On January 1, according to the official website of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the United States answered reporters' questions on the safe finding of Chinese students suspected of being kidnapped.
Q: According to media reports, the Chinese students suspected of being kidnapped in Utah have been safely found.
A: With the efforts of the local police, the Chinese Embassy in the United States and the public security organs in China, the international student was safely located on the evening of December 31 local time and is currently in good health. According to the local police, the international student suffered a "virtual kidnapping" telecom fraud, and the case is still under further investigation.
The Chinese Embassy in the United States once again reminds Chinese citizens in the United States, especially those studying in the United States, to raise their security awareness, strengthen security precautions, and be highly vigilant against telecommunication network fraud such as "virtual kidnapping" to avoid damage to personal and property safety.
Previously reported:
According to a report by USA Today on December 29, 2023, police in Riverdale, Utah, USA, are looking for a 17-year-old Chinese exchange student. Police said the student disappeared from his host home on Dec. 28, 2023.
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.