The father of a 15-year-old Southern California girl who has been missing for a week has been arrested and could face charges of child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report.
Jeffery Chao was arrested by officers with the Monterey Park Police Department following an “extensive investigation” after his daughter, Alison Jillian Chao, suddenly disappeared after leaving her father’s home on July 16.
A missing person case was later opened against the brilliant student after she failed to show up at her aunt’s home in San Gabriel, about three miles away.
A citywide search has begun for the missing teenager with volunteers canvassing local neighborhoods, handing out missing persons flyers and family members making media appearances, statements and tearful calls, including her mother, Annie Chao.
Jeffery Chao, the father of a 15-year-old Southern California girl who went missing for a week, has been arrested by police.
Alison Chao, 15, disappeared July 16 while biking three miles from her father’s house in Monterey Park to her aunt’s house in San Gabriel. She reappeared a week later outside a television station
Annie was last seen on surveillance video, in a photo of her riding her GT ATV, wearing a purple T-shirt, black shorts and dark shoes. She was also carrying a backpack.
In a surprising twist, Alison reappeared unharmed on Tuesday – a full week after she disappeared – when she showed up at the doors of the local ABC television station in Glendale, wanting to “tell her story.”
But now questions remain about what exactly happened during the week Alison was missing.
Although details surrounding her father Jeffery Chao’s arrest are vague, investigators believe he may have played a role in Alison’s disappearance.
Alison’s aunt said she believes the high school student ran away because she didn’t want to be with her mother, who was awarded custody in her parents’ divorce.
It remains unclear where the teenager went for a week when she disappeared.
Missing teenager Alison Jillian Chao (center) was found outside a local news station begging to share her story a week after she disappeared
Police said Friday the investigation was ongoing, with no further comment at this time.
The teenager’s parents are divorced, fueling speculation that Alison’s disappearance may have been the result of a custody dispute.
Her mother, Annie Chao, was granted “sole physical custody” of Alison, in the interest of her mental health and well-being.
A video was also released the day before Alison disappeared, showing police at Jeffery Chao’s home, urging the teenager to come with them.
A female voice can be heard in the background, distraught and refusing.
After Alison was found safe, her mother responded to social media posts speculating about what might have happened.
Alison’s mother, Annie Chao, pictured, was granted “sole physical custody” of Alison, in the interest of her mental health and well-being.
The family even put up flyers around Monterey Park in a desperate search for the teenager.
The teenager finally appeared a week after her disappearance
Annie Chao said the posts were full of “uninformed opinions, speculation and hurtful comments about me and my family.”
“There is a lot of misinformation that has been posted online about Alison and my family by a small number of people,” Chao said.
“If you want to help Alison, you will stop posting about this,” she continued, explaining how her daughter was a “young girl” whose feelings about her parents’ divorce are “naturally complicated.”
“I will always do my best to protect Alison’s interests, no matter the circumstances and no matter what stones may be thrown at me,” her mother said.
The family does not know where Alison spent the week she disappeared.
When Allison showed up at the TV station, a woman named Rachelle recognized her from the missing poster.
Rachelle said the teenager was desperate to talk to someone and shared a heartbreaking claim.
The teenager was last seen in a disturbing photo showing her on her GT mountain bike wearing a purple t-shirt with black shorts and dark shoes.
“She was very clear that she came to ABC to tell her story. No one else will listen to me,” Rachelle told the local outlet.
“What struck me immediately was how confident she was. She was sane. She was very articulate, very clear about the situation.
“She was crying. She was very upset. Especially because she couldn’t tell her story.
“I can only tell you that this is a person who has only three years to reach adulthood, who believes that she is not being heard and that she has no way of being judged,” Rachelle said.
“I hope her family comes together, can work this out for her, and that the courts don’t let her down.”
Alison is now in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
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