figure out what to do next.

258
00:13:55,669 --> 00:13:59,703
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

259
00:13:59,773 --> 00:14:02,640
<i> - Investigators scour</i>
<i> these images of yingying</i>

260
00:14:02,708 --> 00:14:05,176
<i> For any clues,</i>
<i> and they see something</i>

261
00:14:05,245 --> 00:14:07,645
<i> That piques their interest.</i>

262
00:14:07,713 --> 00:14:09,914
<i> As yingying waits</i>
<i> for another bus,</i>

263
00:14:09,983 --> 00:14:15,186
<i> A black four-door vehicle</i>
<i> drives up to her and stops.</i>

264
00:14:15,254 --> 00:14:19,457
- There was almost an exact
one-minute conversation

265
00:14:19,525 --> 00:14:23,060
Between the driver of
this vehicle and yingying,

266
00:14:23,129 --> 00:14:25,863
After which she gets
into the passenger seat

267
00:14:25,931 --> 00:14:30,134
<i> And that vehicle proceeds</i>
<i> to travel off camera.</i>

268
00:14:30,202 --> 00:14:32,736
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

269
00:14:32,738 --> 00:14:35,339
<i> - Once it's clear that</i>
<i> she got in that car,</i>

270
00:14:35,408 --> 00:14:37,876
Now it's
a potential kidnapping.

271
00:14:40,279 --> 00:14:41,579
<i> [tense music]</i>

272
00:14:41,648 --> 00:14:44,515
<i> - With the case now</i>
<i> potentially a kidnapping,</i>

273
00:14:44,517 --> 00:14:47,418
<i> Concern about</i>
<i> yingying's safety grows.</i>

274
00:14:49,188 --> 00:14:51,789
<i> Using the extensive</i>
<i> surveillance camera system</i>

275
00:14:51,858 --> 00:14:55,493
<i> In the university area,</i>
<i> fbi analysts determine</i>

276
00:14:55,561 --> 00:14:59,930
<i> The vehicle is a black</i>
<i> four-door saturn astra sedan.</i>

277
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:01,766
- It had only been manufactured

278
00:15:01,834 --> 00:15:03,234
For a very short period
of time.

279
00:15:03,303 --> 00:15:06,371
<i> It was identifiable.</i>

280
00:15:06,439 --> 00:15:09,106
<i> - But they can't read</i>
<i> the license plate.</i>

281
00:15:09,175 --> 00:15:11,209
<i> - Everyone within the fbi</i>

282
00:15:11,277 --> 00:15:13,411
And the university police
department was

283
00:15:13,479 --> 00:15:15,413
Trying desperately to identify

284
00:15:15,481 --> 00:15:17,315
The license plate
on that vehicle,

285
00:15:17,383 --> 00:15:20,918
Or some other mark that can
make it highly identifiable,

286
00:15:20,987 --> 00:15:23,421
So that way we could find it.

287
00:15:23,423 --> 00:15:26,824
The vehicle proceeds off
of the university grounds,

288
00:15:26,892 --> 00:15:28,659
Off of their campuses,

289
00:15:28,728 --> 00:15:31,295
<i> And goes into</i>
<i> a more residential area.</i>

290
00:15:31,364 --> 00:15:35,666
<i> And we lose a lot of the</i>
<i> surveillance at that point.</i>

291
00:15:35,668 --> 00:15:38,902
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

292
00:15:38,904 --> 00:15:42,440
<i> - Then a report comes in</i>
<i> about a concerning incident</i>

293
00:15:42,508 --> 00:15:46,710
<i> On campus on the same day</i>
<i> yingying disappeared.</i>

294
00:15:46,780 --> 00:15:49,580
- The university police
department actually

295
00:15:49,582 --> 00:15:52,784
Received a call from another
university student,

296
00:15:52,852 --> 00:15:55,586
<i> Emily hogan,</i>
<i> who said she was approached</i>

297
00:15:55,655 --> 00:16:01,092
<i> By a strange individual</i>
<i> in a black vehicle on the 9th.</i>

298
00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:03,027
<i> We called her that night,</i>

299
00:16:03,096 --> 00:16:04,695
<i> And she came in</i>
<i> and spoke with us</i>

300
00:16:04,764 --> 00:16:08,666
<i> And told us all</i>
<i> about her experience.</i>

301
00:16:08,735 --> 00:16:12,103
<i> She said this individual</i>
<i> presented himself</i>

302
00:16:12,171 --> 00:16:14,171
<i> As an undercover</i>
<i> police officer</i>

303
00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:16,774
<i> And wanted her to get</i>
<i> into the car.</i>

304
00:16:16,843 --> 00:16:21,779
<i> She declined and immediately</i>
<i> called the police.</i>

305
00:16:22,515 --> 00:16:25,383
<i> - The fbi believes it</i>
<i> could be the same car</i>

306
00:16:25,451 --> 00:16:27,851
<i> Yingying is seen getting into.</i>

307
00:16:27,921 --> 00:16:31,755
- I think yingying was
understandably really stressed

308
00:16:31,824 --> 00:16:33,624
With everything
that was going on,

309
00:16:33,693 --> 00:16:38,262
And was put in that situation
on a seemingly safe campus.

310
00:16:38,331 --> 00:16:40,631
So it makes sense that
she would have trusted him

311
00:16:40,700 --> 00:16:43,100
<i> And gotten into the car.</i>

312
00:16:43,169 --> 00:16:45,369
- We didn't know whether
other people were

313
00:16:45,371 --> 00:16:46,670
At risk or not,

314
00:16:46,739 --> 00:16:48,439
<i> Whether that person</i>
<i> could be out there,</i>

315
00:16:48,508 --> 00:16:50,375
And it might happen again.

316
00:16:55,614 --> 00:16:58,315
<i> [ominous music]</i>

317
00:16:58,384 --> 00:17:03,621
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

318
00:17:03,689 --> 00:17:06,357
<i> - Four days after</i>
<i> yingying zhang vanishes</i>

319
00:17:06,426 --> 00:17:09,527
<i> From the university</i>
<i> of illinois campus,</i>

320
00:17:09,595 --> 00:17:12,095
<i> The fbi is searching</i>
<i> for the black car</i>

321
00:17:12,097 --> 00:17:16,334
<i> She's seen entering</i>
<i> on surveillance video.</i>

322
00:17:16,402 --> 00:17:19,770
<i> Agents believe the same</i>
<i> saturn astra approached</i>

323
00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:24,108
<i> Another young woman earlier on</i>
<i> the day yingying disappeared,</i>

324
00:17:24,176 --> 00:17:27,811
<i> And the driver tried to</i>
<i> coerce her into the vehicle.</i>

325
00:17:27,881 --> 00:17:33,317
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

326
00:17:33,386 --> 00:17:37,555
- They turned to automobile
registration records

327
00:17:37,623 --> 00:17:41,124
For champaign county and
the surrounding counties.

328
00:17:41,126 --> 00:17:43,761
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

329
00:17:43,829 --> 00:17:46,263
<i> - Agents discover</i>
<i> there are only nine</i>

330
00:17:46,332 --> 00:17:48,799
<i> Four-door saturn astras</i>
<i> registered</i>

331
00:17:48,868 --> 00:17:50,668
<i> In champaign county.</i>

332
00:17:50,736 --> 00:17:52,703
<i> - On the 12th,</i>
<i> our canvass teams</i>

333
00:17:52,705 --> 00:17:56,007
Went and attempted to make
contact with every owner

334
00:17:56,075 --> 00:17:57,575
Of a saturn astra.

335
00:17:57,643 --> 00:18:00,678
<i> - Investigators track down</i>
<i> and clear all nine</i>

336
00:18:00,746 --> 00:18:03,747
<i> Potential suspects one by one.</i>

337
00:18:03,749 --> 00:18:06,650
- There was nothing specific,
at that moment,

338
00:18:06,719 --> 00:18:10,754
That would have raised
any additional suspicion.

339
00:18:11,557 --> 00:18:14,826
<i> - Hoping to find something that</i>
<i> can help focus their search,</i>

340
00:18:14,894 --> 00:18:17,628
<i> Something they might</i>
<i> have missed earlier,</i>

341
00:18:17,697 --> 00:18:21,399
<i> Investigators return</i>
<i> to the surveillance footage.</i>

342
00:18:23,302 --> 00:18:25,603
<i> [ominous music]</i>

343
00:18:25,671 --> 00:18:29,240
<i> Finally, something</i>
<i> catches their eye.</i>

344
00:18:29,308 --> 00:18:35,446
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

345
00:18:35,515 --> 00:18:39,983
<i> - Somebody noticed that</i>
<i> the hubcap was cracked.</i>

346
00:18:40,053 --> 00:18:42,753
It had a piece missing.

347
00:18:42,822 --> 00:18:45,256
<i> And in zooming in,</i>
<i> you could also</i>

348
00:18:45,324 --> 00:18:48,259
<i> See the vehicle had a sunroof.</i>

349
00:18:50,329 --> 00:18:53,731
<i> - One of the fbi agents who</i>
<i> spoke to the astra owners</i>

350
00:18:53,799 --> 00:18:56,600
<i> In champaign county</i>
<i> recalls seeing only</i>

351
00:18:56,669 --> 00:18:59,470
<i> One astra that had a sunroof.</i>

352
00:19:00,806 --> 00:19:03,140
<i> He cross-references his list.</i>

353
00:19:03,208 --> 00:19:07,344
<i> It belongs to 27-year-old</i>
<i> brendt christensen.</i>

354
00:19:07,413 --> 00:19:10,448
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

355
00:19:10,516 --> 00:19:12,916
<i> - Brendt christensen was</i>
<i> a grad student</i>

356
00:19:12,986 --> 00:19:16,219
<i> In the physics department,</i>
<i> a ta.</i>

357
00:19:16,221 --> 00:19:20,424
He was teaching other students
and earning his own degree

358
00:19:20,493 --> 00:19:22,760
At the same time.

359
00:19:22,828 --> 00:19:26,029
<i> Generally pretty quiet,</i>
<i> and kept to himself.</i>

360
00:19:26,099 --> 00:19:28,031
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

361
00:19:28,101 --> 00:19:31,135
<i> - Agents review the statement</i>
<i> brendt christensen made</i>

362
00:19:31,203 --> 00:19:34,672
<i> When they first asked him about</i>
<i> the day yingying went missing.</i>

363
00:19:34,740 --> 00:19:38,175
- He said he was home
that day, was sleeping,

364
00:19:38,243 --> 00:19:39,577
His wife was out of town.

365
00:19:39,645 --> 00:19:41,745
<i> He was playing video games.</i>

366
00:19:41,747 --> 00:19:44,648
<i> And there was</i>
<i> nothing suspicious</i>

367
00:19:44,650 --> 00:19:47,852
At that time that would put
any more attention on him.

368
00:19:50,055 --> 00:19:53,324
<i> [suspenseful music]</i>

369
00:19:53,392 --> 00:19:56,027
<i> - Officers go back</i>
<i> out to the apartment</i>

370
00:19:56,095 --> 00:19:57,328
Where christensen lives,

371
00:19:57,396 --> 00:19:59,062
And the car is parked
in the parking lot.

372
00:19:59,132 --> 00:20:01,599
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

373
00:20:01,667 --> 00:20:03,701
- They looked at that hubcap,

374
00:20:03,769 --> 00:20:08,071
And it had
the exact same break,

375
00:20:08,073 --> 00:20:11,875
<i> The exact damage that was</i>
<i> in that surveillance footage.</i>

376
00:20:11,877 --> 00:20:16,881
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

377
00:20:16,949 --> 00:20:18,916
<i> - Investigators believe</i>
<i> they've found</i>

378
00:20:18,984 --> 00:20:22,653
<i> The car seen with yingying</i>
<i> in the surveillance video.</i>

379
00:20:23,990 --> 00:20:27,524
<i> It's a major discovery,</i>
<i> but they want to confirm</i>

380
00:20:27,593 --> 00:20:30,194
<i> It was brendt christensen</i>
<i> behind the wheel</i>

381
00:20:30,262 --> 00:20:31,662
<i> Before they confront him.</i>

382
00:20:33,332 --> 00:20:37,268
<i> They reach out to emily hogan,</i>
<i> the woman who reported</i>

383
00:20:37,336 --> 00:20:41,005
<i> That a man in a black car</i>
<i> approached her the same day</i>

384
00:20:41,073 --> 00:20:44,542
<i> Yingying was abducted.</i>

385
00:20:44,610 --> 00:20:49,547
- We presented her
with a lineup of individuals.

386
00:20:51,017 --> 00:20:54,952
<i> She went through those pictures</i>

387
00:20:55,021 --> 00:20:59,690
<i> And immediately identified</i>
<i> christensen</i>

388
00:20:59,759 --> 00:21:04,227
As the person who was driving
that vehicle on that morning.

389
00:21:04,229 --> 00:21:09,233
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

390
00:21:09,302 --> 00:21:12,836
<i> Emily hogan's experience,</i>

391
00:21:12,905 --> 00:21:15,406
Her identification
of christensen,

392
00:21:15,474 --> 00:21:18,576
<i> Showed that he was</i>
<i> in some ways hunting</i>

393
00:21:18,644 --> 00:21:21,779
<i> To try to find a victim.</i>

394
00:21:21,847 --> 00:21:24,648
<i> Based on the information</i>
<i> we had,</i>

395
00:21:24,650 --> 00:21:28,185
Were very confident that
christensen had, in fact,

396
00:21:28,253 --> 00:21:30,087
Kidnapped yingying.

397
00:21:30,155 --> 00:21:34,292
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

398
00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:38,161
<i> - Armed with emily's positive</i>
<i> id of brendt christensen,</i>

399
00:21:38,231 --> 00:21:41,064
<i> Agent manganaro races</i>
<i> to his house</i>

400
00:21:41,134 --> 00:21:44,302
<i> And brings him in</i>
<i> for questioning.</i>

401
00:22:18,737 --> 00:22:21,839
<i> [tense music]</i>

402
00:22:40,025 --> 00:22:42,693
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

403
00:22:47,066 --> 00:22:53,871
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

404
00:23:05,184 --> 00:23:10,521
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

405
00:23:14,093 --> 00:23:15,559
- Okay.

406
00:24:09,615 --> 00:24:12,783
<i> - My impression</i>
<i> of christensen was that</i>

407
00:24:12,851 --> 00:24:16,887
He was capable of manipulation.

408
00:24:16,956 --> 00:24:20,924
<i> We knew that something</i>
<i> terrible had happened,</i>

409
00:24:20,926 --> 00:24:23,226
And there was
a lot of pressure.

410
00:24:23,295 --> 00:24:25,796
We were operating
under the hope that

411
00:24:25,864 --> 00:24:29,066
She was still alive, maybe
being held against her will

412
00:24:29,134 --> 00:24:31,969
By christensen at
an unknown location.

413
00:24:49,354 --> 00:24:51,155
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

414
00:24:54,792 --> 00:24:57,194
<i> [ominous music]</i>

415
00:24:58,363 --> 00:25:00,564
<i> [suspenseful music]</i>

416
00:25:00,632 --> 00:25:01,832
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

417
00:25:08,874 --> 00:25:10,641
<i> - Six days after</i>
<i> the disappearance</i>

418
00:25:10,709 --> 00:25:12,509
<i> Of yingying zhang,</i>

419
00:25:12,577 --> 00:25:16,647
<i> Brendt christensen admits to</i>
<i> giving her a ride on June 9th,</i>

420
00:25:16,715 --> 00:25:21,251
<i> But insists he dropped her off</i>
<i> and hasn't seen her since.</i>

421
00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:23,521
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

422
00:25:27,526 --> 00:25:32,495
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

423
00:25:32,497 --> 00:25:34,665
<i> - Investigators put</i>
<i> their suspect</i>

424
00:25:34,733 --> 00:25:38,101
<i> On a 24-hour</i>
<i> investigative hold.</i>

425
00:25:38,970 --> 00:25:42,139
<i> - I immediately set out</i>
<i> to write a search warrant</i>

426
00:25:42,207 --> 00:25:46,209
And met the magistrate judge
that night,

427
00:25:46,211 --> 00:25:49,947
While other agents were keeping
an eye on the vehicle,

428
00:25:50,015 --> 00:25:53,416
And got that search warrant
signed to go seize it.

429
00:25:53,486 --> 00:25:55,218
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

430
00:25:55,220 --> 00:25:58,221
<i> - Fbi agents inspect</i>
<i> brendt's saturn astra,</i>

431
00:25:58,223 --> 00:26:00,924
<i> But they find no</i>
<i> physical evidence linking</i>

432
00:26:00,926 --> 00:26:03,193
<i> Yingying to the vehicle.</i>

433
00:26:05,130 --> 00:26:07,564
<i> The fbi is confident</i>
<i> they have the right man,</i>

434
00:26:07,632 --> 00:26:10,568
<i> But they can't hold him</i>
<i> without evidence.</i>

435
00:26:11,637 --> 00:26:14,704
- They decide to release him
and keep track of him,

436
00:26:14,774 --> 00:26:16,907
Put him under surveillance.

437
00:26:18,744 --> 00:26:21,545
<i> - We had 24-hour</i>
<i> surveillance on him,</i>

438
00:26:21,613 --> 00:26:23,647
<i> Gps trackers on the car.</i>

439
00:26:23,715 --> 00:26:26,349
We had aerial assets
circling above,

440
00:26:26,419 --> 00:26:30,353
Hoping that he might lead us
to where she was at

441
00:26:30,423 --> 00:26:34,791
<i> Or give us some clue</i>
<i> of a location to search.</i>

442
00:26:34,860 --> 00:26:37,560
<i> [ominous music]</i>

443
00:26:37,630 --> 00:26:38,729
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

444
00:26:38,797 --> 00:26:41,999
<i> - It was a really scary time.</i>

445
00:26:42,067 --> 00:26:45,102
The investigation was ongoing,
and nobody really knew

446
00:26:45,170 --> 00:26:47,504
What had happened to yingying.

447
00:26:47,573 --> 00:26:52,343
<i> This was genuinely a</i>
<i> really scary experience</i>

448
00:26:52,411 --> 00:26:54,477
<i> For the whole</i>
<i> college community.</i>

449
00:26:54,547 --> 00:26:56,046
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

450
00:26:56,115 --> 00:26:58,815
<i> - Fbi surveillance teams</i>
<i> continue tracking</i>

451
00:26:58,884 --> 00:27:01,452
<i> Brendt christensen</i>
<i> for several days,</i>

452
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,887
<i> But without any luck.</i>

453
00:27:03,956 --> 00:27:07,124
- At that same time,
some of the other agents

454
00:27:07,192 --> 00:27:10,093
Met with his wife and had
a voluntary interview

455
00:27:10,095 --> 00:27:11,962
With her at her residence.

456
00:27:13,465 --> 00:27:15,598
<i> - Investigators</i>
<i> learned their marriage</i>

457
00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,235
<i> Is anything but ordinary.</i>

458
00:27:18,303 --> 00:27:23,206
- Christensen and his wife
had an open relationship.

459
00:27:23,275 --> 00:27:25,242
They each had a--

460
00:27:25,310 --> 00:27:27,811
Another girlfriend
or boyfriend on the side.

461
00:27:29,214 --> 00:27:31,614
<i> - Brendt met his girlfriend,</i>
<i> terra bullis,</i>

462
00:27:31,684 --> 00:27:34,651
<i> On a dating site in 2017.</i>

463
00:27:34,719 --> 00:27:38,855
<i> - Christensen and terra</i>
<i> were involved in, like,</i>

464
00:27:38,924 --> 00:27:44,027
A domineering/submissive
type relationship.

465
00:27:44,029 --> 00:27:47,264
<i> From terra's perspective,</i>
<i> it was mutual</i>

466
00:27:47,332 --> 00:27:51,368
<i> And she still maintained</i>
<i> a great deal of control.</i>

467
00:27:51,437 --> 00:27:53,570
<i> When we went</i>
<i> and talked to terra,</i>

468
00:27:53,638 --> 00:27:58,275
<i> She was very open about</i>
<i> their relationship,</i>

469
00:27:58,343 --> 00:28:02,980
Was very concerned about the
missing student, yingying,

470
00:28:03,048 --> 00:28:07,450
<i> And agreed to help us</i>
<i> find out what was going on</i>

471
00:28:07,519 --> 00:28:11,054
<i> And if christensen</i>
<i> had any involvement.</i>

472
00:28:11,056 --> 00:28:13,556
<i> So terra agreed</i>
<i> to wear a wire for us</i>

473
00:28:13,626 --> 00:28:16,894
<i> And record the conversations</i>
<i> that she had with him.</i>

474
00:28:16,962 --> 00:28:19,329
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

475
00:28:19,398 --> 00:28:23,266
In all of these scenarios,
it can be a risk.

476
00:28:23,335 --> 00:28:27,337
We don't know if the person
we're asking to help us

477
00:28:27,339 --> 00:28:31,574
<i> Is going to turn around</i>
<i> and then tell christensen</i>

478
00:28:31,644 --> 00:28:34,444
<i> Everything that we just</i>
<i> talked to them about.</i>

479
00:28:34,513 --> 00:28:36,079
We don't know.

480
00:28:36,081 --> 00:28:39,182
But in this instance, we
really needed to find yingying.

481
00:28:39,184 --> 00:28:42,919
And so that risk was
very worth it.

482
00:28:42,988 --> 00:28:47,190
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

483
00:28:47,192 --> 00:28:48,758
<i> - You have agents</i>
<i> watching him.</i>

484
00:28:48,828 --> 00:28:50,427
<i> You have agents watching her.</i>

485
00:28:50,495 --> 00:28:52,495
And you know, the risky thing,
I think,

486
00:28:52,564 --> 00:28:57,734
For the fbi is that if he
discovers that wire, he--

487
00:28:57,803 --> 00:28:59,436
He could harm her.

488
00:28:59,505 --> 00:29:01,704
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

489
00:29:01,706 --> 00:29:03,306
<i> - While this was going on,</i>

490
00:29:03,308 --> 00:29:06,076
We also had
massive efforts underway,

491
00:29:06,145 --> 00:29:10,613
<i> Searching fields,</i>
<i> searching dumpsters,</i>

492
00:29:10,683 --> 00:29:13,316
<i> Searching parks,</i>

493
00:29:13,385 --> 00:29:15,885
Looking for anything
that might give

494
00:29:15,887 --> 00:29:19,890
<i> Some sort of indication</i>
<i> as to where yingying was.</i>

495
00:29:21,493 --> 00:29:23,360
<i> [somber music]</i>

496
00:29:23,428 --> 00:29:25,028
<i> - The family has this hope.</i>

497
00:29:25,097 --> 00:29:26,763
They want her to be alive.

498
00:29:26,832 --> 00:29:30,567
And so if you have that hope,
then she's going to be alive.

499
00:29:30,635 --> 00:29:33,737
In your own thinking,
she's going to be alive.

500
00:29:33,805 --> 00:29:37,407
<i> And so the chinese community,</i>
<i> the family,</i>

501
00:29:37,476 --> 00:29:40,076
<i> And the local community</i>
<i> are going to have</i>

502
00:29:40,145 --> 00:29:43,012
A March in support
of the search for yingying.

503
00:29:43,014 --> 00:29:44,814
All: [chanting]
let's find yingying.

504
00:29:44,884 --> 00:29:46,717
Let's find yingying.

505
00:29:46,785 --> 00:29:49,086
Let's find yingying.

506
00:29:49,154 --> 00:29:51,922
- The March for yingying
brought a lot of people

507
00:29:51,990 --> 00:29:54,524
In the community together
and out to kind of

508
00:29:54,593 --> 00:29:58,929
Commemorate her,
and it was really emotional.

509
00:29:58,997 --> 00:30:01,064
All: [chanting]
let's find yingying.

510
00:30:01,066 --> 00:30:02,633
Let's find yingying.

511
00:30:02,701 --> 00:30:04,835
<i> - The March for yingying</i>
<i> takes place</i>

512
00:30:04,903 --> 00:30:09,038
<i> On the university of illinois</i>
<i> campus on June 29th,</i>

513
00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,942
<i> 20 days after</i>
<i> she was last seen.</i>

514
00:30:12,944 --> 00:30:14,678
All: [chanting]
let's find yingying.

515
00:30:14,746 --> 00:30:16,280
Let's find yingying.

516
00:30:16,348 --> 00:30:19,216
- Brendt christensen
decides he's going

517
00:30:19,284 --> 00:30:21,718
<i> To participate in that March.</i>

518
00:30:22,888 --> 00:30:28,258
- Christensen ordered terra
to attend that event with him.

519
00:30:32,431 --> 00:30:36,433
<i> She agreed and, as she had done</i>
<i> in her past interactions</i>

520
00:30:36,501 --> 00:30:40,370
<i> With him,</i>
<i> wore a wire to that event.</i>

521
00:30:55,420 --> 00:30:58,054
- At the event,
christensen started making

522
00:30:58,123 --> 00:31:01,391
Disclosures to her,

523
00:31:01,460 --> 00:31:05,629
<i> That if the people</i>
<i> at the event knew who he was</i>

524
00:31:05,697 --> 00:31:08,866
<i> And what he had done,</i>
<i> they would flee in terror.</i>

525
00:31:35,759 --> 00:31:38,561
<i> [ominous music]</i>

526
00:31:38,563 --> 00:31:39,296
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

527
00:31:39,364 --> 00:31:41,264
All: [chanting]
let's find yingying.

528
00:31:41,333 --> 00:31:43,233
Let's find yingying.

529
00:31:43,235 --> 00:31:44,968
Let's find yingying.

530
00:31:45,037 --> 00:31:48,271
<i> - June 29, 2017.</i>

531
00:31:48,273 --> 00:31:50,240
<i> 20 days into the search</i>

532
00:31:50,309 --> 00:31:53,142
<i> For missing college student</i>
<i> yingying zhang,</i>

533
00:31:53,212 --> 00:31:55,145
<i> Students at</i>
<i> the university of illinois</i>

534
00:31:55,213 --> 00:31:57,414
<i> Hold a March to support her.</i>

535
00:31:59,317 --> 00:32:02,252
<i> The marchers include</i>
<i> brendt christensen,</i>

536
00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,788
<i> The prime suspect</i>
<i> in her disappearance.</i>

537
00:32:05,858 --> 00:32:09,926
<i> He doesn't know his girlfriend</i>
<i> is wearing a wire for the fbi.</i>

538
00:32:09,995 --> 00:32:12,262
<i> [tense music]</i>

539
00:32:23,174 --> 00:32:25,742
- They're walking
through champaign,

540
00:32:25,811 --> 00:32:30,413
And he proceeds to tell her
how he kidnapped yingying,

541
00:32:30,482 --> 00:32:35,252
<i> How he caused her a great deal</i>
<i> of physical harm,</i>

542
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,154
<i> How he assaulted her,</i>
<i> bound her.</i>

543
00:32:38,223 --> 00:32:40,057
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

544
00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:11,154
- I know terra was very fearful

545
00:33:11,222 --> 00:33:13,490
Throughout
this entire exchange.

546
00:33:13,558 --> 00:33:16,793
And you can actually hear,
in that captured recording,

547
00:33:16,861 --> 00:33:18,628
<i> Her heartbeat.</i>

548
00:33:39,217 --> 00:33:41,651
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

549
00:33:41,653 --> 00:33:44,153
<i> - It was, in a lot of ways,</i>

550
00:33:44,223 --> 00:33:45,756
<i> A powerful moment</i>
<i> for all of us.</i>

551
00:33:45,824 --> 00:33:50,059
<i> We knew that christensen</i>
<i> had kidnapped yingying.</i>

552
00:33:50,129 --> 00:33:53,630
<i> We knew that something</i>
<i> terrible had happened.</i>

553
00:33:53,632 --> 00:33:57,534
And now we have him
describing it.

554
00:34:04,509 --> 00:34:08,077
- Christensen was capable
of immense violence,

555
00:34:08,147 --> 00:34:12,182
<i> And he had a lot of pride</i>
<i> in what he had done.</i>

556
00:34:12,250 --> 00:34:14,217
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

557
00:34:20,625 --> 00:34:24,126
<i> - We had all been working</i>
<i> so tirelessly</i>

558
00:34:24,128 --> 00:34:27,263
<i> Over the last several weeks--</i>
<i> the entire team--</i>

559
00:34:27,332 --> 00:34:28,665
<i> To get to this moment.</i>

560
00:34:28,733 --> 00:34:32,335
We had enough
to make an arrest.

561
00:34:33,338 --> 00:34:36,939
<i> - On June 30, 2017,</i>
<i> the fbi arrests</i>

562
00:34:37,009 --> 00:34:40,743
<i> And charges brendt christensen</i>
<i> for yingying zhang's death.</i>

563
00:34:40,745 --> 00:34:43,580
<i> [tense music]</i>

564
00:34:43,648 --> 00:34:47,116
- It was a relief
to make an arrest,

565
00:34:47,186 --> 00:34:50,253
To put christensen in jail.

566
00:34:51,556 --> 00:34:54,123
But we still didn't
have yingying.

567
00:34:54,193 --> 00:34:55,625
<i> And that was our goal.</i>

568
00:34:55,694 --> 00:34:57,960
<i> We wanted to find</i>
<i> where she was.</i>

569
00:34:57,962 --> 00:35:04,834
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

570
00:35:04,903 --> 00:35:06,869
- When the charges are
brought against christensen,

571
00:35:06,939 --> 00:35:10,140
It was announced he's arrested,
that's a shock.

572
00:35:10,208 --> 00:35:15,111
<i> The family is hoping that he</i>
<i> has hidden her away somewhere.</i>

573
00:35:15,180 --> 00:35:16,746
It was tough.

574
00:35:16,748 --> 00:35:19,349
It took them a while
to accept the fact

575
00:35:19,417 --> 00:35:21,350
That she was really dead.

576
00:35:22,487 --> 00:35:26,623
<i> - Christensen's arrest brought</i>
<i> a lot of relief to myself</i>

577
00:35:26,691 --> 00:35:29,126
<i> And the rest of</i>
<i> the college campus.</i>

578
00:35:30,495 --> 00:35:32,996
It was also really confusing,
of just--

579
00:35:33,064 --> 00:35:35,265
How could somebody that
I thought was

580
00:35:35,333 --> 00:35:38,167
Teaching me something do
something so horrible?

581
00:35:38,237 --> 00:35:41,003
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

582
00:35:41,073 --> 00:35:43,873
<i> [tense music]</i>

583
00:35:43,942 --> 00:35:46,275
<i> - Law enforcement</i>
<i> has every reason</i>

584
00:35:46,277 --> 00:35:48,411
<i> To believe yingying is dead.</i>

585
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:50,613
<i> They need to find her body.</i>

586
00:35:50,615 --> 00:35:54,150
<i> But brendt christensen</i>
<i> is keeping his secret.</i>

587
00:35:54,219 --> 00:35:56,052
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

588
00:35:56,121 --> 00:35:58,287
<i> - He declined</i>
<i> a second interview.</i>

589
00:35:58,289 --> 00:36:00,189
<i> So our work wasn't done,</i>

590
00:36:00,191 --> 00:36:02,959
And we continued
to search the area

591
00:36:03,027 --> 00:36:08,298
And try to find some sort of
evidence as to where she was.

592
00:36:08,366 --> 00:36:11,701
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

593
00:36:11,770 --> 00:36:15,905
<i> - Police execute a search</i>
<i> warrant at brendt's apartment.</i>

594
00:36:15,907 --> 00:36:18,441
<i> Although there's no sign</i>
<i> of yingying,</i>

595
00:36:18,509 --> 00:36:21,511
<i> They do find evidence</i>
<i> of an assault.</i>

596
00:36:22,547 --> 00:36:25,982
<i> - We find blood stains</i>
<i> on the mattress.</i>

597
00:36:26,051 --> 00:36:28,818
<i> We found evidence that</i>
<i> blood had gotten up</i>

598
00:36:28,887 --> 00:36:32,322
<i> Against the wall</i>
<i> behind the mattress,</i>

599
00:36:32,390 --> 00:36:35,157
<i> And had seeped down</i>
<i> into the carpet.</i>

600
00:36:35,159 --> 00:36:40,964
And we find that the bathroom
had been tremendously clean.

601
00:36:41,032 --> 00:36:44,601
<i> We discovered christensen</i>
<i> had put in a work order</i>

602
00:36:44,669 --> 00:36:46,936
<i> To his apartment complex</i>

603
00:36:47,005 --> 00:36:50,306
<i> A couple days</i>
<i> after he killed yingying</i>

604
00:36:50,308 --> 00:36:56,946
<i> For the grout and the tub</i>
<i> in the bathroom to be redone.</i>

605
00:36:57,015 --> 00:36:59,682
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

606
00:36:59,751 --> 00:37:03,353
<i> - Investigators also locate</i>
<i> what they believe is the bat</i>

607
00:37:03,421 --> 00:37:06,723
<i> Brendt used to beat yingying.</i>

608
00:37:06,791 --> 00:37:09,091
<i> They send the bat</i>
<i> and blood samples</i>

609
00:37:09,093 --> 00:37:11,827
<i> To the forensics lab</i>
<i> for testing.</i>

610
00:37:11,897 --> 00:37:14,697
- The crime scene evidence
absolutely confirm

611
00:37:14,766 --> 00:37:17,867
<i> The admissions that</i>
<i> he made during the parade</i>

612
00:37:17,936 --> 00:37:19,369
<i> Was true.</i>

613
00:37:19,437 --> 00:37:23,840
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

614
00:37:23,908 --> 00:37:26,576
<i> - Investigators also dig</i>
<i> into brendt christensen's</i>

615
00:37:26,644 --> 00:37:28,244
<i> Social media,</i>

616
00:37:28,312 --> 00:37:30,647
<i> Where they find</i>
<i> more disturbing information</i>

617
00:37:30,715 --> 00:37:33,016
<i> About their suspect.</i>

618
00:37:33,084 --> 00:37:38,120
<i> - He had some posts</i>
<i> on different websites</i>

619
00:37:38,190 --> 00:37:41,123
<i> That discussed fetishes.</i>

620
00:37:41,193 --> 00:37:45,395
There was one in particular
that we found very concerning.

621
00:37:45,463 --> 00:37:47,664
It described
kidnapping someone,

622
00:37:47,732 --> 00:37:51,000
Putting them in a duffel bag,

623
00:37:51,069 --> 00:37:54,270
Proceeding to have
a sexual encounter.

624
00:37:54,339 --> 00:37:55,905
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

625
00:37:55,974 --> 00:38:00,042
What was particularly
disturbing was,

626
00:38:00,111 --> 00:38:04,747
When you compared it to
the amazon purchase records

627
00:38:04,816 --> 00:38:07,750
Of christensen,
we found a purchase

628
00:38:07,819 --> 00:38:11,888
<i> Of a very large green</i>
<i> duffel bag that</i>

629
00:38:11,956 --> 00:38:14,156
<i> Could easily fit</i>
<i> a person inside it.</i>

630
00:38:14,158 --> 00:38:20,062
And the realization that she
was likely put into a bag

631
00:38:20,131 --> 00:38:23,365
Just like this,
and carried against her will

632
00:38:23,367 --> 00:38:26,436
Into the apartment,
it hits you.

633
00:38:26,504 --> 00:38:28,638
It makes it real.

634
00:38:32,676 --> 00:38:35,277
<i> [ominous music]</i>

635
00:38:35,347 --> 00:38:37,914
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

636
00:38:37,982 --> 00:38:41,417
<i> - 21 days after</i>
<i> yingying zhang goes missing,</i>

637
00:38:41,486 --> 00:38:44,186
<i> Investigators have</i>
<i> built a solid case</i>

638
00:38:44,256 --> 00:38:47,556
<i> Against brendt christensen.</i>

639
00:38:47,558 --> 00:38:49,826
<i> But they still</i>
<i> don't have a body.</i>

640
00:38:51,263 --> 00:38:55,065
<i> - The family--</i>
<i> there's certainly anger.</i>

641
00:38:55,133 --> 00:38:56,466
There's always anger.

642
00:38:56,534 --> 00:39:00,336
To think that this man,

643
00:39:00,405 --> 00:39:04,540
In any form of brutal way,

644
00:39:04,609 --> 00:39:08,078
<i> Kidnapped and killed</i>
<i> your daughter,</i>

645
00:39:08,146 --> 00:39:13,716
It's beyond your ability
as a human being to fathom.

646
00:39:13,785 --> 00:39:16,686
So the family's position
was that he should

647
00:39:16,754 --> 00:39:18,421
Receive the death penalty.

648
00:39:18,489 --> 00:39:20,857
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

649
00:39:20,925 --> 00:39:23,325
<i> - Although they know</i>
<i> that not having a body</i>

650
00:39:23,327 --> 00:39:26,429
<i> Will make it more difficult</i>
<i> to win a conviction,</i>

651
00:39:26,498 --> 00:39:30,300
<i> Prosecutors move forward</i>
<i> with plans for the trial.</i>

652
00:39:30,368 --> 00:39:33,870
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

653
00:39:33,938 --> 00:39:39,141
<i> On June 24, 2019,</i>
<i> after a two-day trial,</i>

654
00:39:39,211 --> 00:39:41,844
<i> A federal jury finds</i>
<i> brendt christensen</i>

655
00:39:41,846 --> 00:39:45,181
<i> Guilty of kidnapping</i>
<i> resulting in a death.</i>

656
00:39:45,249 --> 00:39:48,284
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

657
00:39:48,352 --> 00:39:51,988
<i> Next, the jury deliberates</i>
<i> on his sentencing.</i>

658
00:39:53,758 --> 00:39:55,492
- Of the 12 jurors,

659
00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:57,960
Ten voted
for the death penalty.

660
00:39:58,029 --> 00:39:58,995
Two didn't.

661
00:39:59,063 --> 00:40:02,532
And so because a unanimous
verdict was not reached,

662
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:04,834
Her killer was
sentenced to life in prison

663
00:40:04,903 --> 00:40:07,003
Without the possibility
of parole.

664
00:40:07,071 --> 00:40:08,704
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

665
00:40:08,773 --> 00:40:11,407
- I couldn't even say
how I felt.

666
00:40:11,476 --> 00:40:16,012
I was happy that
there was a verdict,

667
00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:18,881
And that he would,

668
00:40:18,883 --> 00:40:20,516
Like, go away
for the rest of his life.

669
00:40:20,585 --> 00:40:22,618
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

670
00:40:22,687 --> 00:40:25,955
<i> I thought it was going to feel</i>
<i> like the ending of a story,</i>

671
00:40:26,024 --> 00:40:28,524
But it--it didn't
really feel like there

672
00:40:28,526 --> 00:40:30,626
Was that closure
that you would get.

673
00:40:30,695 --> 00:40:33,296
- [crying, shouting]

674
00:40:33,364 --> 00:40:35,932
<i> - When the verdict</i>
<i> was initially read,</i>

675
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:38,668
<i> Emotions were really high.</i>

676
00:40:38,736 --> 00:40:41,637
I don't think
yingying's family felt

677
00:40:41,706 --> 00:40:43,773
As though justice was served,

678
00:40:43,842 --> 00:40:45,074
As they were really adamant

679
00:40:45,143 --> 00:40:47,043
About wanting
the death penalty.

680
00:40:47,111 --> 00:40:49,545
But instead, christensen
got life in prison.

681
00:40:49,614 --> 00:40:52,782
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

682
00:40:52,850 --> 00:40:55,652
<i> [somber music]</i>

683
00:40:55,720 --> 00:40:57,620
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

684
00:40:57,688 --> 00:40:59,622
<i> - At the conclusion</i>
<i> of the trial,</i>

685
00:40:59,690 --> 00:41:02,725
The court gave
authorization for me

686
00:41:02,794 --> 00:41:06,428
To take yingying's journal
from evidence

687
00:41:06,430 --> 00:41:08,330
<i> And replace it with a copy,</i>

688
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:12,735
And I was able to give that
journal to yingying's mom.

689
00:41:12,804 --> 00:41:15,237
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

690
00:41:15,307 --> 00:41:18,207
<i> - It's all yingying's</i>
<i> family has of her,</i>

691
00:41:18,276 --> 00:41:20,477
<i> Because brendt</i>
<i> christensen refuses</i>

692
00:41:20,545 --> 00:41:25,081
<i> To say what he did with</i>
<i> her body after killing her.</i>

693
00:41:25,149 --> 00:41:28,818
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

694
00:41:32,357 --> 00:41:34,957
- He personally has
never told the fbi,

695
00:41:34,959 --> 00:41:39,395
But he's told his
attorneys what he did.

696
00:41:39,463 --> 00:41:42,698
<i> And they tell us--</i>
<i> because the trial is over,</i>

697
00:41:42,767 --> 00:41:44,366
<i> So immunity is gone.</i>

698
00:41:44,368 --> 00:41:45,768
<i> Nothing else can happen.</i>

699
00:41:45,837 --> 00:41:50,039
They tell us that he had
dismembered the body,

700
00:41:50,108 --> 00:41:53,643
<i> Put her remains</i>
<i> in the dumpster outside</i>

701
00:41:53,711 --> 00:41:56,512
<i> Of the apartment building.</i>

702
00:41:56,581 --> 00:41:58,547
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

703
00:41:58,617 --> 00:42:01,117
<i> It was taken to a landfill.</i>

704
00:42:01,185 --> 00:42:03,719
<i> The area in the landfill</i>
<i> was probably</i>

705
00:42:03,788 --> 00:42:05,855
<i> Half a football field.</i>

706
00:42:05,924 --> 00:42:10,826
So the likelihood of recovering
her body is virtually nil.

707
00:42:10,895 --> 00:42:14,130
<i> ♪ ♪</i>

708
00:42:14,198 --> 00:42:17,399
<i> - I'm not sure if</i>
<i> there will ever be closure</i>

709
00:42:17,469 --> 00:42:21,604
For the family in that
yingying was never found.

710
00:42:22,574 --> 00:42:25,375
<i> - A parent's worst nightmare</i>
<i> is losing a child.</i>

711
00:42:26,511 --> 00:42:29,279
<i> Just think about her</i>
<i> and how excited she was</i>

712
00:42:29,347 --> 00:42:32,114
<i> When she came here.</i>

713
00:42:32,116 --> 00:42:33,248
I got kids.

714
00:42:33,318 --> 00:42:34,917
You know, I got kids
in graduate school.

715
00:42:34,986 --> 00:42:36,652
And I think about that.

716
00:42:36,721 --> 00:42:40,690
And you know, it's just, uh--

717
00:42:40,758 --> 00:42:42,458
You know, life's not fair.

718
00:42:42,527 --> 00:42:44,126
Bad things happen
to good people.

719
00:42:44,128 --> 00:42:46,428
And this is a case of that.

720
00:42:46,430 --> 00:42:49,365
<i> - Yingying's loved ones</i>
<i> returned to china</i>

721
00:42:49,433 --> 00:42:51,968
<i> Without their daughter.</i>

722
00:42:52,036 --> 00:42:55,471
<i> To honor her memory,</i>
<i> they establish a memorial fund</i>

723
00:42:55,540 --> 00:42:58,207
<i> At the university,</i>
<i> where the student body</i>

724
00:42:58,276 --> 00:43:02,244
<i> Is forever touched</i>
<i> by yingying's final words.</i>

725
00:43:02,246 --> 00:43:06,148
- The diary entries were her
conversations with herself.

726
00:43:06,217 --> 00:43:07,717
The last line is,

727
00:43:07,785 --> 00:43:10,053
"life is too short
to be ordinary."

728
00:43:11,455 --> 00:43:15,791
<i> This kind of thinking,</i>
<i> that one makes something</i>

729
00:43:15,860 --> 00:43:19,662
<i> Out of one's ordinary life,</i>

730
00:43:19,731 --> 00:43:21,297
In the sense of making
a difference,

731
00:43:21,365 --> 00:43:23,232
Doing something meaningful--

732
00:43:23,301 --> 00:43:26,735
<i> That was something that she</i>
<i> was probably telling herself</i>

733
00:43:26,805 --> 00:43:29,972
<i> When she was still navigating</i>
<i> this very new country,</i>

734
00:43:30,041 --> 00:43:33,276
This very strange
new life to her.

735
00:43:35,313 --> 00:43:37,846
<i> - At the end of the day,</i>
<i> this is something that</i>

736
00:43:37,916 --> 00:43:40,116
<i> Should have never happened,</i>

737
00:43:40,184 --> 00:43:42,484
And yingying should
still be here.

738
00:43:42,554 --> 00:43:46,389
<i> ♪ ♪</i>