- A Chinese state media reporter posted photos appearing to show missing
tennis starPeng Shuai . - The pictures — purportedly from a chat thread — show Shuai playing with a cat and stuffed animals in the background.
A Chinese state media reporter posted photos to Twitter on Friday purportedly showing missing tennis star Peng Shuai posing with a cat and a slew of stuffed animals.
Shen Shiwei, who works at state-owned CGTN, posted two photos of Shuai playing with a cat in front of an assortment of stuffed animals.
In another photo, she is holding a Kung Fu Panda toy. The reporter also shared a screenshot of what he claimed is a WeChat thread with all three photos in it.
"Peng Shuai's WeChat moments just posted three latest photos and said 'Happy weekend,'" he wrote on Twitter.
He added: "Her friend shared the three photos and the screenshot of Peng's WeChat moments."
—Shen Shiwei沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) November 19, 2021
Shuai, a 35-year-old Chinese tennis player, has not been seen since November 2 after she accused the country's former vice-premier of sexually assaulting her.
She wrote on Chinese social media app Weibo that she had a consensual relationship with Zhang Gaoli at a younger age but that he eventually sexually assaulted her in 2017, Insider's Bill Bostock reported.
"Why did you come and look for me again, take me to your house, and force me into sex? I have no proof, and it would be impossible for me to keep any evidence. You denied everything afterward," she wrote, according to What's On Weibo. "That afternoon I originally did not consent and cried the whole time."
The post has since been deleted. Shuai then disappeared from the public. Chinese state media shared an email they say was sent by Shuai that retracted her allegations, but top tennis officials said they doubt the email was really sent by her.
Her disappearance had sparked outrage in the tennis world, with stars like Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams speaking out.
Shuai isn't the first celebrity to go missing in
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing went missing in 2018 after being accused of tax evasion and returned later in the year.
And billionaire Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma went missing for three months earlier in 2021 after criticizing regulators.