31-12-2023 (UTAH) US authorities are intensifying efforts to locate a 17-year-old Chinese exchange student, Kai Zhuang, amid fears that he may have been kidnapped. Last seen on Wednesday at his residence in Riverdale, Utah, the local police express concerns that he might be held against his will and is in potential danger.
The alarm was raised on Thursday evening when the school Kai attended in Riverdale was contacted by his parents in China. The worried parents reported receiving a ransom demand accompanied by a photograph of their son, strongly indicating his abduction.
Riverdale Police Department Chief Casey Warren revealed that officers promptly visited the host family’s home, where Kai resided. Surprisingly, the family was unaware of his absence and informed the police that they had last seen him on the evening of December 27, possibly hearing him in the early hours of the following morning.
Initially considering the possibility that the teenager had been forcibly taken from his home, investigators later clarified that there was no current evidence supporting this hypothesis. Chief Warren informed reporters on Friday that they are collaborating with the FBI in the US and authorities in China, engaging in multiple investigative efforts to locate Kai.
In light of the circumstances, the police have issued an endangered missing person advisory for Kai. However, they were unable to trigger the US alert system for missing persons as no identified suspect has been established, according to Chief Warren. The search for the missing teenager continues, with concerns for his well-being mounting.
