Missing Old Brookville couple: Peishun Fan and Juanjuan Zhang have more money than previously estimated, according to court records and a source

Attorneys probing the disappearance of a Chinese couple from their Old Brookville estate in March of 2025 believe the pair amassed millions of dollars more in cash than originally estimated and efforts are underway to tap some of the funds to protect the property, according to recent court filings and sources familiar with the case.

Peishun Fan and his wife, Juanjuan Zhang, were discovered to have accumulated bank accounts totaling over $19 million and in addition had six bank certificates of deposit estimated to be valued at an additional $2.4 million, according to records in Nassau County Surrogate’s Court and a source familiar with the financial investigation.

The estimated total is higher than a previous estimate of $12 million reported in earlier court filing. The financial figures are reported as part of a Surrogate’s Court action commenced to deal with the finances of the missing couple to preserve and safeguard their $4 million home and ensure the welfare of their two children who have not seen their parents for almost two years.

In a missing persons case, which has mystified police and the couple’s neighbor, Fan, 48, and Zhang, 44, were last seen on March 30, 2025, at their mansion on Maria Lane. A text message received by their older son, Yiwei Fan, also known as Gary, indicated they were traveling to the Syracuse area, court records indicated. Gary and his younger brother Eli Fan are currently in China and have had no contact with their parents, their attorney, John Carman, said.

Meanwhile, the palatial home the couple bought for $3.8 million in cash in late 2023, has amassed some $80,000 in expenses such as property taxes, insurance, utility charges and other costs, said Christopher E. Vatter, one of the attorneys who is the court appointed law guardian representing Fan.

Real estate listings and online photographs show the Maria Lane house with a large in-ground swimming pool, a rear annex and property of at least two acres. Listing show it has five bedrooms and five baths.

Vatter in his latest filling asked Nassau Surrogate David P. Sullivan give Carman limited authority to access one of the certificates of deposit, totaling $317,073, so that the $80,000 can be used to pay current and future expenses.

Vatter said the request was “reasonable and appropriate, particularly given the representation that $80,000 is presently owed for expenses relating to maintenance and preservation” of the home.

Carman said in a text message that the order giving him the limited financial authority had not yet been signed by the court.

Sullivan is expected to hold a hearing later this month about the progress of efforts to find out what happened to Fan and Zhang. The disappearance of the couple has sparked investigations by both the Nassau County Police Department and the FBI.

A spokesman for the NCPD said the case was still an active investigation but that the department had no new findings to report. FBI officials did not respond to an email request for comment.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.