Changchun Car Thief Surrenders, Strangled Baby Buried in Snow

The child's aunt crying, begging the car thief to return to infant baby and promising not to press charges. — Through around the clock work by the police, through multiple investigation methods, and classifying Zhou Xijun as a “304” primary suspect. Under intense police pressure, Zhou Xijun turned himself in to police at 5pm on March 5th. Through preliminary interrogation, Zhou Xijun was identified as a 48-years-old male, from Gongzhuling city in Jilin province who currently resides in Changchun city Jingkai district. Photo is of March 4th, of the child’s aunt sobbing and crying, “I beg you, just give me the child, I won’t ask for anything else.”

Changchun Stolen Car Already Found, Baby in Car Missing

Summary: March 4th morning at around 7:20, at the Xihuancheng Lu and Longhua Lu intersection in Changchun, a silver-gray Toyota RAV4 with license plate “吉A·MM102” was stolen, with a 2-month-old male infant in the car.

Yesterday around 10, the Changchun City Public Security Bureau held a press conference. After Changchun city police learned of the incident, over 3500 traffic, patrol, and special police officers searched the entire city for the automobile.

A silver grey Toyota RAV4 in Changchun, China that was stolen with an infant baby in the back seat. — March 4th, Changchun, the photo of the stolen vehicle released by the police.

[…]

Hundreds of taxis voluntarily went out searching for the infant

After the incident, many Changchun taxis and private car owners immediately joined in the search upon learning about it, with hundreds of taxis at this point having abandoned their normal business and many private car owners abandoning work to voluntarily search the entire city for the stolen car and the little infant.

To awe and intimidate the criminal suspect, nearly all of the vehicles participating in the search turned on their emergency blinkers. Some Changchun media and netizens made appeals hoping that other silver-grey RAV4s would not take to the road, to save unnecessary trouble for the kind-hearted masses and police looking for the baby boy.

Taxis gathered in Changchun to help search for the missing infant. — March 4th, Changchun, at the city exits or plazas were assembled many taxis helping search for the infant boy.

Taxis gathered to help search for an infant boy accidentally abducted in the back seat of a stolen car. — March 4th, Changchun, upon discovering a similar car, they gathered around it to investigate.

Many Changchun drivers and taxi drivers helping in a city-wide search for a stolen car that had an infant baby boy in the backseat. — March 4th, nightfall, many private car owners and taxi drivers searching for the stolen car.

From NetEase:

Changchun Car Case Suspect Surrenders, Infant Strangled Buried in Snow

According to information posted by the Jilin Provincial Public Security Bureau Official Weibo @吉林公安, suspect Zhou Xijun surrendered himself to the police on the 5th. According to Zhou Xijun’s explanation, after stealing the car, Zhou discovered the infant boy crying, then strangled the child to death, and buried it in the snow by the roadside.

A silver grey Toyota RAV4 that was stolen in Changchun, China, found. — March 5th, Changchun, the missing car was found near the Dayingzi School in Gongzhuling city.

Changchun police investigating the possible stolen vehicle. — According to Zhou Xijun’s testimony, at around 5pm on March 4th, he stole the silver-grey Toyota RAV4 SUV (license plate 吉AMM102) parked in front of a market at the intersection of Changchun city’s West 4th Ring Road and Longhua Road, drove straight to the Changchun to Shuangliao public road. En route, he discovered the infant baby in the back seat, and on the side of the public road from Gongzhuling City Huaide Town to Yongfa Village, he strangled the infant and buried it in the snow. Photo is of police investigating the suspected stolen vehicle.

The baby's blanket and other items in the stolen car. — March 5h, Changchun, the blanket that wrapped the baby and other items in the car.

The abducted child's relatives rush to the scene upon hearing that the stolen car has been found. — March 5th, Changchun, the child’s family rush to the scene after hearing the news.

Chinese police recover the pink blanket that had wrapped the infant boy killed by a car thief. — Gongzhulin city Yongfa village, criminal police found the pink blanket that wrapped the baby.

Chinese police and police dogs searching for a baby in the snow. — March 5th, Changchun, police dogs near the scene of the theft to search [for the baby].

A "For Family Market" where the family's car was stolen. — March 4th, Changchun, the location where the car was lost.

Photo of a 2-month-old infant that was abducted when the car he was in was stolen. The child was later found strangled and bured in the snow by the side of the road. — March 4th, Changchun, photo of the missing infant.

Comments from NetEase:

网易浙江省绍兴市网友:

[He] can be executed now.

网易广东省中山市网友:

If you’re going to steal a car, then steal the car, why commit murder? Recommend that these child-killers all be executed.

khdliu [网易上海市网友]：

Why did he have to do this??

緈鍢尛吥 [网易辽宁省沈阳市网友]：

Too vile! He should pay with his life!!!!

网易河南省网友:

I feel numb all over. I am a child’s father, I can understand the feelings of all fathers and mothers.
What an evil man. If you were to commit suicide I would think you human. But you are not human for now surrendering yourself, dreading punishment for your crime, no better than beast!

网易陕西省汉中市网友 [把酒问青天呀]:

Fuck… From when I saw the news yesterday to today, I’ve been paying close attention to this incident, even thinking about it at night when trying to sleep. When I reached the office in the morning, I looked at the latest news, hoping to see good news. At noon, my coworkers and I even analyzed the incident, and even though our analysis was that everything bodes ill, I still prayed for the child hoping for a miracle to appear. I never thought the ending would still be this sad. Zhou Xijun, you beast, should’ve just directly cut off your flesh… yes, and with a blunt knife… fuck…

网易安徽省阜阳市网友:

Agreed, only people with children can understand this kind… [of feeling]

网易四川省乐山市网友:

I keep wondering, why was the infant left alone in the car? Don’t let this kind of tragedy happen again. If parents were more careful, children would suffer so much less!

网易广东省广州市天河区网友:

How could anyone put their hands on [kill] such a cute child? It had just arrived in this world for 2 months, and before it had the chance to see to really see this world, it has had to leave.

纯粹d路过 [网易重庆市网友]：

Utterly heartless! 48-year-old, does he himself not have a child?

The missing baby's grandmother crying. — March 4th, Changchun, the grandmother of the lost baby crying inconsolably.

Comments from Sina Weibo:

觉民社：

A country that can have a government that can have its own people cut the throats and shoot dead its own people while still collecting a 5 cent bullet fee will certainly have evil people who are vicious enough to strangely to death a two-month old infant—-Welcome to the world of devils and beasts!

我很刘畅：

Mainland China not only doesn’t have safe milk that can raise a child, it doesn’t even have a safe social environment.

_XXVII：

A weak-minded brute to the extreme. How big could the crime of stealing a car be? Committing murder is simply being an idiot. Even able to kill a little infant. How could anyone do such a thing. God, just what is wrong with Chinese people? Why are Chinese people such beasts? Have we all lost our minds over money?

手机用户1815366537：

Little Haobo, be good, don’t cry, follow the road to heaven, it will be very lonely, don’t blame the police, don’t blame the parents, only hate Zhou Xijun for being so savage, and when you reincarnate in your next life, find a good family, regardless of whether rich or poor, that won’t leave or abandon you!

langwanhui：

A robber is able to drive the car out of the provincial capital city filled with surveillance cameras, strutting out from beneath the police’s nose, and over the 30+ hours between the incident and his surrender, the police dispatched over 10,000 people without finding this car, and they say they were working around the clock continuously? Multiple investigation methods? May I ask the police: What are your video cameras and surveillance cameras for? When they are so accurate when it comes to photographing traffic violators? Are they just used for fining taxpayers? The guy surrenders himself, and you guys come and take the credit! So sad!

铛我是条鳗鱼cri：

Fuck… what was this person thinking… This kind of vicious person must not be allowed to live. Although sometimes I think the death penalty is rather cruel, this person must be sentenced to death… too fucking furious.

无端而歌：

Pandora, please! Close your box of evil! The human race is mad enough, the evil of human nature cannot be this unbridled!

zoe宣宣：

Was it because we spread [the news to find the car and baby] too fast that the thief panicked and resorted to such desperate measures? [The original Chinese text is literally “cornered dog jumps wall”]

再见卡比巴拉：

I really want to ask one question, once the police were called, what were all the traffic cops at each intersection doing? If they had promptly just seized the moment a little more, would the child’s end be different?

遥-不可及-YY：

Please don’t denounce the parents as being careless. Although they indeed were negligent, they were indeed also afraid of the child being cold. We can only remind parents everywhere that they can leave someone to watch the child. No matter when and where, one must not let your child leave your sight.

天下人尽在撸：

Why did he surrender himself? Was it done by his son? I question and request the truth.

饭饭他爸_：

“Human scum” can no longer describe this kind of person!! Executing him ten thousand times would not be enough! Little baby, may you rest in peace in heaven.