In recent days, media in many places have reported on parents seeking help to find their children. The content of the parents’ requests for help is similar: 18-year-old and 19-year-old children went out to travel or work during the summer vacation, and lost contact when they left the country without their family’s knowledge.
The police reminded that during the summer vacation, students should be wary of being lured abroad.
Three high school students in Huanggang, Hubei lost contact after “going to Yunnan to deliver rhino horns”
On July 15, a mother in Hubei urgently asked Elephant News for help, saying that her high school son and two classmates lost contact after going to Xishuangbanna on June 24, and are currently suspected to be in Myanmar. She hopes that all sectors of society can lend a hand.
A high school student in Hubei lost contact after going to Xishuangbanna on June 24
The mother revealed that her son had previously met a “big brother” on the Internet, who invited her son and two other classmates to go with him on the grounds of “going to Yunnan to deliver rhino horns.” On June 24, the three children arrived in Kunming by plane and said they would be able to return home in three days.
The mother told the reporter of Elephant News, “I called him once, and he said he was at the station and it was very noisy, and he would call me when he got to a quiet place, but I never got his call. From the circle of friends they posted on the evening of the 25th, they were in northern Myanmar. The phone was turned off on the 26th, so I panicked and called the police.”
On July 16, the Huangzhou Branch of the Huanggang Public Security Bureau in Hubei Province issued a police report:
Regarding the online information that “Huanggang high school students lost contact after going to Xishuangbanna”, the public security organs verified that the situation was basically true.
Preliminary investigations showed that the three high school students arrived in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan together on June 25, and lost contact with their family and friends on June 27, and the location they sent was shown as being abroad.
After receiving the report on June 27, the Huangzhou District Public Security Bureau filed a case for investigation and set up a special team to rush to Yunnan to carry out work. At present, the public security organs are working with relevant departments to make every effort to find them.
Police remind: During the summer vacation, students and parents should be highly vigilant about part-time job information with “zero threshold and high return” to avoid falling into traps.
An 18-year-old high school student in Hefei, Anhui Province lost contact in Xishuangbanna
Hu Yixiao is from Lujiang County, Hefei City, Anhui Province, and just turned 18. According to information provided by his family, the child left home in April this year to find a job and sent back his work place. In June, his family found that his mobile phone traffic usage was much less than before, and they felt something was wrong. They could not contact him when they called again. After reporting the case, the police found that Hu Yixiao took a flight from Nanjing, Jiangsu to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan on June 4. In the early morning of June 5, his figure appeared near the intersection of Mengle Avenue and Mengla Road in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna, and then lost his trace.
After the incident attracted attention, on July 15, the Public Security Bureau of Hefei City, Anhui Province issued a notice stating that the public security organs are working with relevant departments to carry out search and other work, and the results of the investigation will be reported in a timely manner. On the afternoon of the 15th, Hu Yixiao’s family told Nandu reporters that the online rumors that he suffered from depression were true and he was diagnosed last year. There has been no new progress on Hu Yixiao’s whereabouts, but his family has just received a new clue about his whereabouts, “someone called and said that he seemed to have seen him in late June”, and the relevant situation is pending verification.
A 19-year-old high school student in Hanzhong, Shaanxi lost contact while “looking for a summer job”, and the last message was “I am in Myanmar”
In Hanzhong, Shaanxi, a mother asked the media for help, saying that her 19-year-old son was suspected of being deceived into Myanmar and lost contact.
According to Xiaoxiang Morning News, Peng Yuxuan, a high school graduate in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, found a summer job online after the college entrance examination and filled in his application. He then went from Hanzhong to Xi’an, Kunming, Yunnan, Pu’er and other places, and later lost contact. Before losing contact, he told his girlfriend that he was in Myanmar.
Peng Yuxuan’s mother, Ms. Yang, said that on the evening of July 9, she called her son’s mobile phone, but the person who answered the phone was not Peng Yuxuan. In addition to Ms. Yang, at least two other people also called Peng Yuxuan, including Peng Yuxuan’s classmates and girlfriend.
A call record obtained by Xiaoxiang Morning News reporters showed that the person who answered the phone claimed to be Burmese and worked in the park. Peng Yuxuan’s mobile phone card was given to him by a friend.
The man who answered the phone said that he got the mobile phone card near Pangkham, Myanmar, and stayed in Pangkham for only two days before going to another place. The man did not reveal where the person who gave him the phone card went later.
Ms. Yang told Xiaoxiang Morning News reporters that Peng Yuxuan had never applied for a passport. On the afternoon of July 4, he lost contact at the Yunnan border and told his girlfriend “I am in Myanmar” and then there was no news.
On July 5, Ms. Yang reported to the police in Hanzhong, Shaanxi and Pu’er, Yunnan. The Hanzhong police have intervened in the investigation and informed Ms. Yang of Peng Yuxuan’s movements in the country, which is basically consistent with the trajectory described by his girlfriend. The Hanzhong police said that the situation has been reported and is under further investigation.
Yunnan police told Ms. Yang that they could find out that Peng Yuxuan flew from Xi’an to Kunming, but no other valid information was found. Ms. Yang contacted the police at Meng’a Port, but the port did not find any trace of Peng Yuxuan.
Ms. Yang got the news from her son’s girlfriend, “He sent her four words, I’m in Myanmar.” After that, he told his girlfriend that his life was safe and no one was controlling him. When his girlfriend sent her news about fraud in northern Myanmar, Peng Yuxuan also said that he had not been fraudulent.
“We are an ordinary rural family and we don’t know what to do now.” Ms. Yang told the reporter of Xiaoxiang Morning News that after her son lost contact, she had received many calls saying that they had connections with the Myanmar military and could help them rescue people, but they needed to pay a fee of 200,000 yuan. Ms. Yang was worried about being deceived, so she handled each call carefully.
19-year-old boy from Xuzhou, Jiangsu lost contact after going to Cambodia
A woman from Suining County, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province said that in May, her 19-year-old son Tao Zhe flew from Guangzhou to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and has not been contacted so far. In the video, Tao Zhe’s mother choked up and said: “I hope he can come back as soon as possible, and I hope kind people can help forward it.”
On July 16, Tao Zhe’s family told reporters that Tao Zhe had worked in Xuzhou City before, but he had limited social experience and was easy to trust others. Tao Zhe has been out of contact for 2 months, and there is no news about his specific location for the time being. “Tao Zhe is more rebellious and not very obedient, so he doesn’t contact his family frequently. I heard from the police that it seems that someone contacted Tao Zhe to work abroad, saying it was a high-paying job.”
The family learned from the local police station that Tao Zhe was engaged in takeaway work in Tongshan District, Xuzhou City before the incident. On May 1, 2025, he took a train from Xuzhou High-speed Railway Station to Guangzhou City, and took a flight from Guangzhou City to Phnom Penh, Cambodia with his passport the next day. After reporting the situation to the intelligence department, it is planned to be handled as a request for help from the masses.
Suining County police confirmed that they had received relevant reports.
Henan college student went to Thailand and lost contact. Police said someone booked a hotel for the child but did not check in.
On June 20, Li Yanhao, a 20-year-old student at Shangqiu Vocational and Technical College, told his family that he would use the summer vacation to work in Shangqiu, and then left home. At 5 pm on the 21st, his family called him but no one answered. That night, the family learned from Li Yanhao’s classmates that Li Yanhao said that a “good brother” introduced him to Thailand to make money and he would be back in two or three days.
Li Yanhao, a 20-year-old student at Shangqiu Vocational and Technical College, told his family that he would use the summer vacation to work in Shangqiu, and then left home and lost contact.
On the evening of June 21, Li Yanhao’s father, Mr. Li, reported to the police station in Sangyu Township, Xiayi County about his son’s loss of contact. According to Jimu News, the reporter contacted the Sangyu Township Police Station in Xiayi County, and the police said that the county had set up a special case team for the case, including Shangqiu, Zhengzhou and other places to investigate, but did not disclose the progress of the case.
Mr. Li said that according to the advice of the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, he flew to Bangkok, Thailand on July 6 and went to the Bangkok Second Police Station near Bangkok Airport to report the case. The police station took a record of him as soon as possible, and then helped him retrieve the surveillance video near the airport, but did not allow him to view the video content.
Two hours later, the police said that they had found the taxi that Li Mouhao was riding at the time through surveillance and contacted the taxi driver. However, because the driver was older, he could not remember the situation on that day. After Mr. Li took the alarm materials to the embassy, the staff told him to wait for news.
Mr. Li told reporters that after his son lost contact, the Henan police had been searching and investigating with all their strength. The family confirmed from the police that Li Yanhao took the G1949 high-speed train at Shangqiu Station on the afternoon of June 20, got off at Zhengzhou East Station at 15:00 on the same day, and took flight SL965 to Thailand at Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport at 18:20 on the same day. The family also learned from the police that someone had booked a room for their son at a three-star hotel in Bangkok, Thailand through the Internet. The booking order showed check-in on June 20 and check-out on June 23, but in fact no one was staying in the room.
“After the child lost contact, his grandparents in their 70s cried all day and are now bedridden.” Mr. Li said that since there was no clue to find his son in Thailand, he sent the Thai police’s alarm record to the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and returned home soon after. Now, Mr. Li is waiting for news from his son every day.
A freshman boy in Jining, Shandong was suspected of being deceived to Cambodia
According to Inspur News, on July 12, Ms. Zhou from Jining, Shandong asked reporters for help, saying that her 21-year-old son was missing and suspected of being deceived to Cambodia.
Ms. Zhou’s son Zhang Yuxi is a freshman majoring in digital operations and hotel management at Shandong Engineering Vocational and Technical University. On July 5, Zhang Yuxi left school and went to Beihai, Guangxi to work during the summer vacation. He last contacted Ms. Zhou on July 6, and then there was no news.
Freshman Zhang Yuxi lost contact
After Zhang Yuxi disappeared for more than 24 hours, Ms. Zhou reported to the local police in Da’an Town, Yanzhou District, Jining City, Shandong Province. On the evening of July 12, Ms. Zhou learned from the local police that Zhang Yuxi was currently in Cambodia and was suspected of being taken to Cambodia with three other students.
16-year-old boy in Puning, Guangdong was deceived to Myanmar and lost contact
According to the Metropolis Express, recently, two boys aged 14 and 16 in Puning, Guangdong were deceived to Myanmar with “high-paying jobs” as bait and were asked for a ransom of more than 200,000 yuan. On July 16, a reporter from Chengshi Interactive learned that the 14-year-old boy had been rescued and returned to China. The father of another 16-year-old boy, Xiao Zheng, said that there is still no news about the child.
Xiao Zheng was born in 2008. His father, Mr. Zheng, said that when his son was in the third year of junior high school, he said that he did not want to go to school anymore. They agreed and went to the school with him to go through the procedures for suspension of study. After suspension of study, the child went to Shenzhen to join his uncle who was in the catering business.
“My son is very well behaved. He earns 4,000 to 5,000 yuan a month. He transfers 3,000 yuan to his mother every time. During his work, he also returned to school to take the graduation exam and get his diploma.”
Mr. Zheng said that on the morning of June 13, the child asked his mother for 600 yuan. At that time, he had just received his salary, and his family did not know what he wanted the money for. On June 14, Mr. Zheng was going to Shenzhen. He called the child in the early morning and asked him if he wanted to go back to his hometown together, but Xiao Zheng refused.
Not long ago, Xiao Zheng said that the restaurant business was not good, and the boss’s wife (his uncle’s partner) agreed to pay some train fare to go home first, and then go back to work after opening a new restaurant at the end of the month. “He didn’t tell me where he was either, and I always thought he was in the restaurant.”
On June 15 and 16, Xiao Zheng’s mother called her son several times via video, but none of them worked. “Until June 19, he still didn’t answer the phone. Later, I called the boss’s wife and found out that the child hadn’t been seen for several days. We quickly asked the boss’s wife to call the police in Shenzhen.”
Mr. Zheng said that the 14-year-old child with his son was also from the same village. “His parents also said that they couldn’t contact the child, there was no phone number, only WeChat.” So the two families went to the police station to report the case together.
Mr. Zheng learned from the parents of the children in the same village that on June 13, the two children took the high-speed rail from Shenzhen North Station, passed Guangzhou to Guangxi, and finally lost contact in Kunming. The family speculated that the two may have seen high-paying recruitment advertisements online and were deceived.
“We called the police but there was no news. On June 21, a 14-year-old child from the same village called back and said that a ransom of 250,000 yuan was required before he could go back.”
According to a report by the Beijing News on July 11, the family of the person involved learned that the 14-year-old boy had been rescued. The family said that on June 13, the fraudster bought him a ticket, “telling him how much he earned in the past, and designing a scam for him based on what kind of job he wanted to do, slowly leading him over, going back and forth many times, and when he arrived at the border, he told him that he had to walk and climb mountains, and there were many people smuggling over, one after another.”
The boy’s family also said that the fraudsters assigned the victims to different parks according to their different skills, and the two children were scattered in different parks.
“My son is the youngest one. In the park, the fraudsters hit my son’s feet twice with a PVC pipe and threatened to beat him with this if he didn’t obey. My son said, ‘Can I be redeemed by my family?’ On the 21st, the park agreed.”
As for how the 14-year-old child from the same village was rescued, Xiao Zheng’s father had no idea.
Comprehensive from Xinmin Weekly, Elephant News, Southern Metropolis Daily, Xiaoxiang Morning News, Guangzhou Daily, Jimu News, Langzhang News, Yangcheng Evening News, Metropolis Express, Beijing News, Chengshi News, etc.
