Alison Chao’s father arrested by police in Monterey Park

Alison Jillian Chao. (family photo)

The father of a 15-year-old girl whose missing person case made national headlines has been arrested and faces possible charges of child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report.

On Friday, the Monterey Park Police Department announced that Jeffrey Chao had been arrested following a “comprehensive investigation.”

Chao’s daughter, Alison, was reported missing on July 16 after leaving her father’s home in the 200 block of North Ynez Avenue.

A missing person report was filed after she allegedly failed to arrive at her aunt’s house in San Gabriel, about five kilometers away.

This sparked a massive, city-wide search for the teenager. Volunteers searched neighborhoods for the teenager, handed out “missing person” flyers, and made media appearances, making numerous statements and tearful pleas for her mother, Annie Chao.

Alison was finally found safe and sound in front of the gates of the local ABC affiliate station in Glendale on Tuesday.

Since then, questions have arisen about the real reason for the teenager’s disappearance.

Alison’s parents are divorced, which has led to speculation that her alleged disappearance was the result of a custody dispute. According to Emily Robinson, an attorney who posed as Alison’s court-appointed attorney, Annie Chao was awarded “sole custody” of Alison in the interest of her mental health and well-being.

Videos posted on social media allegedly show police officers standing outside Jeffrey Chao’s house urging Alison to come with them, while a distressed female voice can be heard refusing in the background. The video was allegedly filmed by Alison the day before she reported him missing.

In a statement released earlier this week, Robinson pointed to several social media posts that she called “misleading and inaccurate.”

“The posts are full of misrepresentations and false claims and are hampering the investigation into Alison’s whereabouts and the efforts of her family and the police to ensure her safe return,” Robinson said.

After Alison was found unharmed, her mother issued a statement reiterating Robinson’s previous comments about the social media posts, which she said contained “uninformed opinions, speculation and hurtful comments about me and my family.”

“A small number of people have posted a lot of misinformation about Alison and my family online,” Annie Chao said in the statement. “If you want to help Alison, please stop posting about this matter.”

In her statement, she further described her daughter as a “young girl” and added that her feelings about her parents’ divorce were “understandably complicated.”

Few details are available about Jeffrey Chao’s arrest, but charges filed by police suggest investigators believe he may have played a role in Alison’s reported disappearance.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and there would be “no further comment at this time.”

While the investigation into the disappearance of Alison Chaos (whether real or not) is ongoing, anyone with information is asked to contact the Monterey Park Police Department via email or by phone at 626-307-1444.