Family and friends of an Arizona businesswoman jailed in China for more than three months say they are growing increasingly worried for her.
Shiping Jiang Peterson of Fountain Hills, a suburb of Phoenix, was arrested on August 29 this year in Shanghai, NBC News reported.
Peterson and her son Dawei Jiang had travelled there to attend her father’s funeral.
“Someone came onto the plane before anyone got off,” said Jiang, 24.
“My mom showed her American passport. They took her phone. My mom asked why are they taking her and they said they would tell her later,” he said.
After waiting in China for weeks for news of his mother, he eventually returned to Arizona.
A State Department spokesperson said it was monitoring the case while providing assistance to her family, and visiting Peterson in the detention facility.
They did not provide further details.
Peterson, also known as Sue, runs a small business as a licensed massage therapist in the Phoenix suburbs. She was born in China, but has lived in the U.S. for 10 years, her friend Dina Galassini said.