'They failed to protect her': Parents of student who was killed criticize University of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The parents of a University of Utah student who was killed in February criticized the school Wednesday for what they called the university's failure "to protect her when she needed it the most."

Although police and staff members made numerous efforts to help the endangered and missing U. student who was the alleged victim of domestic violence — who was later found deceased in a Salt Lake hotel — the university acknowledged Tuesday there were delays in getting the ball rolling due in part to a lack of communication.

On Feb. 11, U. student Zhifan Dong, 19, of Anyan, China, was found unresponsive in a Salt Lake hotel after being injected with drugs purchased by her boyfriend off the dark web, according to police. Haoyu Wang, 26, who is also from China and was a student at the time, was charged with murder, a first-degree felony, in addition to two counts of drug possession with intent to distribute, a second-degree and a third-degree felony.

On Tuesday, the University of Utah released an extensive timeline of its involvement leading up to Dong's death.

"The timeline and related actions reveal a complex mix of behavioral health challenges, underlying staffing shortages, intimate partner violence, off-campus events, missing persons, and alleged criminal actions," the university said in a statement. Despite extensive efforts to help the couple — including 25 courses of action over a 29-day period — "the university acknowledges shortcomings in its response to this complex situation, including insufficient and unprofessional communications, a need for clarity in the training of housing workers, and a delay in notifying University police and the Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Title IX of indications of intimate partner violence."

Despite the school's acknowledgment, Dong's parents say the university failed them.

"We trusted the University of Utah with our daughter's safety and care. They failed her and now our hearts are broken because our precious daughter was taken from us," Junfang Shen, Dong's mother, said in a prepared statement issued through attorney Brian Stewart.

"We trusted the University of Utah with our daughter's safety, and they betrayed that trust. They knew Zhifan was in serious danger but failed to protect her when she needed it the most. We do not want her death to be in vain," added her father, Mingsheng Dong.

Dong and Wang enrolled at the University of Utah in the fall, moved into on-campus housing and soon began dating. According to the University of Utah's timeline:

• On Jan. 12, Wang was arrested for investigation of domestic violence and accused of hitting Dong in the head while the two stayed at a Salt Lake hotel. Wang was charged with assault, a class B misdemeanor. A protective order was issued against Wang following his arrest.

But university officials say there is no system currently in place for local police to notify colleges and universities of protective orders involving students.

• The next day, Dong called police again "due to Wang's behavior."
• Then on Jan. 14, Dong "reports Wang's suicidal ideation to housing staff and asks that they conduct a wellness check." This marks the first time the university is notified of Wang's arrest two days earlier. University housing officials are able to speak to Dong, but do not make contact with Wang.
• On Jan. 18 and 19, neither Dong nor Wang respond to emails and calls from housing officials. Contact with Wang is finally made on Jan. 24, at which time he tells housing staff that he already has a counseling appointment set up and does not need further assistance.
• Housing staffers are unable to make contact with Dong on either Jan. 24 or Jan. 31. On Jan. 31, staffers call another Haoyu Wang enrolled at the U., not realizing they've contacted the wrong person, according to the university. "As a result, he is not reported missing."
• From Jan. 31 through Feb. 4, Dong does not go to class and one of her instructors contacts Utah Global, a program aimed at providing international students with support, to express concern.
• On Feb. 6, Dong's roommate also reports her concern about not seeing Dong for a while. That same day, Dong finally responds to texts from housing staffers and claims, "I'm OK," and that she does not need help.
• The next day, on Feb. 7, housing staffers determine Dong hasn't used her university access card since Jan. 28 and Utah Global requests that a welfare check be conducted.
• On Feb. 8, housing staffers meet with Dong's suitemate who says she has not seen Dong in a week. Housing staff then files a missing person's report.
• The Behavioral Intervention Team is contacted and after also failing to make contact with Dong, files a missing person's report with University police. Once U. police become involved, they learn for the first time about the Jan. 12 incident and the protective order.
• Police are able to connect with Dong through a video call. She gives officers a tour of her hotel room over the phone, but "she declines to say where she is or have in-person contact with police."
• Officers "ping" Dong's phone, and end up checking seven downtown hotels in a one-mile radius, including the one where Dong's body would be found three days later. But despite being given names and photos of both Wang and Dong, the clerk working that day said neither were there.
• A crime victim advocate is also able to text message with Dong that day who claims "she wants to handle her protective order on her own." Dong also messages a housing staff member and claims she is safe and will return to school in a few days.
• On Feb. 9, Dong texts a housing administrator and declines to meet that day, but says she will meet in person on Feb. 11.
• A university representative contacted Dong's mother on Feb. 9 to express concern that Dong had not been seen in 10 days and that she won't tell anyone where she is. The mother said she has spoken to her daughter through a video chat and that she was sad over breaking up with Wang, but otherwise fine and would return to campus.
• On Feb. 10, Wang spoke to housing administration by phone and said "he is upset about the arrest and his reputation as a 'domestic abuser,'" and that he would not be returning to campus.
• At 3:51 a.m. on Feb. 11, Wang sends an email to a housing administrator saying he and Dong have decided to take their own lives together. The administrator sees the email at 4:55 a.m.
• University police ping both Dong's and Wang's phones, and this time are able to narrow the search to a much smaller area and return to the Quality Inn Downtown, 616 S. 200 West. This time, officers find Dong unresponsive after being injected with a fatal dose of heroin by Wang, according to police.

Dong's parents have retained the law firm of Parker & McConkie, the same firm that represented the family of Lauren McCluskey in their civil lawsuit against the University of Utah for failing to protect their daughter before she was killed on campus.

"The University of Utah failed Zhifan and her family, allowing her to be needlessly killed by another student who was known to have violently assaulted her only weeks before. (University police) and (the university) failed to take necessary action to prevent Zhifan's murder despite receiving repeated reports of the real risks she faced. Especially after professing to have learned from Lauren McCluskey's death, it is inexcusable that the university continues to make the same mistakes with the same tragic consequences," Stewart said in a statement. "It is clear that real change is still required in how the university responds to reports of intimate partner violence in order to prevent these tragedies from continuing to occur."

University of Utah President Taylor R. Randall issued a prepared statement Tuesday following the release of the timeline.

"During my first year serving as your president, I have unfortunately witnessed firsthand the pain and suffering of family, friends and teammates of two of our students who were murdered — Aaron Lowe and Zhifan Dong. I sat with their families, heard the heartache in their voices and saw the pain in their tears. No loved ones should ever have to endure such sorrow. After each immeasurable loss, I have been moved to call for change and to challenge our campus community to do more," he stated.

"Although the university made extensive efforts to support and ensure the safety of Dong and provide assistance to Wang, our self-evaluation revealed shortcomings: a delay by former members of our housing services staff in notifying the University of Utah Police Department of indications of intimate partner violence; a deficiency in our housing services employees' training; and insufficient and unprofessional internal communication.

"Rest assured, we have addressed each of these areas, including corrective action against four employees who are no longer employed by the university."

The university on Tuesday also released letters sent in March to housing staffers involved the Dong situation. The names of the staffers that the scathing letters were sent to were redacted.

"I am writing to inform you that you are not meeting the expectations of your position. Specifically, you failed to follow policy and procedures for mandatory reporting," the letters state.

Randall continued his statement by noting, "In addition, since the tragic murder of Lauren McCluskey in 2018, the U. has made broad-sweeping changes to our safety practices to better ensure our students' safety. We have completely transformed University of Utah Public Safety based on the recommendations from the independent McCluskey review and the most recent state audit of our police department.

"When it comes to protecting our students, our job is never done. I've challenged university senior leaders to leave no stone unturned as we seek additional ways to enhance student safety, and I encourage all of you to do the same — every student, staff member, and faculty. We must always actively prioritize the health and well-being of the students entrusted to our care."

Wang's next court date is a competency hearing scheduled for Aug. 8.

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