In response to media reports that a Chinese student was suspected of being kidnapped in Utah, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the United States said in response to an inquiry on the 30th that the Chinese Embassy in the United States attaches great importance to this case and has contacted the local police and the domestic family of the person concerned as soon as possible to verify and understand the situation, and the case is still under investigation.
The spokesman said that the embassy is maintaining close contact with all parties concerned about the progress of the investigation and will immediately send staff to the place where the incident occurred to provide relevant assistance.
Previously reported
According to a report by USA Today on December 29, police in Riverdale, Utah, are looking for a 17-year-old Chinese exchange student. Police said the student disappeared from his host home on the 28th.
According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, the exchange student's name is Zhuang Kai, and he was last seen in Riverdale at 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 28.
Riverdale is 48 kilometers north of Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah. On December 29, Zhuang Kai was officially declared missing by the police. The police said there was reason to believe that Mr. Zhuang had been "forcibly abducted" and "detained against his will."
Zhuang Kai is 1.67 meters tall and weighs about 68 kilograms, with black hair and eyes. Police do not know exactly what he was wearing at the time of his disappearance, but it is known that he often wears a green jacket.
Riverdale Police Commissioner Kathy Warren revealed at a Dec. 29 news conference that Zhuang's parents live in China.
The parents recently called Zhuang Kai's high school in the United States, claiming that they had received a photo of Zhuang Kai and a ransom message. So, the head of the high school called the police on December 28. Police issued a "missing person alert" on December 29.
The police contacted Zhuang Kai's host family, who did not know about Zhuang Kai's disappearance. This is also contrary to the earlier police claim that he was forcibly abducted.
Warren said the police have not yet issued an Amber warning (a warning that the police disseminate to the public through various media in the event of child abduction in the United States) because there are no suspects in the case. Riverdale police are working with the FBI and the Chinese Embassy in the United States to bring the missing Zhuang Kai home as soon as possible.
"At this stage, we know very limited information. Warren said.
Bertram, a retired police officer, told local television station KUTV that because Mr. Zhuang was an international exchange student and underage, the FBI, Utah State Police and Riverdale Police could call on national resources to investigate the case.
The complexity of the case, Bertram said, is that if the kidnappers are in the U.S. and the people they're asking for ransom are in China, how exactly are the kidnappers going to get the money?
Bertram also analyzed that Zhuang Kai's parents received a message demanding ransom, which also means that there are many possibilities in this case.
One possibility is that this "kidnapping" is an outright hoax, and "it is possible that Zhuang Kai himself was also involved".
Another possibility is that the kidnappers know Zhuang Kai's parents very well, know their family property, and know how much money they are willing to spend to redeem their son.
Bertram said that according to the usual practice, the FBI will mobilize a lot of manpower and material resources to investigate such cases.
Source: China News Network Editor: Li Mingyang
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