Father of Monterey Park teen who was missing for a week is arrested

By Summer LinStaff Writer

July 26, 2024 Updated 6:51 PM PT

The father of a Monterey Park teenager who disappeared for a week before being found safe outside a Glendale TV station was arrested Friday on suspicion of child abduction and other offenses, authorities announced.

For the record:

7:28 a.m. Sept. 3, 2024This article misspells the first name of Jeffery Chao as Jeffrey.

Jeffrey Chao, the father of 15-year-old Alison Chao, was arrested on suspicion of child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report, according to a Monterey Park Police Department news release.

“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 the release.

The department is still investigating the case and declined to provide further details.

A Glendale woman who declined to give her name out of privacy concerns told The Times on Tuesday that she saw a girl who resembled Alison slipping into KABC’s offices in Glendale. The woman alerted a security guard, who brought the girl back outside.

The Glendale woman said that Alison told her she had run away from home and that she was on her way to KABC to tell her side of the story.

Jose Romero, the attorney retained by Jeffrey Chao, said during a news conference Tuesday that Alison wasn’t kidnapped and that there wasn’t any indication of foul play.

Romero declined to comment Tuesday on a video reportedly filmed by Alison the day before her disappearance. The video, which circulated on social media after Alison went missing, shows police officers arriving at a residence and urging Alison to come with them.

Romero didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Annie Chao, Alison’s mother, said in a Friday statement that she separated from Jeffrey Chao on March 10, 2023, and that she initially requested to share custody of Alison.

“I want the public to know that my family and I are good, decent people, and worthy of your trust,” Annie Chao said in the statement. “The misleading statements about us that have appeared on social media this week have been incredibly hurtful, unwarranted, and fueled by a small number of ‘influencers’ who do not have the full knowledge of my relationship with Alison or Jeff or of our home life prior to my filing for divorce.”

According to a request for child custody filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in February, Annie Chao accused Jeffrey Chao of falsely accusing that she and her father had abused Alison. In the court filings, Annie Chao acknowledged that she and her father were arrested on April 24, 2023, on suspicion of the abuse allegations, though it was not immediately clear whether any charges were filed.

“I have dedicated myself to learning about domestic violence and alienating behaviors in order to understand the impact on Alison and myself,” Annie Chao wrote.

After her parents’ separation, Alison initially lived with her father, according to the court filing. After Annie Chao filed for divorce in April 2023, she requested joint custody but has since asked that she have sole physical and legal custody and that Jeffrey have supervised visits.

Annie Chao now has “sole physical custody” of Alison, Emily Robinson, Alison’s court-appointed counsel, said in an emailed statement to The Times.

According to Annie Chao’s filing, Jeffrey Chao didn’t make any allegations of abuse until after their separation. After Annie Chao filed for divorce, she said, he attempted to reconcile with her via third-party mediators and by sending her gifts.

Alison Chao disappeared after she was last seen in the 200 block of North Ynez Avenue in Monterey Park at 5:32 p.m. July 16. Monterey Park police initiated a missing-person investigation at 9:36 p.m. that evening, according to a department news release.