Missing College Student Found Dead In Overturned Tesla After 'Impulsive Trip' On Rented Vehicle

KEY POINTS

Christopher Liang went missing on Feb. 28
His body was found alongside Interstate 5 in Fresno County on Saturday
He told his family that he was driving to his hometown of Irvine

A college student from California who went missing for more than a week after going on an "impulsive trip" was found dead in an overturned Tesla that he rented for the journey, officials said.

Christopher Liang, a senior student at the University of San Francisco, went missing on Feb. 28 after he rented out a white 2020 Tesla Model 3. After a week-long search, the 21-year-old was found dead in a flipped-over Tesla alongside Interstate 5 in Fresno County, NBC News reported.

The California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a vehicle crash along Panoche Road west of Los Banos on Saturday and found a male victim inside the vehicle who was later identified as Christopher, CBS SF Bay Area reported.

Since there are no witnesses to the actual crash, the investigators believe that car could have gone over the cliff at any time after Christopher was last seen.

After taking the rental car, Christopher told his friends and family that he was driving south to his hometown of Irvine while he had classes in San Francisco. His family grew concerned about his "erratic trip" as they lost contact with him. Christopher failed to show up even after he passed the due date to return the rental car.

Soon after Christopher went missing, his brother Jerry Liang issued a social media appeal with the hashtag "#FindChrisLiang" to look out for him. "I am concerned for his life," Jerry wrote in an Instagram post last week, adding that Christopher struggled with mental health issues.

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A post shared by Jerry Liang (@jeriscc)

"The erratic nature of this trip combined with his mental health issues has made our family extremely concerned for his safety. This is his first time driving since he got his license in March, and he has never booked a hotel in his life. I'm terrified and heartbroken. I’ve tried ALL I could with the police but to no avail." Jerry said. The family also had offered $10k to anyone with a lead to find Christopher.

Meanwhile, it is unclear how the crash happened and the exact date on which it occurred. The California Highway Patrol Los Banos division said the case is under investigation, and details will be revealed later.