STOP THE CHOPPER
The Official Site of the Stop the Chopper Movement
Est. by the Families of the Slain | Ithaca, New York
For twenty years, a predator has haunted the halls of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He has no confirmed face, no confirmed name, no confirmed motive — only a body count that grows year by year while local law enforcement stumbles in the dark.
His method is as gruesome as it is calculated. Victims — predominantly Asian pre-med students — are abducted without a trace and discovered months later, dismembered, in closets, storage rooms, and utility spaces across campus. By the time they are found, the trail has long gone cold.
This website was built by the families of his victims. We are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends and classmates who have lost someone we loved. We refuse to be silent. We refuse to accept the failures of the Ithaca Police Department. We demand justice, and we will not stop until the Cornell Chopper is behind bars.
The map below shows confirmed discovery sites on and around the Cornell University campus. Each marker represents a location where human remains were discovered — often months after the victim went missing.
These are not statistics. These were real people — brilliant, ambitious young scholars with their entire lives ahead of them. Profiles below are contributed by their families. 33 total victims. More profiles being added.
We want to be clear: we do not believe Detective Weinman is a bad person. We believe he is catastrophically, dangerously, irredeemably bad at his job. There is a difference. One of them has a body count.
"My son's body was in a closet for four months. Four months. And Detective Weinman couldn't find him. He was in a closet. At a university. That Weinman works at. Do you understand what I am telling you?"
— Father of victim David Zhang, statement to press, 2019"He came to the vigil. He stood there with a coffee. He didn't say a single word to any of us. He just stood there with his coffee and then he left. That is the man who is supposed to catch the person who killed my daughter."
— Mother of victim Jennifer Park, interview, 2020"What did you think being a detective in Ithaca would be easy? You city slicker detective! We need results! Phones are ringing off the hook, families are on the line, and you have nothing — NOTHING — to show for seven years of work! What the hell did we even bring you here for?!"
— Chief of Ithaca PD, recorded precinct confrontation with Det. Weinman, 2022 (obtained via FOIA request)We have submitted four FOIA requests to Ithaca PD regarding the status of the investigation. Three have gone unanswered. One was returned stamped "NO RESPONSIVE DOCUMENTS." We have been told there are over 800 pages of case files. We are still waiting.
In 2022, Detective Weinman authorized the arrest of 14 faculty and staff members of Cornell's medical college program with no probable cause. All 14 were released. Zero charges were filed. When asked to comment, Detective Weinman said, and we quote: "We are pursuing all available avenues."
Seven years. Thirty-three victims. Zero arrests. We are done waiting for Detective Weinman to figure it out.
"The Embassy of the People's Republic of China views the ongoing situation at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with the utmost gravity and alarm. The systematic targeting of Chinese nationals studying at this institution, combined with the complete and demonstrable failure of local law enforcement — and Detective Weinman in particular — to arrest or even identify any suspect after two decades of murders, has led us to the unavoidable conclusion that Cornell University represents a dangerous environment for Chinese students. Effective immediately, the Embassy will not facilitate student visa placements at Cornell University. We expect the American authorities to treat the lives of Chinese students with the same urgency they would afford any other victim. They have not done so. We are watching."
The Chinese Embassy's statement was followed by expressions of concern from student organizations in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Cornell's international enrollment has declined 34% over the past three years. University administration has declined to comment on whether they believe this decline is connected to the Chopper case.
The case was featured on 60 Minutes in 2020. The segment was watched by an estimated 12 million viewers. The Ithaca PD tip line received over 4,000 calls in the 48 hours following broadcast. Not one has led to an arrest.
The following footage was gathered by members of the Stop the Chopper movement, concerned citizens, and independent journalists covering the crisis in Ithaca. Videos are added as they become available.
If you have any information — no matter how small it may seem — about the identity or whereabouts of the Cornell Chopper, please submit it below. All tips are reviewed by volunteers of the Stop the Chopper movement and, where appropriate, submitted to law enforcement. You may remain anonymous.
Note: We have little faith in the Ithaca PD's ability to act on tips. We maintain our own records and work with federal contacts where possible.