Documents released by the University of Utah revealed its failure to protect student Zhifan Dong, 19, from her abusive ex-boyfriend.
She loved reading, drawing and petting any dog she saw.
This is who Zhifan Dong, slain University of Utah student, was.https://t.co/xxgyUZRDxY pic.twitter.com/PSKbtToXZK
— Courtney Tanner (@CourtneyLTanner) July 21, 2022
On Feb. 11, Salt Lake City police found the international student dead in a motel room after responding to reports from the University of Utah police department that a man was threatening to kill his girlfriend.
Dong’s ex-boyfriend, Haoyu Wang, 26, was in the room when the police arrived. According to court documents, Wang killed Dong before trying to take his life with drugs.
Wang is facing murder charges and will have a competency hearing on Aug. 8.
The University of Utah released a calendar timeline of the domestic relationship between the two, which revealed the university was aware Dong was in danger for weeks before her death.
On Jan. 14, Dong reported Wang’s suicidal threats to the university’s housing staff and noted that he was arrested after a physical altercation.
Police placed Dong on a temporary protective order after the incident. Bailey McGartland, Dong’s roommate, assisted Dong in filing reports of domestic violence against her boyfriend, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
“I felt so angry,” McGartland said. “It was absolutely preventable.”
Both Zhifan Dong and her roommate spoke to U. housing staff several times, reporting that Dong’s boyfriend had allegedly hit her after she broke up with him and that she was scared about what he would do next.https://t.co/WEHUAtTKjp
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) July 20, 2022
According to the Utah Daily Chronicle, reports revealed campus housing staff delayed notifying the university’s police department about Dang’s fear of safety.
Reports also provide evidence of “insufficient and unprofessional internal communication,” University President Taylor Randall said.
The “processes, procedures and trainings in housing that needed to be clarified and improved,” Randall said.
“Although the university made extensive efforts to support and ensure the safety of Dong and provide assistance to Wang, our self-evaluation revealed shortcomings,” Randall said.
Administrators also scolded housing staff members in a letter to them in March for not taking Dong’s case to a “welfare” matter. Had the employees placed her case on a higher concern classification, she may still be here.
“We trusted the University of Utah with our daughter’s safety, and they betrayed that trust,” Dong’s parents said in a statement provided to NBC News by their lawyer. “
“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,” their lawyer added.
The family plans to sue the university for failing to protect Dong while in their care.
