Father Charged with Child Stealing After Missing California Teen Reappears at TV Station
Jeffery Chao faces charges after his daughter, Alison Chao, went missing and reappeared at a TV station. Learn more about the case and the family’s response.
Bollywood Fever: The father of a missing Californian teenager, who turned up outside a TV station to “tell her story,” has been charged with “child stealing.” Alison Chao, 15, vanished while traveling from her dad’s home to her aunt’s house on July 16. Her disappearance sparked a missing persons case, which was only called off after she was found outside a Glendale TV station a week later.
Police have revealed that her father, Jeffery Chao, 40, has been charged with one count of felony child stealing/concealment and one misdemeanor count of false report of an emergency. He was arrested on Friday, although an additional charge of conspiracy has since been dropped.
“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. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated, and we will hold the responsible individual accountable for his actions.”
Police said Chao stole and concealed his daughter and then made a fake report to the emergency services. Investigators claim that he persuaded others, including a minor, to go along with the alleged deception. If convicted, Chao faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The report sparked a city-wide search for the missing teen, with volunteers looking through local neighborhoods, handing out missing person flyers, and family members making media appearances. Her mother, Annie Chao, went on TV making a tearful plea for her daughter’s safe return.
Alison was last seen on surveillance footage riding her GT mountain bike, wearing a purple t-shirt with black shorts and dark shoes, and carrying a backpack. In a surprise twist, she turned up safe and well a week after her disappearance outside the gates of the local ABC television station, wanting to “tell her story.”
However, questions remain over exactly what happened during the week Alison was missing. The teen’s parents are divorced, which has fueled speculation that her vanishing was a result of a custody dispute. Her mother was awarded “sole physical custody” of Alison, in the interest of her mental health and well-being.
Video has also emerged showing police at Chao’s home the day before Alison was reported missing, urging the teen to come with them. A female voice can be heard in the background sounding distraught and refusing.
After Alison was found safe, her mother responded to social media posts speculating about what might have happened. Annie Chao stated that the posts were full of “uninformed opinions, speculation, and hurtful comments about me and my family.”
“There is a great deal of misinformation that has been posted online regarding Alison and my family by a small number of people,” Annie Chao said. “If you wish to help Alison, you will stop posting about this matter,” she continued, explaining how her daughter was a “young girl” with understandably complicated feelings about her parents’ divorce.
“I will always do my best to protect Alison’s interests, no matter the circumstances and regardless of the stones that may be thrown at me,” her mother said.
The family does not know where Alison spent the week she was missing.
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