Laura McCulloch: ‘Missing’ Australian actor who has been missing for at least 84 hours

The family and friends of 37-year-old Laura McCulloch have launched a frantic search after they lost contact with her after they dated last Friday night. However, she was not missing next Tuesday and was charged with her public intoxication and resisting her arrest.

The Melbourne-born actor wanted her name out on Broadway. Instead, her name became known worldwide on news sites. the saddest day in history.

McCulloch gleefully snapped pictures before heading out to a restaurant to meet a man that Friday, and allegedly resisted being arrested by U.S. police just hours later. I have not yet explained what happened.

The ensuing 84 hours of her seeming disappearance are even more baffling.

That’s roughly the time between her arrest on Friday night and her teary-eyed release from jail in Santa Monica on Tuesday morning.

Her family and friends knew nothing of her whereabouts and feared the worst. How the police handled the situation is also under scrutiny.and there was

Also confusion about the incident involving a nearby police station.

Still, police claim that during the more than 80 hours McCulloch was in custody, they were able to call loved ones to let them know she was safe.

A spokesman for the Santa Monica Police Department told news.com.au:

News.com.au has reached out to the McCulloch family but has chosen not to comment at this time.

Previously, McCulloch’s roommate, Tristan Schuller, said: Herald Sunit was an “insane situation”.

fateful friday unfolds

Trained at the Victoria College of Art in Melbourne, McCulloch first moved to London before heading to the United States in 2016 to try to make it big in the entertainment industry.

Appeared in the stage work of. rent and Tale of Two Cities played a supporting role in an Australian short film black sheep.

In 2021, she settled in Los Angeles, where she worked as an actor, singer, and voice-over artist while also serving as a nanny.

But nothing could prepare her role for the drama that was about to unfold on Friday night, August 12th.

McCulloch was excited that night. She went out on dates with guys she met on the Bumble or Tinder dating apps.

She sent family and friends pictures of her colorful outfit, a bright blue polka-dot top and red skirt.

After that, McCulloch headed to Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese barbecue restaurant on Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica, near a famous beach near Los Angeles.

It was the last time her housemates, family and friends heard of her for days.

Over the weekend, concerns were raised for her personal safety, especially as her phone appeared to be turned off. But those concerns exploded on Monday US time, with McCulloch still not reappearing.

She missed a booked yoga class and none of her bank cards were used. Then she couldn’t go to work.

McCulloch’s sister, Claire, who is based in Australia, said, “She had many appointments all day long, but she didn’t show up for any of them.” Herald Sun at the time.

“I’m very worried and worried. I don’t know where she is.”

Her friends managed to find out that she had booked an Uber or Lyft ride that was to pick her up at the restaurant at 9:06 p.m. However, she was not on board and she was charged a “no show” fee.

Confusion of different police stations

By Monday, the family filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) when it became clear that something was very wrong. One.

But there were concerns that it wasn’t being done fast enough.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department told news.com.au that there was no record of McCulloch. He added that it had not yet been uploaded to the system.

The family said the restaurant refused to release CCTV footage without a warrant from police.

In desperation, a GoFundMe page (since deleted) was quickly set up to raise money to hire a private investigator.

However, McCulloch’s family and friends seemed unaware that they had called the wrong police station. .

Santa Monica is part of Greater Los Angeles, but is a separate municipality with its own police force unaffiliated with the LAPD.

dramatic arrest and imprisonment

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) dropped the bombshell that McCulloch’s whereabouts had been known by them all along.

Far from disappearing, she was thrown into solitary confinement after authorities claimed she had a violent confrontation with the cafeteria and the police.

SMPD said in a statement to news.com.au that police were called into the “battery” incident at the restaurant.

They said a woman, later identified as McCulloch, threw drinks at a diner and a two-year-old child.

“Shortly upon arrival, officers contacted Ms. McCulloch, who was showing obvious signs of intoxication.

“During the investigation, McCulloch lashed out at the officer while ranting.

“While trying to restrain her, she became physically aggressive, kicking officers and biting them on the shoulder.”

She was taken to a prison in Santa Monica and booked for public intoxication and resisting arrest.

It is unknown what happened that night and how it turned from a romantic date to a suspected criminal case.

The restaurant said the incident occurred off-site and no one called 911 inside. daily mail.

McCulloch appeared in Los Angeles Airport Court on Tuesday and bail was set at $25,000 ($35,600).

“Missing” for at least 84 hours

That same day, an exhausted McCulloch, still wearing a blue jacket and red skirt, emerged from the courthouse, where she was embraced by her friends.

Her sister Claire posted on social media, “She was found safe and healthy.”

“The family would like to thank you for your help during a traumatic time,” she wrote.

That trauma was largely due to McCulloch not knowing where he was for 84 hours and thinking the worst after going out to see a man he only knew through social media.

The SMPD objected to suggestions that the actor’s friends and family should have been informed of her whereabouts.

“We do not notify ‘family members’ when an adult is arrested,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.

“Arrested persons are allowed to call. Based on what happened, I don’t think she ever called to inform her family.”

What happened to those four missing days will be revealed next month when McCulloch heads to Los Angeles Superior Court to face her charges.