The father of a Monterey Park teenager who was missing for a week has been arrested on suspicion of child abduction and other crimes.
Monterey Park police announced the arrest of Jeffrey Chao Friday morning “after an extensive investigation.”
The 15-year-old girl had left her father’s house on her bike in the El Sereno neighborhood on July 16 and appeared in Glendale on July 23 with the help of a Good Samaritan.
Her disappearance sparked an intensive search, with investigators combing through surveillance footage and community members participating in several searches.
A few hours after the teen resurfaced in Glendale, her father said, Jeffrey Chao held a press conference with lawyers, expressing his gratitude to the community, authorities and everyone involved in the search for his daughter.
“You know, we’re really worried about where she is and we really appreciate what everyone has done and helped,” Chao said, holding back tears.
The girl’s mother, Annie Chao, released a statement thanking the community for their efforts to find the girl when she went missing.
No explanation was given at the press conference about where the teenager was at the time of her disappearance.
According to Chao’s attorney, no one had spoken to the girl because she was at the Monterey Park police station with social workers from the Department of Children and Family Services.
The teen’s parents are in the midst of a divorce and a custody battle over their children.
The Monterey Park Police Department’s Investigation Bureau said the investigation is ongoing and no further details have been released.
