Charges have been filed against the father of 15-year-old Alison Chao, who was discovered after being reported missing earlier this month.
Alison’s father, Jeffery Chao, reported that Alison disappeared while biking from their home to her aunt’s house on Jul 16. She wasn’t located again until July 23, when she was found safe outside the gates of ABC7 in Glendale.
The woman who first spotted Alison told The Los Angeles Times that the teen claimed she wanted to tell the news station what had really happened. The woman said Alison also told her and a security guard that she had run away from home and didn’t want to go back.
As it turns out, Alison Chao may not have been missing. Prosecutors stated the father “stole/concealed his 15-year-old daughter and falsely reported her as missing to law enforcement.” Jeffery Chao’s fabricated report prompted a city-wide search for the teenager. He was arrested Friday, July 26, on those charges.
“Falsely reporting a child as missing not only violates the law but also diverts critical law enforcement resources away from other serious matters,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated, and we will hold the responsible individual accountable for his actions.”
Alison’s parents had been in the midst of a custody battle since 2023, according to KTLA5. Her dad and aunt suggested that she ran away from her home to avoid her mother, who had been granted sole physical custody of her daughter on a temporary basis. Alison’s mother claimed her ex-husband had turned Alison against her, coaching Alison to make false accusations against her.
Jeffery Chao made his first court appearance on Tuesday. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to five years in prison.
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