$10,000 Reward Offered In Nationwide Manhunt For Person Of Interest In Yale Student's Murder

The U.S. Marshals Service has announced it is now offering a $10,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of a person of interest in the ongoing murder investigation of a Yale student earlier this month.

A nationwide manhunt is underway for 29-year-old Qinxuan Pan, who was last seen driving with family members in Brookhaven or Duluth, Georgia on Feb. 11, according to a press release from the U.S. Marshals Service. Family members described Pan as carrying a black backpack and said that he was “acting strange,” according to the release.

Authorities last saw Pan stuck on railroad tracks with a flat tire the night of Feb. 6, shortly after Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang died after being shot numerous times, according to the New Haven Independent. Pan had his license and the vehicle he was driving was properly registered; police had the car towed before escorting Pan back to the hotel where he was staying, North Haven police chief Kevin Glenn told the Independent.

Later that evening, the department received a call from an officer in another police unit in Massachusetts, who said that Pan’s car had been reported stolen, Glenn said.

Pan is currently wanted on charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and interstate theft of a vehicle, according to the Marshals Service. Authorities have also named him a person of interest in Jiang’s murder and are seeking him for questioning, according to a press release from the New Haven police. However, he is not considered a suspect in Jiang’s murder, New Haven police chief Otoniel Reyes said at a Feb. 10 press conference.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals increased the reward offered for Pan’s whereabouts from $5,000 to $10,000, according to WHDH, a Boston-based news station.

Pan is a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is where he met Jiang’s fiancee, Zion Perry, according to the Independent. Jiang had proposed to Perry just a week before his murder. It’s unclear how well Pan and Perry knew each other, but photos acquired by the Independent show them speaking to each other at a party.

Prior to Jiang's murder, Pan had been seen at several car dealerships, according to the New Haven Register. He test drove vehicles and took them to a mechanic for inspection, but apparently did not buy one of the cars.

Pan is described as six feet tall with a medium complexion and short, black hair. He is considered armed and dangerous, and individuals “should not attempt to apprehend him themselves,” according to the Marshals Service.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals at (877) 926-8332 or New Haven homicide detectives at (203) 946-6304.