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By Courtney McGinley
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The Monterey Park Police Department is intensifying its search for a missing girl and is appealing to the public for information.
The department launched a missing person investigation on July 16 at approximately 9:30 p.m. for 15-year-old Alison Chao.
Chao is described as an Asian female, standing around 5 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighing 96 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
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Chao left her residence around 5:30 p.m. in the 200 block of North Ynez Avenue in Monterey Park. Video footage captured her about an hour later on the 4400 block of Collis Avenue in Los Angeles, in the El Sereno area.
Chao was last seen wearing a purple T-shirt, black shorts, and dark shoes. She was headed to a family member's home in San Gabriel but never arrived. She was riding a blue mountain bike and carrying a black bookbag.
Detectives from the Monterey Park Police Department, in collaboration with local, county, state, and federal agencies, have been relentlessly investigating the case since Chao's disappearance. They are working closely with the Chao family and the local community, reviewing surveillance footage in hopes of uncovering vital information.
A dedicated website, alisonchao.com, has been launched to aid in the search efforts. The site offers regular updates and includes a form for individuals to report any sightings of Chao, detailing the date, time, location, and any additional information or screenshots. Additionally, an "urgent" section on the website features a map, urging residents to review their camera system recordings in the highlighted areas.
"Thank you to the community for your unwavering support and assistance in our efforts to find Alison," the website reads. "We are still searching. We will and have been continuing to provide all information we receive to the police to aid their efforts."
There is also an Instagram page, @helpfindalison, with ample updates and photos of Chao.
"With all our hearts, we extend our deepest gratitude to our incredible community," the Instagram post wrote. "Your unwavering support and willingness to volunteer in the search party means the world to us."
The Chao family also organized two independent search parties in accordance with the Monterey Park Police Department.
Anyone who may have spotted Chao or knows her whereabouts is asked to call the department at 626-573-1311.
Last week in Florida, the body of a missing 3-year-old autistic boy was pulled from an Orlando resort's retention pond on Thursday after a massive search for the child.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had issued a Missing Child Alert for Rakim Akbari, affectionately known as "Tuda," earlier that morning which prompted a community-wide effort to find the missing child.
The alert, which was issued shortly after Rakim was discovered missing, detailed the boy's physical description and last known whereabouts.
Correction, 7/24/24, 04:25 a.m. ET: This article's headline was updated to correct the spelling of Alison Chao's first name.
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