Police, FBI renew pleas for tips in shooting of Bath Township hunter

Bath Township — Three years after a Lansing hunter was found shot and killed on state land, authorities and family members are renewing calls for information in the case. 

Joined Tuesday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bath Township Police Detective Bryan Miller asked people to come forward if they have any information about the Nov. 16, 2018, death of Chong Moua Yang. 

"I know some people refer to it as 'cold' because it's been three years," Miller said. "But it's never left my desk. It's something that we're always working on."

For Chong Yang's family, his loss and unresolved questions surrounding his death remain painful and a barrier to closure. 

At the Tuesday press conference at the Rose Lake State Wildlife Area, his wife, Ka Yeng Vang, held and wept over FBI posters picturing her late husband.

His daughter, Ger Yang, pleaded with the public to provide information. The family has raised $20,000 as a reward for information that leads to the resolution of the case.

Ger Yang said she was preparing for the Hmong family's Thanksgiving celebration when she received word that her father, a hunter for more than 20 years, wasn't coming home. 

"Someone took my father's life here three years ago," Ger Yang said. "... His 14 grandchildren and his nine kids and my mom — we deserve answers. Who took my father's life?"

Chong Yang, 68, arrived at the state-owned Rose Lake State Wildlife Area between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Nov. 16, 2018, to hunt and left his vehicle parked in a small dirt lot at the recreation area. 

When he didn't return home after dark, Chong Yang's family went searching for him at the recreation area and found his body about 9 p.m. He was missing his shotgun, backpack and Hmong-style hunting knife. 

Yang was on state-owned property, where hunting was allowed, and wearing hunter's orange at the time of the shooting.

Bath Township police have been handling the investigation in the three years since Chong Yang's death and the FBI joined the investigation in February, said David Porter, assistant special agent in charge at the FBI Detroit Field Office. 

"We've conducted a host of investigative interviews, provided technical expertise and forensic analysis, and leveraged our partnerships with both state and federal authorities both in and outside Michigan," Porter said. 

Still authorities are seeking more help with the case and asking anyone who saw Chong Yang hunting, his parked car or others in the area to call police. 

"Someone with information like this should not presume that what they saw or heard that day is unimportant or not relevant to the investigation," Porter said. "Often times, in investigations like this it's the slightest detail when considered with other information that could break a case." 

People with information on the case can contact Bath Township police at (517) 641-6271, Crime Stoppers at (517) 483-7867 or the FBI Detroit office at (313) 965-2323.

eleblanc@detroitnews.com