New $40K Reward Offered In Missing Chinese Scholar Case

This undated photo provided by The University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang. Police said the FBI is investigating the disappearance of Zhang, a Chinese woman from a central Illinois university town, as a kidnapping. Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois’ Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9, 2017.
This undated photo provided by The University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang. Police said the FBI is investigating the disappearance of Zhang, a Chinese woman from a central Illinois university town, as a kidnapping. Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9, 2017. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Police Department via AP
This undated photo provided by The University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang. Police said the FBI is investigating the disappearance of Zhang, a Chinese woman from a central Illinois university town, as a kidnapping. Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois’ Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9, 2017.
This undated photo provided by The University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang. Police said the FBI is investigating the disappearance of Zhang, a Chinese woman from a central Illinois university town, as a kidnapping. Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9, 2017. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Police Department via AP

New $40K Reward Offered In Missing Chinese Scholar Case

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URBANA, Ill. (AP) — Officials and the family of a Chinese scholar are offering $40,000 for information leading to an arrest in the disappearance of the woman from the University of Illinois.

The family of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang announced Monday night they’re working with Champaign County Crime Stoppers to offer the reward.

Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the central Illinois school when she disappeared June 9. She’s from Jianyang, China.

The reward comes in addition to the FBI’s reward of up to $10,000 for information to help locate her.

Campus police say surveillance video shows Zhang entering a black Saturn Astra in Urbana that afternoon. Her friends told authorities she had gone out to sign a lease.

Authorities have labeled the case a kidnapping, but haven’t ruled anything out.