【惊闻】Chinese student charged with murder in Cecilia Zhang case

BRAMPTON, ONT. - A 21-year-old male student from China has been charged with first-degree murder in the case of Cecilia Zhang, the nine-year-old girl who disappeared last October from her parents' Toronto home.

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Min Chen

Min Chen was arrested Wednesday morning at his home in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, said Peel Regional Police Chief Noel Catney. Min has been in Canada on a student visa from Shanghai since 2001.

He faces a charge of first-degree murder and made a brief court appearance Thursday morning at a Brampton courthouse.


FROM MAR. 28, 2004: Police confirm Cecilia Zhang's body found

One other person was arrested in relation to the case, but isn't facing any charges.

"Yes there's some satisfaction, there's some elation, but without question that is superceded by our sadness and by our loss," Catney said about the arrest and charge.

Police allege Min entered the Zhang home through a rear window in the kitchen around 3:30 a.m., and removed Cecilia from her bedroom. She was then taken through a side door of the house to an unknown location, said Catney.

Catney says the man knew a woman who lived at the Zhang home between September 2002 and March 2003. The suspect had been at the Zhang home at least four different times and had met Cecilia, he said.

The Zhangs were told the news Wednesday afternoon, he said.

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Cecilia Zhang

"Nothing can bring Cecilia back, but we believe that this development and the judicial process ahead will bring a sense of closure that will help us move forward," the Zhangs said in a statement.
For months after she vanished, intense ground searches, police bulletins across Canada and the United States, and the offer of a substantial reward failed to turn up any sign of Cecilia.


Catney highlighted the global nature of the investigation, saying the task force dealt with police in mainland China, the FBI, the RCMP, and police in Vancouver and Ontario.

Police speculated that she had been kidnapped for financial gain, but her parents never received a ransom demand for their only child.
A hiker found her remains in Mississauga on March 27.

Following the discovery of her body, Toronto police announced they were investigating "persons of interest." The task force looking into the child's disappearance focused on Chinese boarding students and travelled to China as part of its investigation.