The father of a California girl who was missing for a week before being found on Tuesday has been charged in connection with his daughter’s disappearance.
Monterey Park police said Alison Chao’s father, Jeffrey Chao, was arrested on Friday for conspiracy, child abduction, and falsifying a police report. Alison Chao, 15, was believed to have vanished on July 16 while riding a bike to her aunt’s home in San Gabriel — sparking a weeklong search that ended on Tuesday when she was found alive outside of KABC’s offices in Glendale.
READ: Missing Alison Chao Found Safe Outside News Station
Alison Chao’s parents are reportedly divorced and her mother was recently awarded sole custody. The mother’s attorney, Emily Robinson, told KTLA that a day before her disappearance, the teen filmed cops outside Jeffrey Chao’s home, urging her to come with them. The video was posted to social media — where Robinson said multiple posts misrepresented the case and hindered an ongoing investigation.
“There is a great deal of misinformation that has been posted online regarding Alison and my family by a small number of people,” Alison Chao’s mother said in a statement which was issued after her daughter was found safe. “If you wish to help Alison, you will stop posting about this matter.”
Police have since suggested that Jeffrey Chao was involved in his daughter’s disappearance, though they have not provided specifics.
This story is developing…
