An Illinois man will remain in custody pending his initial federal court appearance on a charge alleging he kidnapped a visiting University of Illinois scholar from China who authorities believe to be dead.
Twenty-eight-year-old Brendt Christensen of Champaign is scheduled to appear in court Monday in Urbana.
Yingying Zhang, the 26-year-old daughter of a working-class factory driver from China, disappeared on June 9, just weeks after arriving at the Urbana-Champaign campus in central Illinois where was doing research in agricultural sciences. She was expected to begin work on her doctorate in the fall.
Zhang’s disappearance fed anxieties of families of Chinese students studying in the U.S.
Authorities declined comment when asked if they had any leads on where Zhang’s body might be located.