Service for USF student Christopher Liang to be held in San Francisco church

SAN FRANCISCO - The family of Christopher Liang, the missing college student who was found dead over the weekend in Central Valley, announced plans to honor his life with a public memorial.

Just days after the 21-year-old's body was discovered in Fresno County in an overturned Tesla, his brother, Jerry Liang, shared on social media that a memorial will take on Thursday at Saint Ignatius Church in San Francisco.

Jerry Liang launched the initial search efforts for his brother, a University of San Francisco student, and set up the website "FindChrisLiang" to share out information surrounding his brother's disappearance.

Jerry Liang wrote in an Instagram post that his brother left on a road trip to Irvine on Feb 28, but then lost touch with family who reported him missing. It was an "impulsive" trip, according to Jerry Liang.

The college student told his family and friends he was on the I-5 freeway, but then communication with him went dark.

Jerry Liang wrote that since that date, his brother's phone was inaccessible and his social media accounts were inactive. Also, the rented Tesla was taken offline, his brother wrote. The vehicle's last tracked location was a Firebaugh Tesla Supercharger station on Panoche Rd in Firebaugh.

He had broken his plans with his friends in Irvine, Jerry Liang wrote, and he missed the return date of the rental car and his classes.

"I am concerned for his life," Jerry Liang wrote. "The erratic nature of this trip combined with his mental health issues has made our family extremely concerned for his safety."

Jerry Liang added that this was the first time his brother had driven since he got his license in March and had never booked a hotel before.

"I'm terrified and heartbroken," Jerry Liang wrote.

The California Highway Patrol later confirmed that Christopher was found dead Saturday night in a rented Tesla Model 3, that had crashed on Panoche Road, just west of southbound Interstate 5 in Fresno County.

Authorities said the car was found overturned in a ravine. 

A GoFundMe page has been established to help pay for expenses.