Utah authorities successfully rescued a missing foreign exchange student, who was found safe but cold inside a tent in the mountains after being the victim of alleged "cyber-kidnapping."
Police officials from the region said that they found the Chinese teenager alone after he was reported missing on Thursday by his high school. The Riverdale Police Department said that 17-year-old Kai Zhuang's parents in China contacted the school after receiving a ransom photo of their son and being forced to pay $80,000.
Teenager Found After Being Victim of Cyber-Kidnapping
The money was paid to bank accounts in China and the family was subjected to "continuous threats from the kidnappers." Law enforcement officers found the teenage boy on Sunday "alive but very cold and scared" hiding inside a makeshift campsite in the mountains near Brigham City.
A press release noted that authorities were able to pinpoint Zhuang's location using his bank and phone records. Police also noted that the Chinese teenager was in the area he was found in on directions from his cyber-kidnappers to isolate himself, as per CNN.
When he saw the police, Zhuang was relieved as he "had no heat source inside the tent." He was found with 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.
After finding the missing foreign exchange student, the Brigham City Fire Department checked him for cold-related issues. He was quickly cleared of major medical concerns and given a cheeseburger, which was the food that he requested.
Zhuang also asked law enforcement authorities to speak with his family in China to make sure that they were safe. More than a week before the Chinese teenager was reported missing by his school, police officers in Provo picked him up on Dec. 20 while he was reportedly trying to camp.
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Demanding Ransom From Family
Riverdale police found the teenager with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Embassy in China, and Chinese officials. Perpetrators of cyber-kidnapping tend to target foreign exchange students and tell their victims to isolate themselves to make themselves appear to be held captive, according to ABC News.
Authorities discovered that Zhuang purchased camping equipment and tried to go camping in Provo, located roughly 75 miles south of Riverdale. When local police found him, they were concerned for his safety and arranged for him to be transported and returned to his host family.
The Chinese teenager did not disclose to law enforcement officials or his host parents at the time that cyber kidnappers were controlling his actions. The Weber County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Drone team and Brigham City police lent support in searching a large area along the Wasatch front in Brigham City when they were looking for the teenager.
Riverdale police said that Det. Sgt. Derek Engstrom hiked on foot up to the mountainside and came across Zhuang's tent in a wooded area. He then contacted the victim inside the tent and found that he was alive and well, said USA Today.
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