夫妇带走女童后自杀，女童失踪 Girl missing after being taken by a couple who committed suicide

Police are searching(寻找 xúnzhǎo) for a 9-year-old girl from Hangzhou who was taken by a couple who later committed suicide(自杀 zìshā).

Zhang Zixin lived with her grandparents(祖父母 zǔfùmǔ), as her parents(父母 fùmǔ) were separated and her father(父亲 fùqīn) worked in another city. On June 20, a couple named Liang and Xie rented(租用 zūyòng) Zhang's family home in Hangzhou.

A combo photo shows the 9-year-old Hangzhou girl Zhang Zixin (left) and the tenant couple walking on the street. [Photo: China Plus/xiangshan.gov.cn]

The couple told Zhang's grandparents that they would like her to be the flower girl at a wedding in Shanghai on July 3. Zhang's father opposed(反对 fǎnduì) the idea when the grandparents mentioned it to him over the phone, but Liang and Xie took the girl in the early morning next day, promising(承诺 chéngnuò) to bring her back by July 7. It is unclear whether the grandparents gave their consent for the girl to leave with the couple.

Zhang's father was in contact with the couple via WeChat until they stopped replying on July 7. He reported his daughter as missing(失踪 shīzōng) to the police on July 8, the same day police discovered the couple had committed suicide.

Zhang Zixin was last spotted with the couple by a security camera on the evening of July 7 in Xiangshan, Zhejiang Province. Police in Xiangshan have organized a search for the girl and are offering a 20,000 yuan (about 2,912 US dollars) reward for information about the girl's whereabouts.

This unusual(不寻常的 bù xúncháng de) case has captured nationwide attention. It has become one of the hottest topics(热点话题 rèdiǎn huàtí) on Weibo, with some posts about the case garnering hundreds of millions of views. Commenters have questioned the relationship between the girl's parents and the unusual circumstances under which she was taken.

重点词汇 Key Word:

失踪 go missing; disappear

• E.g. Chúle shāngwáng zhī wài, hái yǒu xǔduō rén shīzōng.
  除了伤亡之外,还有许多人失踪。
  In addition to the killed and wounded, many were missing.

• Tā de shīzōng ràng jǐngfāng hěn kùnhuò.
  她的失踪让警方很困惑。
  Her disappearance has baffled police.