2 Vietnamese teen tourists planned to disappear at LAX, police say

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two Vietnamese teens who were reported missing from a tour group Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport apparently planned to disappear upon their arrival in the U.S., airport police said.

"It appears they knew -- that they planned to have these girls come here and remain in the United States," Lt. Dennis Lau said.

Ly Camly Vuong, 12, and Linh Huyen Cao, 17, were last seen at 7:10 p.m. in the baggage claim area of terminal seven, LAX police said. They arrived with an educational tour group and were seen on surveillance video leaving with several unidentified Asian men. Their relationship was unclear.

Police said no one else in the group was apparently aware of the plan.

Cao's twin sister remained with the group and her parents asked police to release her, so she can join the other two, police said.

"We don't have a legal basis to detain, so without a legal basis to detain, we will not be holding the 17-year-old. This is up to the tour guide or sponsor on how they wish to handle that," Lau said.

The search was called off and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At this point, the girls have not broken any laws and are in the country on tourist visas.