Missing University of Illinois Student Kidnapped; $10,000 Reward Offered: FBI

URBANA, IL — The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a visiting scholar from China as a kidnapping after the 26-year-old vanished near the University of Illinois campus in Urbana. Yingying Zhang was last seen getting into a black Saturn Astra just after 2 p.m. Friday, June 9. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that helps the bureau find her.

Zhang had recently arrived in Urbana for a yearlong appointment at U of I, according to WGN.

She was researching photosynthesis and crop productivity for U of I's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.

U of I Campus Chief of Police Jeff Christensen said Zhang was last seen getting into a black, four-door Saturn Astra on North Goodwin Avenue just after 2 p.m. June 9. Surveillance camera footage from a nearby parking deck shows Zhang speaking with the driver for several minutes before getting into the vehicle, which then heads north on Goodwin. She was last seen wearing a charcoal-colored baseball hat, a pink and white top, jeans and white tennis shoes, and was carrying a black backpack. Zhang has shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes and is 5 feet 4 inches and 110 pounds, according to the FBI.

The driver of the Saturn appeared to be a white male. The vehicle circled the area prior to making contact with Zhang, the FBI said.

WATCH: Surveillance footage (edited for length) of Zhang entering the Saturn:

U of I police said they are investigating whether Zhang may have hailed a ride with a service like Uber or Lyft.

"We have received many pieces of information and our detectives continue to work around the clock to develop new information," police said in a June 13 statement. "We continue to work with rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft, cellphone companies, check vehicle records and we have pursued other information offered to us by members of the public."

Friends reportedly notified police on Saturday that they hadn't heard from Zhang since around 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 9. U of I police said Zhang boarded a Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District Teal line bus at 1:35 p.m. at the south shelter at the Orchard Downs complex in Urbana. She exited the bus at Springfield and Mathews avenues at around 1:52 p.m. prior to making contact with the driver of the Saturn.

Police told the News-Gazette that Zhang was headed to sign a lease at an apartment complex on North Lincoln Avenue in Urbana prior to her disappearance and had texted the property manager at around 1:30 p.m. saying she would be late.

The U of I Community Credit Union has established a GoFundMe campaign to assist Zhang's family with expenses as the search for her continues.

Anyone with information on Zhang's whereabouts or the black Saturn Astra should call 911 or U of I police at 217-333-1216 or email police@illinois.edu. Tips can also be submitted anonymously at 373tips.com, 217-373-TIPS or through the P3 Tips app, police said.

Photo: Yingying Zhang/University of Illinois Police Department