Missing Aussie actress found in LA jail after allegedly throwing drink at a mother and her baby

An Australian actor who “disappeared” after a Tinder date has been safely located — in a Los Angeles jail.

A missing Melbourne woman has been found after she went on a first date at a Los Angeles restaurant then disappeared in mysterious circumstances and wasn’t seen or heard from for days.

Laura McCulloch, a 37-year-old Australian actor, texted one her best friends, Lisa Sorenson, to say she was going to dinner at a Santa Monica restaurant on Friday with someone she met on dating app Tinder, and included a photo of herself in the outfit she decided to wear.

But when Ms McCulloch soon stopped responding to phone calls and messages, didn’t show up for work on Monday, and still hadn’t returned home by Tuesday, her family and friends began to fear the worst.

Unbeknown to them, however, Ms McCulloch had been arrested by local police for allegedly throwing “a drink at a restaurant patron and their two-year-old child” and was in custody, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.

But, the Los Angeles Police Department did not relay any of this information to Ms McCulloch’s family or friends when several of them came forward to file a missing persons report, according to concerned family members, housemates and friends who spoke with News Corp Australia.

Laura McCulloch was reported missing in Los Angeles but has since been found.

Several of them also started a social media campaign – including a GoFundMe fundraiser – to help locate Ms McCulloch, believing she may have been in grave danger.

Some of those close to Ms McCulloch even hacked into several of her online accounts to see if they could find any clues pertaining to her whereabouts.

Their fears escalated when they found she had not used her bank cards since before the date, or showed up to work and other regular appointments, including a yoga class, on Monday, multiple sources familiar with the matter told News Corp Australia.

They also discovered that Ms McCulloch had ordered an Uber or Lyft ride from the restaurant at 9.06pm but that she was charged a “no-show” fee, the sources added.

Police allege a woman, later identified as Laura McCulloch, threw a drink at a diner and their two-year-old child. Picture: Santa Monica Police Department.

AUSSIE ACCUSED OF ‘THROWING A DRINK’ AT TODDLER IN LA BAR

A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman told News Corp Australia on Tuesday morning they did not have any information about Ms McCulloch’s apparent disappearance. Hours later, a spokesman said she had been located and that Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) was now handling her case.

“On Friday, August 12, 2022 at approximately 8:30 PM Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Arizona for what was reported as a battery,” a statement issued by the SMPD read.

“According the reporting party, a female, later identified as Laura McCulloch, threw a drink at a restaurant patron and their 2-year-old child.

“Upon arrival, officers contacted Ms. McCulloch, who showed obvious signs of intoxication. While conducting the investigation, McCulloch charged at the officers while yelling expletives.

“Despite efforts to calm her, McCulloch continued to display aggressive behaviours. During efforts to detain her, she became physically combative, kicked at officers and bit one officer on the shoulder.

“Laura McCulloch, 37 years old from Australia, was arrested, transported to the Santa Monica Jail and booked for public intoxication and resisting arrest.”

In California, once a person is booked the case is referred to the prosecutor’s office for an independent decision on what charges should be filed.

Ms McCulloch appeared at the Airport Courthouse on Tuesday local time. Her bail was set at $US25,000 ($A35,600), court records show. She will return to court to face the charges next month.

An LAPD spokeswoman told News Corp Australia the detectives looking into the missing person reports hadn’t come across the arrest information until Tuesday.

“It takes a while for these things to upload in the system,” she said.

Laura McCulloch’s family and friends started to fear the worst when they didn’t hear back from her for days. Picture: Facebook

The details surrounding what led up to the alleged incident over the weekend remain unclear but her housemate Tristan Shuler described it as an “insane situation” without providing further information.

Earlier, the Australian actress’ sister Clare McCulloch told News Corp Australia that Laura McCulloch had not responded to any phone calls or messages since Friday night.

“She also did not turn up for work on Monday morning LA time, which is very, unusual for her,” Clare McCulloch said.

“She had a number of commitments all through the day and has not turned up to any of them.

“It’s extremely worrying and concerning. We don’t know where she is.

“We have now hired a private investigator to help with our search and investigation to find my sister.”

Laura McCulloch was reported missing by family and friends.

Her brother, Daniel McCulloch – who is based in Sydney – told News Corp Australia that Laura’s disappearance was wildly out of character and there were grave fears for her welfare.

“She is (usually) in constant communication with her friendship network,” he said, before she was located.

“It is completely out of the ordinary for her to go any more than a few hours without sharing texts, photos or phone calls with her friends.

“We are so incredibly stressed and worried about the situation. Of course we are hopeful there is some simple explanation. But this is just so out of character for Laura. And we genuinely hope there is nothing more sinister at play.”

Another one of Laura McCulloch’s close friends, who spoke on the condition of anonymity before her friend was located, told News Corp Australia “she went looking for love and didn’t come back”.

Clare McCulloch said her mother and older sister were planning to fly over to the US “in coming days” if Laura was not found.