What happened to Alison Chao and when did she go missing?

On the evening of July 16, 2024, 15-year-old Alison Chao left her father’s home in Monterey Park, California, near Los Angeles, for a less than four-mile bike ride to her aunt’s house in San Gabriel. Chao never arrived, and weeks later, she remains missing, as authorities, friends, and family search the area.

From the start, it was unclear if something happened to Chao, or if she had run away, which according to Chao’s family, is unlikely. But Chao was wearing a large backpack when she took off, and reportedly she told her family she planned to study at her aunt’s house, but no one knows what she carried with her. Some reports say Chao had no cell phone, while others say she left it behind. In any case, Chao has not contacted friends, and there’s been no activity on her social media, or any other sign of the missing teenager, KTLA reported.

No sign, that is, until Chao was spotted in Ring doorbell camera footage, headed in the opposite direction from where her aunt lived. At first, the police limited their search to the route between Chao’s house and her aunt’s. But based on that Ring doorbell evidence, Chao went the other way, and if that’s true, she could be almost anywhere in Los Angeles.

“The more time that goes on, the scarier it gets,” Alison’s mother, Annie Chao, told KTLA. “I’m afraid the public will lose interest, and it will be harder to find her. There’s less evidence. I haven’t slept in days, and it’s just every parent’s worst nightmare,” Chao’s mother said.

Alison Chao’s grandmother’s statement

Details are scarce as to what may have motivated Alison Chao to run away, if she did. As often happens in missing person cases like these, unconfirmed online rumors have spread, including speculation about a plan to meet an online friend, or an encounter with an unhoused individual. It’s important to remember that no one knows the truth about Chao’s whereabouts, and the public has incomplete information compared to authorities closer to the investigation.

But on June 22, according to unconfirmed online chatter, Chao’s mother planned to admit her daughter to a mental health treatment center of some kind, which Alison knew and was presumably trying to avoid. A purported church group post from Chao’s paternal grandmother seems to substantiate this. Reports also say Chao’s mother and father had recently divorced, and that Chao may have run away over conflict with her mother, but those reports, too, cannot be confirmed.

Alison Chao’s family were asked to pause their search

Around the same time online reports emerged that there may be tension between Alison Chao and her mother, Chao’s family posted on the Instagram page dedicated to finding Chao that Los Angeles police requested Chao’s family “suspend” their search while the authorities “carry out their investigation based upon information already received.” The post provided no other information.

For now, Chao’s whereabouts are unknown. Join us in hoping for her safe return.