wowd?d5?7 Report #14-4362 APPLICATION FOR SEARCH WARRANT STATE OF IOWA, COUNTY OF STORY Ames Police Department Report Number: 14-4362 Being duly sworn, I, the undersigned, say that at the place (and on the person(s) and in the vehicle(s)) described as follows: Blue 2009 BMW, VINNVBAPH73509A175439. This vehicle is registered to Xiangnan Li The vehicle is currently located in the parking lot of 1300 Coconino, Ames, IA 50014. The vehicle has no current registration and has no license plates on it. in Story County, there is now certain property, namely: Financial documents, including but not limited to bank records, credit card records, billing statements, mail from financial institutions. Electronic devices, including but not limited to computers, tablets, cell phones. Property belonging to Tong Shao Documents identifying other possible search locations, including but not limited to proof of vehicle ownership, storage units, assigned garages or storage closets. Any item, whether electronic or analog, in relation to a missing person. or" 33$ A c: 1 57-3m4?) I ?n bc: (.0 on? Report 14-4362 Which is: I I Property that has been obtained in violation of law. I I Property, that possession of which is illegal. I Property used or possessed with the intent to be used as the means of committing a public offense or concealed to prevent an offense from being discovered. I Property relevant and material as evidence in a criminal prosecution. The facts establishing the foregoing ground(s) for issuance of a search warrant are as set forth in the attachment(s) which are made part of this Application. +83% Applicant Subscribed and sworn to before me this 26th day of September 20 . Magistrate/J :4 Second Judicial District 53 -.-, Story County, Iowa WHEREFORE, the undersigned asked that a Search Warrant be issued. 5667 H316 6- BMW Story County Attorney By: Assistant County Attorney man Em. Hi :3 Report 14?4362 ATTACHMENT A Applicant's Name: Suzanne Owens Occupation: Police Officer No. of Years: 15 Assignment: aneStlgatlonS No. of Years: 8 Your applicant conducted an investigation and received information from fellow of?cers and other sources as follows: See attached investigative and law enforcement reports.) On 09/17/ 14, Ames Police of?cers took a missing person report for Tong Shao (11-12-93). Her roommates informed police Shao had not contacted them since the early morning of 09/08/ 14. They advised Shao had gone to visit her boyfriend, Xiangnan Li in iowa City for the weekend. This was common practice for Shae. Shae had recently lost her cell phone, so her phone may have been turned off or unavailable over the weekend. Around 0130 hours on 09/08/14, a roommate received a text message from Li's cell phone number (307-899-5012). This message was purportedly from Shao and read that Li had an emergency in China and was ?ying back there, that she was going to take a bus to Minnesota to visit friends, and she would return in about a week. It also said that Shao would be using Li's cell phone but that the battery was dying. A week went by and her friends had not heard from her at all. Prior to contacting police, they tried to contact Shao several ways with no success. The roommates had contacted her parents in China, who had contact with Shao On 09/07/14. The parents have not heard from her since. During the investigation into Shao's whereabouts, it was con?rmed Shao did not leave the country by plane. Li ?ew back to China, ?ying out of the Cedar Rapids, IA airport on 09/08/14 and arriving in China on 09/10/14. These arrangements were made around 09/06/14. According to phone records, Li used his cell phone to make calls after he would have landed in Chicago for a layover. This was in direct contrast with what was sent in the text message from his phone on 09/08/14, since the message purportedly from Shao stated she would be keeping his phone. Since arriving in China on 09/10/14, it has been reported to police that no one in Li's family has heard from him or seen him. Friends of Li have also said they have not heard from him since he arrived in China, which is unusual behavior and which has caused concern for his family. Detectives have been unable to ?nd any record of Shao taking a bus to Minnesota. Calls to her last known phone number have gone directly to voicemail. No one has been able to yet reach her on any of the social media or chat apps she normally uses. Shao is a very good student and in the days before she went missing, did not appear to be upset about anything. She did not talk to any of her roommates about future travel plans, to Minnesota or anywhere else. Detectives spoke with Karen Yang, a friend of Li's. She normally talks to Li once every week or two. On 09/03/14, Li called Yang unexpectedly. Li told Yang he was upset because of something that had just happened. Li explained he had just called Shae. Shae must have accidentally answered her phone but did not realize it. The line remained open for about 30 minutes, and during this time, Li listened in to the conversation Shao was having with another male. Li told Yang this other male was a new friend of Shao's. During this overheard conversation, Li heard Shao complaining about Li and saying things about him that were not nice, although Yang could not provide police with speci?c details on what was said. After Li talked about this with Yang, they ended the call. On 09/09/14, Yang used a chat app to contact Li and asked him how things were with Shao. Li responded back to her that things with Shao were "?ne for now" or something similar to this phrase. On 09/16/14, Yang sent a message to Li wishing him a happy birthday. He has not responded to this message. According to Yang, Li normally responds to message within a few minutes:31" Lb lance l8 Li lives by himself at 2401 Highway 6 East, apartment #1811, Iowa City, IA 52240. This is an apartment located in the Dolphin Lake Point complex. An employee at this complex had been working with Li in getting him a different apartment. When she was unable to contact him for over a week, she entered the apartment. This was on 09/18/14, prior to being contacted by police about the situationShao, but described the apartment as if someone had left it in a hurry. For example, it appeared groceries had recently been purchased but not put away, and there was milk on the counter that was spoiled. The employee also noticed there seemed to be several luggage items still there, which was odd since Li had gone back to China. Through my training and experience, people can be reported missing under several different circumstances. Sometimes it is because they are upset or have medical or mental issues, causing loved ones to become concerned about the person's safety and well-being. Shao was not upset and did not suffer from any known medical or mental health issues. On occasion, college students may decide they no longer want to attend college or may be struggling academically, causing them to drop out. They may be embarrassed by this or fearful of what parents might think, and therefore try to hide themselves for a while. There is no evidence to support this in Shao's situation, as she was a good student and appeared to have a positive relationship with her family back home in China. Sometimes people go missing because they are victims of violent crimes, with the perpetrator often being identi?ed as a domestic or romantic partner. A friend of Li's reported Li was upset with Shao just several days before she went missing. The last person who can account for Shao's whereabouts and well-being is Li, who is no longer in the country and cannot be interviewed by detectives at this point in time. em a CD In missing person cases, many things can be done to try and locate the person. necessary to build a timeline of the person?s recent activity as well as a history agnng behavior for the person, in order to ?gure out what does not Shao regularly gig weekends with Li in Iowa City. However it was not normal for her to go more that. without contacting someone and letting them know. It was not uncommon for @1530 101% her phone, but generally she would locate it quickly. She often communicated ?g he?l?? friends and family on a regular basis using WeChat, an online and mobile chatti'?g application. No communication has come from Shao's account since on or befd?e?? 09/08/14. One of Shao's banking accounts has been identi?ed and subpoenaed; however it is not uncommon for people to bank at more than one location. None of Li's ?nancial accounts have been identi?ed. Financial records can often be utilized to establish a baseline level of activity, to ?nd out if a trip had been preplanned or sudden, and to track a person's movements. In Shao's bedroom, her roommates found three cell phones and Shao's iPad, but not her tablet, laptop, or any sort of wallet containing credit cards, ID cards, or her passport. A search warrant was obtained for the apartment in Iowa City and no electronics of Shao?s were located. There is no evidence at this point to suggest Shao is missing voluntarily and the current circumstances seem suspicious. During the investigation, of?cers learned Shao and Li used two possible vehicles. One was a beige Toyota registered to Shao. This vehicle has not been located and family and friends thought Shao had sold it. The other is a blue a, .3 a . 2009 BMW, This vehicle is registered to Xiangnan Li The vehicle is currently located in the parking lot of 1300 Coconino, Ames, IA 50014. The vehicle has no current registration and has no license plates on it. Friends of Shao advised they did not think this vehicle had been used recently because it was not properly registered. A cursory check of this vehicle shows there is property in the vehicle. Because it is unknown which vehicles the couple used regularly or had access to, it is necessary to search all linked vehicles for pertinent information in helping to locate Shao. 3 M1018 38313 i: :3 818m .40 F- Vl BROS Report 14-4362 ENDORSEMENT ON SEARCH WARRANT APPLICATION In issuing the search warrant, the undersigned relied upon the sworn testimony of the following person(s) together with the statements and information contained in the application and any attachments thereto. The court relied upon the following witnesses: Name Address Suzanne Owens 515 Clark Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010 2. Abstract of Testimony. (As set forth in the application and the attachments thereto, plus the following informationThe unders1gned has rehed, at least in part, on 1nformat1on supplied by a con?denth informant (who need not be named) to the peace of?cer(s) shown on :3 Attachment(s) k9 (230 we: ,0 g?i 4. The information appears credible because (select): A. Sworn testimony indicates this informant has given reliable information on previous occasions; or, B. Sworn testimony indicates that either the informant appears credible or the information appears credible for the following reasons (if credibility is based on this ground, the magistrate must set out reasons here): The informationm not) found to justify probable cause. I therefore do not) issue the warrant. Magistrate/Judge ?ll :3 SEARCH WARRANT STATE OF IOWA, COUNTY OF STORY TO ANY PEACE OFFICER IN THE STATE Based on sworn application made to the Court, I have found that probable cause exists to believe that at the place (and on or otherwise in the possession of the person(s) and in the vehicle(s)) described as follows: Blue 2009 BMW, VINIWBAPH73509A175439. This vehicle is registered to Xiangnan Li The vehicle is currently located in the parking lot of 1300 Coconino, Ames, IA 50014. The vehicle has no current registration and has no license plates on it. Report 14-4362 in Story County, there is now certain property, namely: Financial documents, including but not limited to bank records, credit card records, billing statements, mail from financial institutions. Electronic devices, including but not limited to computers, tablets, cell phones. Property belonging to Tong Shao Documents identifying other possible search locations, including but not limited to proof of vehicle ownership, storage units, assigned garages or storage closets. Any item, whether electronic or analog, in relation to a missing person. ?.63 Ci" ?as? ?y C) I 592% ?l :91? 3 gnu?- mim t-x?i 3) I so?) Hz? I?m RD GO .. PC: C40 1.33 1'24 Which has been or is being held in violation of the laws of this state. THEREFORE, you are hereby commanded to make immediate search of the described place (and person(s) and vehicles(s)) for the speci?ed property; to seize the speci?ed property if found, leaving a receipt for the seized property at the place of the search; to prepare a written inventory of the property seized; to return this warrant ether with the written inventory; Dated this 26th day of September 20 i at 12?; m. Magistrate/Judge Second Judicial District Story County, Iowa stow (1554 RETURN OF SEARCH WARRANT Report STATE OF IOWA, COUNTY OF STORY Being duly sworn, I, the undersigned, say that have executed the attached search warrant and the following is a complete inventory of the property seized pursuant to the warrant: See attached list.) Financial documents. l8 =6 HV 130M831 A i i 2 I mm Of?cer Subscribed and sworn to before me this day of; 20 Magistrate/Judge egg 5" Second Judicial District a9 .sz?x, Coms?neesaon Mamba-fer 19 - My Ccmmieasion "5:25:33 go- Notary Public 42 '15 20?" Story County, Iowa SDSUOOQ 52554 IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF IOWA, IN AND FOR STORY COUNTY In re Application for Search Warrant I IN THE MATTER OF A SEARCH WARRANT ISSUED FOR: CASE NO. 14004362 Blue 2009 BMW, This vehicle is registered to Xlanqnan LI SEALSEARCH DOB 09-16-91. The vehicle is currently located WARRANT APPLICATION, in the parking lot of 1300 Coconino, Ames, Iowa) WARRANT of has no current registration and has SEARCH WARRANT no license plates on it. COMES NOW the undersigned Prosecuting Attorney and states that: 1. The State has made Application for a Search Warrant concerning property relevant and material as evidence in a criminal prosecution. 2. That this is an active investigation and no charges have been brought as of this date. 3. That the State believes that disclosure of the information contained in the Search Warrant Application, Search Warrant, and Return of Service in this matter would interfere with the investigation of this matter. WHEREFORE, the State, pursuant to Code Section 808.13, requests that the Court enter an Order to the Clerk of Court, sealing the Search Warrant Application, Search Warrant and Return of Service, until such time as a subsequent ordggaf tg Court. 00". mm 5030 AJ 30 N8 Respectfully submitted, em in Al MSI ls/ Joseph S. Danielson Joseph S. Danielson Assistant Story County Atto 1315 South Avenue Nevada, Iowa 50201 (515) 382?7255 idanielson@storvcountv.com .130'] it! copies to: County Attorney 5255:? IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF IOWA, IN AND FOR STORY COUNTY In re Application for Search Warrant IN THE MATTER OF A SEARCH WARRANT ISSUED FOR: CASE NO. 14004362 Blue 2009 BMW, VINNVBAPH73509A17439 This vehicle is registered to Xlanqnan Ll ORDER TO SEAL SEARCH DOB 09-16-91. The vehicle is currently located WARRANT APPLICATION, In the parking lot of 1300 Coconino, Ames, Iowa) WARRANT of has no current registration and has SEARCH WARRANT no license plates on it. The State of Iowa requests that an Order be entered directing the Clerk of Court to seal the Search Warrant Application, Search Warrant, and Return of Service concerning an ongoing criminal investigation. The Court, after review of the Application, agrees that the Application should be granted, in that premature disclosure of the information in the Application would hinder the investigation in this matter and therefore orders the following. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the State?s Application for Order to Seal the Search Warrant Application, Search Warrant, and Return of Service is hereby granted. This Order shall expire 30 days from the date of filing or upon the arrest of any person resulting from the execution of the Search Warrant, whichever occurs first. This expiration date may be extended by further order of the Court. Prior to the expiration of this order, the Clerk may provide copies of the search warrant documents to the prosecutor of any person resulting from or concerned with the execution of the warrant. However, the search warrant documents shall not be disclosed to the public until the order expires unless otherwise ordered by the Court. 23-3? mm v. A Ima- District Associate Judge, Co Second Judicial District of Iowa I. :36? - '33 Cop'eSto' copy HEREOF MAILED on 1-3 -- County Attorney DEUVERED All ON A \Dv?t-H OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT STORY COUNTY. IOWA II ?kPrraf/s'w (I'm H/lg/h/Ll