Episode 20: Zhang

Yingying Zhang, a 26-year-old Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign, tragically disappeared in June 2017. She was last seen entering a car on

campus, leading to a widespread search and investigation. The case took a grim turn when

Brendt Christensen, a former graduate student, admitted and bragged about the murder to his

girlfriend who was wearing a wire -- he was arrested and charged with her kidnapping and

murder. Despite extensive searches, Yingying's body was never found, deeply affecting her

family and the international community. In 2019, Christensen was convicted and sentenced to

life in prison without the possibility of parole.