Maryland statistician called 911 to report killing her mom, police say

 

Montgomery County Police have charged Tiffany Zhang, a 29-year-old with a master’s degree in her field, with first-degree murder.

Over their police radios, officers listened as a dispatcher relayed a 911 call from a woman named Tiffany Zhang. “She claimed that she murdered her mother yesterday at twilight,” the dispatcher reported. “No known weapons were involved, but she stated she used her phone to strike her mother’s head and mentioned that the body is with her, although she later said it’s in a yard among the trees.”

The initial details of the case from Montgomery County, Maryland, last week hinted at the potential influence of mental illness on the events that transpired that day and in the preceding months. The 29-year-old, who holds a master’s degree in biostatistics, has been the subject of at least 15 police welfare checks in recent years, according to Montgomery County Police officials. She now faces charges of first-degree murder in connection with the death of her 63-year-old mother, Guichun Hu.

Shortly after receiving the dispatch about the 911 call, officers discovered Hu’s body in a large field near the home where she and her daughter lived on Olive Tree Way in Gaithersburg. While officials have not disclosed the exact cause of Hu’s death or any motives, they have indicated in court documents that Zhang lured her mother outside and that Hu’s body exhibited clear trauma to her head.

Zhang is currently being held without bail. Her attorney declined to comment on the specifics of the case or Zhang’s mental health on Friday. Attempts to reach family members were unsuccessful.

The news of the violent incident shocked neighbors. Kenneth Christman, who walks past Hu and Zhang's large home daily, expressed his sorrow upon learning more about Zhang’s behavior. “It just seems incredibly sad,” he remarked.

Last week, there were two instances where officers appeared to take precautions against a potential attack by Zhang, as indicated by police radio communications and court hearings. On Monday, when police took her into custody, they arranged for her transport in a vehicle fitted with a protective barrier between the front and back seats, as recorded by OpenMHz.com. Two days later, correctional officers at the county jail deemed it unsafe to move Zhang to a courtroom area for video bond hearings. “It would require both force and a restraint chair to bring her to the podium,” a jail staff member informed District Judge Aileen Oliver. “We will not be able to present her today.”

Judge Oliver agreed to the jail's request for a mental health evaluation and scheduled a new court hearing for the following Wednesday.

Zhang graduated with her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in 2017, where she was honored as a Phi Beta Kappa member and recognized as one of 11 outstanding seniors in Biological Sciences, according to university representatives and graduation documents. Four years later, she earned a master’s degree in statistics from the same institution. Her master’s work was specifically focused on biostatistics, and she has worked as a statistical programming analyst in the pharmaceutical industry, according to a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to her.

Moreover, she has drawn significant attention from law enforcement; from January 2023 until this month, police were called to Zhang and Hu’s residence 30 times, based on records provided by the Montgomery County Police Department.

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