Utah police chief holds press conference about cyber kidnapping of Chinese foreign exchange student

RIVERDALE, Utah (KMVT/KSVT) — A missing foreign exchange student out of Riverdale, Utah is starting the new year safely at home with his host family. Police said the 17-year-old was the victim of cyber kidnapping.

On Monday, KMVT reported that 17-year-old Kai Zhuang was reported missing last Thursday by his high school, after his parents in China had contacted the school when they received a ransom photo of their son.

Riverdale officers found him Sunday by pinging his cell phone and checking his bank records. They said they found him alive, but very cold and scared at a makeshift campsite in the mountains near Brigham City, Utah.

Police said that Zhuang’s cyber kidnappers told him to isolate himself, as part of their plot to extort money out of his parents.

Riverdale Police Chief Casey Warren held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to share details the investigation and cybercrime

“Why was Kai camping? Why would he isolate himself? Well, that is exactly the reason the captors want him to isolate himself from all society, because they know there’s a high probability that police or law enforcement will be contacted. And once we contact kind, we know he’s safe, the game is up, the parents will know he’s safe, so they won’t send anymore money. So the reason they have him seclude himself in the woods or away from somebody, everybody in society is so they can continue to extort as much money as possible.” Warren said.

The police report says that the teen had no heat source inside the tent, only a heat blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water and several phones that were presumed to be used to carry out the cyber kidnapping.

Zhuang was cleared of major medical issues, given a cheeseburger, and allowed to call his parents.

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