The father of a 15-year-old girl who went missing for about a week in Monterey Park was arrested Friday on suspicion of child abduction and other offenses.
According to the Monterey Park Police Department, Jeffrey Chao is also suspected of conspiracy and falsifying a police report in connection with the disappearance of Alison Jillian Chao, who disappeared July 16 but was found safe on Tuesday.
"The department's dedicated efforts and collaboration with other agencies were pivotal in resolving this critical situation and ensuring Alison Chao's safety," according to a statement from Monterey Park police. "The Monterey Park Police Department Investigations Bureau is still currently investigating this incident and has no further comment at this time. We want to assure the community of Monterey Park that the department remains steadfast in its commitment to the safety and well-being of residents. We appreciate your continued support during this investigation."
The arrest is a major twist in a story that gripped Southern California. Alison's parents, Jeffrey and Alison Chao, are in the midst of a divorce and child-custody battle, with the mother recently awarded full custody of the teen.
Alison disappeared after last being seen around 6:20 p.m. July 16 in the 4400 block of Collis Avenue in the El Sereno area of Los Angeles, police said. The girl had left her father's house in Monterey Park that afternoon and was heading toward an aunt's home in San Gabriel, riding a blue mountain bike and carrying a black backpack, but she never arrived, according to police and relatives. She was spotted riding her bike on various neighborhood surveillance cameras.
Her disappearance prompted numerous calls for public assistance finding her, and area residents took part in several search operations, which failed to turn up the girl.
Alison was found Tuesday morning when a resident recognized her in the Glendale area and called authorities. Glendale police recovered the girl near the offices of ABC7. According to the station, an ABC7 security guard said the girl was on foot and was being followed by the person in a car who recognized her.
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Jeffrey Chao held a news conference later that day with his attorney and other relatives, thanking the public for their help finding his daughter.
"We have been really worried about where she's been, and you know, really appreciate what everybody's done and helped out with," he said. "... It's just been very tiring, I've been very concerned. I just want what's in the best interest of Alison at this point," he said.
The girl's mother, Annie Chao, issued a statement also thanking the community for their efforts to find the teen while she was missing. She also decried what she described as "misinformation" that was circulating on various social media platforms that "contain uninformed opinions, speculation and hurtful comments about me and my family."
"Alison is a young girl and her feelings about my divorce from her father and understandably complicated, but she has a family, both my side and her dad's side, that loves and adores her," Annie Chao said.
She also said in her Tuesday statement that she "will continue to communicate with law enforcement authorities and I hope to have a better understanding regarding the circumstances surrounding Alison's disappearance very soon."
Emily Robinson, a court-appointed attorney for Alison, also issued a statement blasting social media speculation surrounding the case and the custody battle.
"This is a very complex situation that should not be in the public forum," Robinson said Tuesday. "It is being rendered even more damaging to Alison by misleading and inaccurate social media posts from third parties that have virtually no understanding of the facts. Upon being made aware of these posts, I have reported them to the social media companies on which they are hosted in the hopes that the companies will quickly act and take them down due to the inaccuracies contained therein. The posts are rife with misrepresentations and false statements and hindered the investigation into Alison's whereabouts and efforts by her family and the police to ensure her safe return."
"We have been really worried about where she's been, and you know, really appreciate what everybody's done and helped out with," he said. "... It's just been very tiring, I've been very concerned. I just want what's in the best interest of Alison at this point," he said.
It remained unclear what happened to the girl or where she spent the past week. Her father's attorney, Jose Romero, told reporters that no foul play is suspected in her disappearance.
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