An Australian Actress Who Had Been Reported Missing Was Actually In Jail After Being Busted For Public Intoxication And Resisting Arrest

Most of us have had a night out where we’ve gotten more turned up than we’d have liked (and may even have been asked to leave), but it takes a special kind of messiness to get so turnt that your family thinks you’ve gone missing. E! News reported that Laura McCulloch, an Australian native living in LA to pursue her acting career, hadn’t contacted her family since August 12. After a search party formed, she turned up–in jail–after a night of obnoxious debauchery.

Laura’s family was so distraught about not hearing from her after she was supposed to be on a date with someone she met online that they started a GoFundMe page and hired a private investigator to get to the bottom of her whereabouts. via E! News:

A GoFundMe page hosted by her cousin Merrie McCulloch stated that her “much loved Laura” disappeared on Aug. 12 and hasn’t been seen since. Per the fundraiser, which has raised $1,000 AUD, “She was last seen in the Santa Monica area, wearing a blue blouse, red skirt and tan shoes as she prepared for a first date from Tinder or Bumble.”

They added that they had hired a private investigator to find her.

“It is not like Laura to be out-of-contact for this length of time, and, like her family and friends we are desperately concerned not to have heard from her,” the rep said on Aug. 16. “She is a remarkably talented artist, and a wonderful person – much beloved by all her colleagues.”

Here’s the flyer asking for any info on Laura’s whereabouts:

But, it seems that Laura had just seen the bottom of too many glasses of merlot and must have forgotten phone numbers to make her one call. Laura got drunk, threw a drink at a parent with their toddler, and then fought the cops who’d been called to remove her from the establishment.

Police were dispatched to the Santa Monica location at about 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 12 for a reported battery, the Santa Monica Police Department told E! News on Aug. 16. The reporting party told authorities that McCulloch threw a drink at a restaurant patron and their 2-year-old child.

Laura’s date was either going swimmingly well or terribly if the squawks of a toddler were harshing her vibe. And when the cops came for Laura, she had a little something up her sleeve for them too.

Police said McCulloch “showed obvious signs of intoxication,” and while they conducted the investigation, McCulloch allegedly charged at the officers while “yelling expletives,” police told E! News.

“Despite efforts to calm her, McCulloch continued to display aggressive behaviors,” police said in a statement. “During efforts to detain her, she became physically combative, kicked at officers and bit one officer on the shoulder.”

And here’s Laura’s mug shot:

Depending on how far into dinner she was, maybe she was still just hungry. Had anyone thought of that? Probably not. The toddler doused in house red and the cop with a bite out of their shoulder only thought of themselves. Laura’s bail was set at $25,000 and she’s still in custody at the Santa Monica Jail. She’s been charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. I’m not sure how long Laura has been in LA, but it seems like she’s still a fledgling actress; if she knew what she was doing, she would’ve just called her incident of fuckery “immersive work,” like master thespian Jared Leto, and then took a bow.

Pics: Instagram, The New York Post, Santa Monica Police