A Massillon Municipal Court judge set bonds and appointed attorneys Wednesday for a Jackson Township couple charged in the death of their 5-year-old daughter, whose body was found at their restaurant Tuesday after she was reported missing Monday.
Judge Edward Elum set bond of $5 million each for Mingming Chen, 29, and Liang Zhao, 34. The pair, who have another child who is now in government custody, appeared in shackles and red jumpsuits. They are being held at the Stark County Jail and are set to appear in court next on Jan. 19.
Police allege Chen killed Ashley Zhao by striking her in the head with her fist several times on Monday morning. Zhao allegedly told police he wiped away a green fluid from the girl’s mouth after the beating and tried to revive her with CPR, but ultimately failed.
Chen is charged with murder and felonious assault. Zhao is charged with complicity to commit the same crimes. Both were arrested Wednesday after Jackson Township police found Ashley’s body hidden in the restaurant, Ang’s Asian Cuisine on Portage Street Northwest. Investigators did not elaborate on where or how her body was found. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.
Attorneys said Chen will need a translator for later court hearings because she speaks conversational English only. Zhao, who speaks English fluently, told the judge he’s been living in the United States for more than 20 years.
Elum directed the couple not to speak to anyone but their attorneys about the case. He said convictions in the case could result in deportation.
Jackson Township police confirmed to Beacon Journal news partner WEWS NewsNet5 that Chen is not a U.S. citizen; federal court documents show that she twice petitioned to stay in the United States. Both times, a panel of federal judges denied her requests. She applied for asylum in 2009, claiming she had suffered persecution by the Chinese government over her affiliation with a Chinese spiritual group, Falun Gong. But the judges’ panel determined she was inconsistent in her reasons why she needed to stay in the United States.
An attorney for the Stark County Division of Children Services told NewsNet5 that the department has had no previous cases with the family. It has custody of the couple’s second daughter who is 7 years old.
Several news crews were set up outside the restaurant Tuesday afternoon, where a shrine overflowing with teddy bears, dolls and balloons was set up in Ashley’s honor.
Police supervising the crime scene chatted with occasional onlookers.
Passers-by paused to look at the remembrances or leave their own mementos on their way to a neighboring grocery store.
Mourners held a community vigil Wednesday night.
A different kind of outpouring hit social media, where the restaurant’s two Facebook pages were filled with violent and racist insults aimed at the girl’s parents.
The couple had told police that Ashley took a nap Monday in the restaurant’s back room but was not there when they went to check on her that evening. Concern for the girl’s safety stemmed from cold weather conditions. Police suspected she had wandered off through the restaurant’s back door, possibly into the wooded area behind the shopping plaza in which the restaurant is located.
Before investigators found the body, a statewide alert had been issued for Ohioans to keep an eye out for the girl.
Photographer Leah Klafczynski and NewsNet5 contributed to this report. Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .