A man accused of kidnapping Zhang Yingying, a visiting Chinese scholar, will face trial on Sept 12 after pleading not guilty on Thursday in federal court.

Brendt Christensen, 28, of Champaign, was indicted eight days ago after his arrest on June 30 on a charge of kidnapping Zhang, 26, who attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Zhang has not been seen since a security camera showed her entering the passenger seat of the car of the suspect on June 9. Police believe she is no longer alive.