A missing Chinese exchange student was found “very cold and scared” in a tent on a mountainside in Utah after allegedly being “cyber kidnapped.”
Kai Zhuang, 17, was discovered Sunday evening in the Brigham City Canyon area after he was last seen around 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
Multiple law enforcement agencies located Zhuang after Riverdale police asked the public on Friday to help find him.
They considered the teenager threatened after his parents in China told authorities they had received a ransom note and a photo of their son.
The host family where Zhuang was staying in Riverdale told police they were unaware he was missing, and that they had last seen him the night before and heard from him the next morning.
Kai Zhuang, 17, was discovered Sunday evening in the Brigham City Canyon area after he was last seen around 3:30 a.m. Thursday
Zhuang was found in a tent in bitterly cold conditions as authorities believe he was the victim of a cyber kidnapping. The perpetrators sent a ransom note and a photo of the teenager to his parents in China
Riverdale Police Chief Casey Warren said Zhuang was being “manipulated and controlled” by “cyber kidnappers” who made him believe his family in China was being threatened and that they had paid an $80,000 ransom.
Local police worked with the FBI, the U.S. Embassy in China and Chinese officials to get Zhuang to safety as they searched for the youth's possible campsite on Saturday.
Riverdale police asked the Weber County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Drone team to intervene because they were concerned for Zhuang's well-being in the bitterly cold conditions.
Detective Sergeant Engstrom hiked up the mountainside on foot and came across the victim's tent in a wooded area before approaching Zhuang inside.
The teenager was found 'alive but very cold and scared' and was relieved when authorities discovered him.
“The victim had no source of heat in the tent, only a heating blanket, a sleeping bag, limited food and water, and several phones believed to have been used to carry out the cyber kidnapping,” Warren said in a statement.
Zhaung was found near Brigham City Canyon after Riverdale police, the FBI, the U.S. Embassy in China and Chinese officials searched for him.
At a news conference, Warren said Zhuang's parents, who live in China, contacted his high school after receiving the ransom note.
He was monitored for signs of hypothermia and was ultimately cleared of any serious medical conditions by the Brigham City Fire Department.
According to KSLZhaung was able to talk to his family and was given a hot cheeseburger before being transported to the Riverdale Police Department.
When Zhaung first went missing, he would have been missing too 'taken by force' from his home Utah and held against his will, but police did not believe this was the case.
At a news conference, Warren said Zhuang's parents, who live in China, have contacted his high school.
A Utah Endangered Missing Persons Advisory had previously been issued after the boy was “forcibly removed and held against his will” from the Riverdale home where he had been staying – about 30 minutes north of Salt Lake City.
Warren revealed that through this investigation, he and his department learned more about the extent of cyber kidnapping after the FBI briefed them on the recent events of the crime.
Suspects who initiate the crime often threaten young foreign exchange students and their families for money while ordering the students to self-isolate.
Zhuang was captured on CCTV shopping for camping gear before he was discovered on Sunday
Authorities climbed the cold mountainside as they searched for the teenager who was found “very cold and scared.”
They then ask the young people to take photos of themselves in distress and while being 'held captive' and send them to their families.
Prior to his rescue, Provo police met with Zhuang and became concerned for the teen's safety after he attempted to set up a campsite.
Zhuang was captured on CCTV shopping for camping gear before he was discovered.
Authorities also discovered Zhaung's phone and banking records and tracked his purchases over the past month, including various camping materials.
It is unclear how long Zhaung may have been in contact with the perpetrator and whether he was returned to his host family.
DailyMail.com reached out to Riverdale Police for more information but did not hear back in time for this report and the investigation is under active investigation.
