A female master’s graduate with the last name Bu from Shanxi province who had been missing for over a decade was recently found. It was revealed that she had been living with a villager and had multiple children, sparking comparisons to the infamous case of the “Iron Chain Woman” in Xuzhou and drawing public attention.
On January 22nd, Bu’s brother disclosed that the prosecutor’s office made a decision not to prosecute the father of her children, Zhang Moujun, and he has been released, leading to dissatisfaction among many netizens.
According to reports from Yangcheng Evening News and Ziniu News, Bu’s brother Mr. Bu stated that in mid-December of last year, he received a decision of non-prosecution from the Shanxi Heshun County Procuratorate.
The non-prosecution decision provided by Mr. Bu showed that Zhang Moujun, the father of the children, was not charged with rape as his actions were deemed significantly mild and of little harm, not considered a crime.
Furthermore, Mr. Bu received two indictments, where two fellow villagers of Zhang Moujun were accused of multiple rapes of Bu. The case was heard on December 29th last year and is awaiting a verdict.
Mr. Bu mentioned that his sister had not obtained a marriage certificate with Zhang Moujun, and “two villagers from the same village as Zhang Moujun had sexually assaulted my sister multiple times, and some details in the case materials made me suspect that Zhang Moujun might have been aware.”
According to the prosecutor’s indictment, Zhang Mouguo and Zhang Moulin had engaged in sexual relations with Bu on several occasions at Zhang Moujun’s home. In some instances, Zhang Moujun was present but only “reprimanded” to halt the sexual assault. Additionally, Zhang Mouguo also committed indecent acts with her daughter.
The case documents indicated that in December 2024, a judicial appraisal by the Shanxi Provincial Mental Illness Forensic Appraisal Center diagnosed Bu with schizophrenia and lacking in self-defense capabilities.
Mr. Bu stated that both cases were heard in the first instance on the morning of December 29th last year, and after the decision of non-prosecution for Zhang Moujun by the prosecutor’s office, he was released last year. The other two villagers pleaded guilty in court, and the case will be sentenced at a later date.
The news exposure triggered anger among many netizens, questioning, “Isn’t long-term rape still considered rape?” and “This fosters crime. Having relationships with individuals lacking self-defense abilities and bearing children turns the children into living evidence of sexual crimes. This is dereliction of duty.”
On January 23rd, the related topic surged to the second place on the hot search list on Weibo.
According to previous reports, Bu graduated with a master’s degree in 2008, but due to failing the Ph.D. examination, she developed schizophrenia and underwent multiple treatments.
On May 26th, 2011, Bu went missing from her home. It wasn’t until November 2024 that she was found with the help of a volunteer. By that time, she had been living with a villager named Zhang in Qingcheng Town, Shunxian County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi, for 11 years, and had multiple children, one of whom passed away, one was given for adoption, and the remaining two were 12 and 8 years old respectively. This incident led many Chinese netizens to recall the Xuzhou Feng County “Iron Chain Woman” incident, suspecting that Bu might have been trafficked.
However, the local police report claimed that Bu went missing due to her “schizophrenia” and was “taken in” by Zhang after her disappearance. Many netizens questioned the authorities for downplaying the incident, criticizing, “Will taking someone in lead them to have several children?” and “Insulting the intelligence of the public and challenging their bottom line.”
Under public pressure, an investigation team was established in December of that year, with authorities announcing that “criminal coercive measures have been taken against the persons involved.”
Related report:
Shanxi Female Master Missing for 13 Years Found with Two Children