Investigators search for person of interest after college student is found dead in condo
02/14/2025 1:24 pm PST
LOS ANGELES (TCN) -- Law enforcement officials are searching for a man they believe is a person of interest in the killing of a 23-year-old college student.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Michael Modica spoke at a press conference this week and announced a $20,000 reward for information leading the identification and arrest of the man seen leaving Menghan Zhuang’s condo on Feb. 4.
According to Modica, on Feb. 4 at 6:47 p.m., deputies from the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s station responded to an assistance call from the fire department regarding an unresponsive person. Los Angeles Fire Department officials rendered aid to Zhuang, but she died from her wounds. She reportedly had "several injuries to her upper body."
Zhuang’s roommate found her, and Modica asserted that the roommate has been cooperating fully with investigators.
Detectives obtained surveillance footage that showed Zhuang and a "male companion" walking into her apartment on the night of Feb. 3. The man, who is now the person of interest, left Zhuang’s condo through her second-story bedroom window the next day sometime in the afternoon. The person of interest is believed to be of Asian descent and was last seen wearing all black clothing.
Modica said homicide investigators believe people in the area know the man or might have seen him. Zhuang’s death was an isolated incident and "not a random act of violence."
Zhuang was a senior at the California Institute of the Arts, or CalArts. She was a Chinese national who had been in the United States for 3 1/2 years on a student visa. She also went by the name Emily King.
CalArts called Zhuang a "valued member of our campus community" and said they are working with the Sheriff’s Department during the investigation.
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