FBI found car related to kidnapping Chinese scholar in Midwest U.S.

A photo of Zhang Yingying released by the police. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

The FBI has located the vehicle related to missing Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying who was studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), according to local media ABC7.

"The car was described as a black Saturn Astra four-door hatchback. The University of Illinois Police Department and FBI have received numerous leads regarding the vehicle, and we are announcing we have located the vehicle." the FBI said in a news release.

But FBI refused to say where or when the car was found.

The disappearance of 26-year-old Zhang has been labeled as kidnapping but police have not ruled out other scenarios. Surveillance video on June 9 showed her getting into the vehicle.

While the car was found, Zhang was not, and the FBI is still asking for information.

"We have developed several additional leads and would like to remind the public that this is still an active investigation," the FBI said in the news release. The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to 10,000 U.S. dollars for information leading to the location of Zhang.