U.S. Marshals have doubled their reward to $10,000 for information leading to the location and arrest of 29-year-old Massachusetts resident Qinxuan Pan, who is wanted for questioning after being named a "person-of-interest" in the murder of Yale University graduate student, Kevin Jiang.
MANHUNT FOR PERSON OF INTEREST IN YALE STUDENT'S MURDER FOCUSED ON GEORIGA: US MARSHALS
Pan, an MIT graduate student originally from Shanghai, is believed to have been in the area when Jiang was fatally shot at the corner of Lawrence and Nicholl Street in New Haven, Conn., on Feb. 6.
Pan is described as a 6-foot Asian male weighing 170 pounds with a medium complexion and short black hair. U.S. Marshals said he could possibly be staying with friends or family in the Duluth or Brookhaven areas of Georgia.
He was last seen in the early morning hours of Feb. 11 carrying a black backpack and acting strangely, family members told investigators. He is currently charged with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and interstate theft of a vehicle stemming from the Feb. 6 crime.
Authorities warn that Pan should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information regarding Pan’s whereabouts should immediately contact the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-Wanted-2 (1-877-926-8332).
YALE MURDER MYSTERY 'PERSON OF INTEREST' ATTENDED MIT WITH VICTIM'S FIANCEE, BUT CONNECTION UNKNOWN
Jiang, a 26-year-old U.S. Army veteran, National Guardsman and graduate student at Yale’s School of the Environment, grew up in both Chicago and Seattle and had proposed to his girlfriend, Zion Perry, just a week before his death. Perry, whose parents live in Pennsylvania, also attends graduate school at Yale University and completed her undergraduate education at MIT in 2020.
Jiang and Perry met at a church retreat in Connecticut a year ago.
Authorities have declined to comment on whether any possible connection between Perry and Pan resulted in Jiang’s death. Photos obtained by Fox 61 show Perry and Pan talking at a MIT swing dance in March 2020, but details about any relationship are unknown.
Perry could not be reached for comment by Fox News after the New Haven Police Department on Feb. 10 first publicly identified Pan as a person of interest in Jiang’s death. Speaking with Fox News over the phone before the announcement, Perry said she had "no idea" why someone might have targeted Jiang, describing her fiancé as an "on fire follower of Jesus" with a "life lived following after God."
Jiang’s funeral service was held Saturday at Trinity Baptist Church in New Haven, where he and his mother were regular volunteers.
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The New Haven Police Department said last week that Pan visited car dealerships in both Connecticut and Massachusetts prior to Jiang’s homicide and was looking to purchase a small model SUV. While at the dealerships, he asked to test drive vehicles and asked to bring them to his mechanic for inspection, according to investigators.
Any car dealerships that have had contact with Pan in recent months are asked to contact the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6304 or the New Haven Police Department Anonymous Tip Line at 1-866-888-8477 or via email at ECIC@newhavenct.gov.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report