Police in Utah suggest that a missing student, Kai Zhuang, who was said to be feared kidnapped, may actually be engaged in camping.

Police in the US are searching for a Chinese exchange student who went missing, but they now believe that he could be camping rather than kidnapped. The student, Kai Zhuang, who is 17 years old, was last seen at his host family's home in Riverdale, Utah on Wednesday. Initially, police suspected that he had been abducted, as his parents in China claimed to have received a ransom demand and a photo of their son indicating that he had been kidnapped. However, the police now have reason to believe that Kai may be camping in the Wasatch Front area of Utah. CCTV footage released by the police shows him walking through a shop, where he reportedly purchased camping supplies multiple times recently. The police are concerned about his safety due to the cold weather, and they have discovered that Kai had previous interactions with the police in Provo on December 20, where he was also found with camping gear. The police held a press conference stating that there is no evidence that Kai was forcefully taken from his host family's home. A missing persons alert has been issued to seek assistance in locating the teenager.