On July 14, Acting Consul General Liu Jun once again visited Champaign, Illinois where the missing case of Yingying Zhang happened. During the visit, he met with US Attorney Patrick Hanson, UIUC Deputy Chief of Police Matt and UIUC Deputy Chancellor Robin Kaler and visited the family of Yingying Zhang. Staff from Education section and Political and Press section of the Consulate General accompanied him during the visit.

Liu Jun said that since Yingying Zhang went missing, the Consulate General in Chicago has been closely following the case and kept in close touch with relevant parties. This is a life-and-death matter, and the outrageous crime has drawn huge attention from media of both countries. One month has passed since the case happened. The family of Yingying Zhang is suffering each and every moment, still hoping to find Yingying Zhang and bring her back home. We hope the police could put themselves in the shoes of the victim’s family and relate to their feelings, mobilize all resources, think outside of the box, make this case a priority, in order to find Yingying Zhang as early as possible. There would be a court hearing on the case on July 20, and we hope that the justice departments can try the case fairly, hold the criminal accountable and let justice be served.

Liu Jun thanked the UIUC faculty, students, Chinese Students and Scholars Association and the local Chinese community for their efforts and work to find Yingying Zhang. He also expressed his appreciation for their support and care to Yingying Zhang’s family.

Liu Jun met with Yingying Zhang’s family again, delivering to them support and care from people of all walks of life, learning about their daily life and their requests. He wished them to remain strong and take good care of themselves.

Liu Jun also attended the press conference held by the university and local organization Crime Stopper. The family of Yingying Zhang announced that the reward to find Yingying Zhang was raised to $50,000, in an effort to solicit threads and clues from the public to find Yingying Zhang soon.