(KTLA) – An Australian actress who had been reported missing by her family was actually in custody after being arrested by police in Santa Monica days prior.
Last Friday night, Santa Monica police say they were dispatched to a restaurant on Arizona Avenue for a report of a battery.
Officers were told a woman, later identified as Laura McCulloch, had thrown a drink at a restaurant patron and their 2-year-old child.
According to police, McCulloch showed “obvious signs of intoxication,” and continued acting aggressively while officers tried to calm her.
“During efforts to detain her, she became physically combative, kicked at officers and bit one officer on the shoulder,” authorities said.
The 37-year-old actress was arrested and booked on suspicion of public intoxication and resisting arrest.
She appeared in court on Tuesday, but not before her family reported her missing to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities told Nexstar’s KTLA that McCulloch’s family made the report Monday.
A GoFundMe page created to help in the search indicated she had been getting ready for a date with a person she met on Tinder or Bumble. As of Tuesday night, that GoFundMe has been disabled.
McCulloch appeared in an independent film called “Covid Support Group,” this year and had appeared in an Australian film called “The Black Sheep” in 2010, according to her IMDB page.
Additional details about Friday’s incident have not been released.
