Belongings of missing UC graduate student found on cliff near Point Reyes

Search crews continued Sunday to look for a missing UC Berkeley graduate student after finding her car near Point Reyes Lighthouse in Marin County and later discovering some of her belongings on a cliff above the ocean, police said.

Shuqin Zhang, 22, was reportedly depressed and failed to make a flight home to China. She was last seen about 1:30 a.m. Thursday in Berkeley and was believed to be headed to Bodega Bay two hours later. Zhang was living in an off-campus apartment.

U.S. park rangers found her white Mercedes-Benz near the lighthouse at Point Reyes at 9 a.m. Saturday, said Berkeley police Officer Jennifer Coats. Later, searchers found items belonging to Zhang on a cliff overlooking the ocean, Coats said.

Officials closed the last section of the road leading to Point Reyes Lighthouse to give searchers as much access as possible, said Point Reyes National Seashore spokesman John A. Dell’Osso.

“The search is continuing today and I assume, depending on weather, we will have similar resources like yesterday, which included people on the ground from the Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County Sheriff Search & Rescue​, Berkeley PD, (United State Coast Guard) helicopter support, possibly also CHP helicopter and water resources as well,” Dell’Osso said Sunday.

Zhang’s friends said she had been feeling despondent and acting out of character lately, Coats said.

Zhang is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, and about 90 pounds. She wears glasses and was possibly wearing a greenish-blue hooded sweatshirt when she went missing.

Police asked that anyone who sees Zhang or has information on where she might be call 911 or the nearest police department.

#Berkeley PD: 22 y/o Shuqin Zhang, @UCBerkeley grad is missing & at-risk. May be driving 2003 white Mercedes C250 pic.twitter.com/qoE9GGPSDt — KTVU (@KTVU) January 9, 2016

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno