FBI joins search for missing Long Island couple from Old Brookville, sources say

The FBI has joined the probe into the disappearance of an Asian couple last seen on March 30 at their Old Brookville mansion, legal and law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said.

Both Peishuan Fan, 48 and his wife, JuanJuan Zwang, 44, were reported missing a day after their children, 12 and 20 years of age, last saw them at their nearly $4 million home on Maria Lane, the Nassau County Police Department said.

John Carman, an attorney who is representing the couple's 20-year-old child, said the FBI has gathered information about the disappearance.

On Monday, Carman added that Nassau County Police detectives had searched the home shortly after the couple went missing but didn’t take any items. Asked if the couple’s passports were found, Carman didn’t want to go into more detail.

A spokesman for the NCPD, Lt. Scott Skrynecki would only say in an email that while he couldn’t confirm the involvement of any particular law enforcement agency that "we are working with all our partners in law enforcement and using all investigative tools available to use."

"It remains an active investigation," Skrynecki added.

A spokesman for the FBI in New York said he couldn’t confirm or deny the existence of any investigation.

But a law enforcement source who didn’t want to be identified indicated that the FBI was taking a role in the investigation.

The sudden disappearance of the couple has added to the mystery and has led to speculation about their fate. The law enforcement official said it was believed that they are alive. But Carman said he was feeling pessimistic about the pairs well-being.

"I think it is very concerning that we haven’t heard from parents for over two months," Carman said Tuesday.

Peishuan Fan is said to have a construction business in China, south of the major city of Shanghai, Carman said.

A neighbor of the family who didn’t want to be identified for privacy reasons said he spotted some young people at the home about a week ago, describing them as both males and females.

Lawrence Cornelia, a Farmingdale business owner who sold the property to the couple in 2023, said it was their older son who acted as a translator and facilitator for the parents during two visits they made to inspect the home. Public records show the home sold for $3.8 million and Cornelia said the couple paid for the deal by check.

"No one has talked to me about the case," said Cornelia, when asked if he had been approached by law enforcement. "I don’t know anything, I haven’t heard anything."

At the Maria Lane home over the weekend, a child’s scooter was spotted in the driveway and a sign on the front law that stated "Glen Head Elementary School: Congratulations to Our 5th Grade Graduates."

Carman said that family members had come to the home to look after the children. The lawyer also said child protective service officials had been making periodic checks on the children.

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.