URBANA, Ill. (AP) — The parents of a Chinese scholar allegedly abducted and killed in Illinois had hoped to stay in the United States until the remains of their daughter were found. But after months of agony, they are ready to return to China, where they will wait for answers half a world away.

Twenty-six-year-old Yingying Zhang (ying ying zahng), a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, disappeared June 9. A former graduate student has been charged with kidnapping and killing her. Zhang’s body has not been found.

Zhang’s parents, brother and boyfriend arrived in Illinois after she vanished, hopeful she’d be found alive. After authorities discovered evidence leading them to believe she’d been killed, they decided to stay until her remains were found. Now they plan to return Sunday to China.