California father Jeffrey Chao, who was arrested after missing teenage daughter Alison Chao, returns a week later

A California father has been arrested after his teenage daughter went missing. The daughter disappeared during a bike ride to a relative’s house and resurfaced on a local television station a week later.

Jeffrey Chao was taken into custody Friday on charges of child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report following a “comprehensive investigation” into the disappearance of 15-year-old Alison Jillian Chaos, according to Monterey Park police.

The missing teenager was first reported to police at 9:36 p.m. on July 16, four hours after she began a 5-kilometer bike ride to her aunt’s home in nearby San Gabriel.

According to police, Alison was captured by a street camera riding her blue mountain bike in the 4400 block of Collis Avenue in Los Angeles, five miles from her father’s home in Monterey Park.

She was probably reported missing by her father when she never arrived home.

The police launched a city-wide search for the teenager. Volunteers searched the neighborhoods for the missing person and distributed leaflets, while Alison’s mother Annie tearfully pleaded several times for her daughter’s return.

On July 23, the teenager was found outside the offices of KABC, an ABC affiliate station based in Glendale, California, after a local resident recognized her and called authorities.

The Good Samaritan told the Los Angeles Times that Alison ran away from home to avoid her mother.

She traveled to the news studio to “tell her side of the story.”

The teenager’s parents, who split in March 2023, are in the midst of a custody battle, and Annie Chao was temporarily granted sole custody of her daughter last week, even though Alison had been living with her father, the outlet added.

The decision was made “in Alison’s best interests,” said attorney Emily Robinson, who was appointed as Alison’s legal counsel by the Superior Court of Los Angeles.

“Based on my advocacy on Alison’s behalf, in consultation with her doctors, and based on the evidence presented to the court, including testimony from both parents, the judge made decisions that were solely in Alison’s best interest. This includes awarding Alison’s mother, Annie Chao, sole decision-making authority over Alison’s mental health and sole custody of her,” Robinson said.

Jeffrey Chao spoke at a press conference the same day her daughter resurfaced, thanking friends and the community for the search for Alison.

“We were really worried about where she was,” the elder Chao said, according to KNBC. “We really appreciate what everyone has done and helped.”

“She is a very intelligent person and a pious person with a really good heart,” he added.

Jeffrey Chao was arrested on charges of child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report, but no further information was released.

“The Monterey Park Police Department’s Bureau of Investigation is still investigating this incident and has no further comment at this time,” police said Friday.

Jeffrey Chao is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, attorney Jose Romero told NBC Los Angeles.