Yingying Zhang: The Grad Student Who Never Came Home (E132)

On June 9, 2017, 26-year-old Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang stepped off a bus near the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She was on her way to sign a lease for a new apartment.Surveillance footage captured her getting into a black Saturn Astra driven by a man she did not know.She was never seen again.In the days that followed, investigators uncovered chilling digital evidence, disturbing online searches, and a calculated crime that shocked both the United States and China. Yet despite a conviction, one heartbreaking piece of the case remains unresolved: Yingying’s body has never been found.In this episode, we examine the timeline of her disappearance, the evidence that led to an arrest, and why justice can still feel incomplete.