Federal investigators raided two Indiana properties belonging to a prominent computer scientist who has mysteriously disappeared from public view. Dr. Xiaofeng Wang, a distinguished professor at Indiana University's Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, has gone incommunicado while his professional profiles have been scrubbed from university systems.
The FBI conducted searches at Wang's residences in Bloomington and Carmel, Indiana on Friday. At the Carmel location, agents used megaphones to announce their presence before questioning a woman who emerged from the home. Investigators spent approximately four hours collecting evidence and photographing the premises.
Wang held several prestigious positions during his 21-year tenure at Indiana University, including associate dean for research. He led research projects worth nearly $23 million and published extensively on cryptography, systems security, and data privacy. His wife, Nianli Ma, previously worked as a Lead Systems Analyst at the university's Library Technologies division.
In recent weeks, both Wang's and Ma's university email accounts, phone numbers, and profile pages were removed without explanation. Indiana University officials have declined to comment on their employment status or the reason for deleting their information.
"It's hard to imagine what reason there could be for the university to scrub its website as if he never worked there," said Matt Blaze, professor of computer science and law at Georgetown University.
The FBI confirmed conducting "court authorized law enforcement activity" but provided no additional details about the investigation's nature or whether Wang and Ma are in custody. Federal court records reveal no public documents related to the searches or the couple.
Students report being unable to contact Wang for approximately two weeks, raising concerns among academic colleagues about his sudden disappearance. The couple's current whereabouts and citizenship status remain unknown.
Local news outlets reported that investigators removed several boxes of evidence from both properties. An attorney present during one of the searches indicated they were not yet aware of the investigation's focus.
The FBI's Indianapolis field office maintains that no further information can be released at this time as the investigation continues.