California father Jeffrey Chao, arrested after teenage daughter Alison Chao disappeared, returns a week later

A California father has been arrested after his teenage daughter vanished from a bike ride to a relative’s house, only to reappear on a local television station a week later.

Jeffrey Chao was taken into custody Friday on charges of child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report after an “extensive investigation” into the disappearance of 15-year-old Alison Jillian Chao, according to the Monterey Park Police Department.

The missing teenager was first reported missing to police on July 16 at 9:36 p.m., four hours after she began a 3-mile bike ride to her aunt’s house near San Gabriel.

A dash cam captured Alison riding her blue ATV on the 4400 block of Collis Avenue in Los Angeles, five miles from her father’s home in Monterey Park, according to the police department.

She was reported missing, probably by her father, when she never arrived home.

Police launched a citywide search operation for the teenager, which included volunteers sweeping neighbourhoods and handing out missing persons leaflets while Alison’s mother, Annie, made several tearful appeals for her daughter’s return.

On July 23, the teenager was found standing outside the offices of KABC, an ABC affiliate based in Glendale, California, after being recognized by a resident who then called authorities.

The Good Samaritan said Alison ran away from home to avoid her mother, according to the Los Angeles Times.

She went to the news studio to “tell her side of the story.”

The teen’s parents, who separated in March 2023, are in the midst of a custody battle over their daughter, and Annie Chao was granted temporary sole physical custody of her daughter last week, even though Alison was living with her father, the outlet added.

The decision was made “in Alison’s best interests,” according to attorney Emily Robinson, who was appointed Alison’s counsel by the Los Angeles Superior Court.

“Based on my advocacy for Alison, in consultation with her medical professionals, as well as the evidence presented to the court, which included testimony from both parents, the judge made decisions that are solely in Alison’s best interests, including granting Alison’s mother, Annie Chao, sole decision-making authority regarding Alison’s mental health and sole physical custody of her,” Robinson said.

Jeffrey Chao spoke at a press conference the same day his daughter was found, thanking friends and the community for finding Alison.

“We’re really concerned about where she is,” Chao, the eldest, told KNBC. “We really appreciate what everyone has done and what they’ve contributed.”

“He is a very intelligent person and a pious person with a very good heart,” he added.

Jeffrey Chao was arrested on charges of child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report, but no further information has been released.

“The Monterey Park Police Department’s Bureau of Investigations is still investigating this incident and has no further comment at this time,” police said Friday.

Jeffrey Chao is being held without bail and is expected to appear in court Monday, his attorney, Jose Romero, told NBC Los Angeles.