Brent Christensen

The mystery at U of I, what really happened to a visiting scholar from China who disappeared from campus?

The best and perhaps only opportunity we had to have someone who could interact directly with Brent Christensen really was Tara Bullis.

The FBI called Tara in because she was the closest person to Christensen.

She came in voluntarily and sat and answered questions.

She was conflicted because she loved Brent Christensen.

During the conversation with Tara, we approached her with the idea of wearing a wire and recording future conversations with Christensen.

She was willing to cooperate because it would either exonerate him or it would help find Ying Ying.

This was a very risky proposition from the very beginning.

If he were to determine that she's also involved in this at this point, in a private moment, in their bedroom, in a car,

He very easily could have taken her out.

There is always concerns with having a confidential source that's going undercover.

We felt pretty good because Christensen was under 24-hour surveillance.

The way the recordings progressed, the first view, there was

Little evidence towards the crime, necessarily.

He makes a comment to her that he wants to clear his name with the FBI.

So eight days after Ying Ying's disappearance, Christensen voluntarily goes back into that FBI office.

Good to see you again.

He gives a very similar story about how he just mixed up his days and how he just wanted to help this woman.

She started really freaking out.

She was grabbing at her hair, being like, where am I?