Missing Actress Discovered in Jail After Online Panic

Australian actress Laura McCulloch was the center of a recent search after being reported missing by her family. McCulloch was later identified as a woman who allegedly bit a police officer in Santa Monica, California on Aug. 12, and was currently behind bars. McCulloch’s family reported her missing to the Los Angeles Police Department and a GoFundMe page stated the actress was last heard from during a date with someone she met online. McCulloch, 37, has appeared in a handful of short films, including the 2022 indie COVID Support Group.

McCulloch’s cousin posted on the GoFundMe page that she was “successfully located,” reports Australia’s 9News. “At this current stage we are unable to confirm what state she is in, and if any further financial support is needed, but I will do my best to provide an update as soon as it is available,” her cousin wrote. “In the meantime, I can confirm that it was only through the efforts of her amazing friends and family that she was successfully located and I’m sure they would want to pass on their heartfelt appreciation for your contributions and incredible support so far.”

McCulloch’s family said she was last seen on Friday at a restaurant in Santa Monica to meet someone she met on an online dating app. Her sister, Clare McCulloch, told 9News that her sister’s friends were worried about her. “They haven’t heard from her and she didn’t show up to work or her yoga class,” Clare said, adding that McCulloch’s phone was off. “It’s a total nightmare, it’s so hard to not think the absolute worst,” Clare said.

McCulloch was in prison for the past few days. She was arrested on Friday after Santa Monica police responded to a report of battery on Arizona Avenue, reports KTLA. Officers were told that McCulloch threw a drink at a restaurant patron and their 2-year-old child. The actress showed “obvious signs of intoxication” and “charged at the officers while yelling expletives,” police said.

Authorities tried to calm McCulloch down, but she was “physically combative,” they said. She “kicked at officers and bit one officer on the shoulder.” She was arrested and booked on suspicion of public intoxication and resisting arrest. She made her first court appearance on Tuesday.

McCulloch moved to the U.S. to pursue acting, her family told 9News. She lived in New York before moving to Los Angeles and worked as a nanny between acting gigs. According to her IMDb page, she starred in a 2010 short called The Black Sheep and a short earlier this year called COVID Support Group.