Missing College Student Found Dead in Crashed Rental Car After Going on 'Impulsive' Road Trip
Chris Liang
Almost a week after going missing, University of San Francisco student Christopher Liang was found dead in California.
Authorities confirmed Liang's death on Saturday after finding the Tesla he rented for a road trip overturned on a dry riverbed outside of Los Banos, the California Highway Patrol wrote in a crash report obtained by PEOPLE.
On Saturday, around 6:40 p.m. local time, police arrived at the scene of the crash after getting a tip from a witness, who was not present at the time of the crash but had seen the student's vehicle, "which was down a ditch and was not visible from the road."
"Firefighters arrived and were able to locate a deceased individual in the vehicle, a 2020 Tesla sedan," CHP wrote in the report.
Liang, 21, was "driving westbound on Panoche Road at an unknown speed" when his vehicle "ran off the road for an unknown reason" and fell down a cliff, authorities say.
Authorities were able to identify Liang as the deceased as the license plate of the vehicle matched his missing persons report.
Chris Liang
Citing a "lack of witnesses to the actual crash," CHP said that it could have happened anytime between Feb. 28 — when his family last had contact with him — and March 5, when he was found dead.
A spokesperson for the Fresno County Sheriff's Office tells PEOPLE that "pending anything new in the toxicology, it would appear the car crashing off a cliff caused his death."
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On Feb. 28, Liang set off for an "impulsive trip" from San Francisco to Irvine, his older brother Jerry wrote in an Instagram post asking for the public's help in finding him.
Jerry shared that his brother was traveling to meet a friend, but never arrived. Since then, he had missed classes at school as well as the Wednesday deadline to return the rental car.
"The last time he was in contact with anyone was 5 PM PST Monday, and he claimed to be in Firebaugh CA," he wrote in the Thursday post, noting that there is a Tesla supercharging station located there.
"Since then, his phone has been inaccessible and social media inactive," Jerry added.
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In the post, Jerry detailed the family's concern for Liang.
"The erratic nature of this trip combined with his mental health issues has made our family extremely concerned for his safety," he wrote. "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."
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At some point during the trip, Liang — who was a senior studying business — complained to a friend about experiencing car trouble, his brother told SFGate in an interview.
"The Tesla malfunctioned for, what, 20 minutes," Jerry told the outlet. "That's something that one of Chris' friends was able to tell me because my brother was complaining to [him] about it."
On Wednesday, CHP confirmed to PEOPLE that they are doing an inspection of the vehicle. Tesla did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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After the student's death was confirmed, his family released a statement asking for privacy.
"We greatly appreciate everyone's help and prayers," they wrote in a statement shared on a website they created to help keep track of updates regarding the search for Liang. "We ask that everyone respect our privacy as we go through this difficult time."
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, USF President Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. shared that the community is "collectively heartbroken."
"We send our deepest condolences to his family, who were anxiously seeking information through social media and media reports in the days Chris was missing," wrote Fitzgerald, a priest and member of the Society of Jesus. "As his USF community offers comfort and support, we pray that Chris's family, friends, classmates, and professors — who are experiencing profound loss and sadness in the face of many questions — will find solace and peace."
