By ,
Published January 13, 2015
A missing New York City woman was last seen laughing with and kissing the registered sex offender who is the main suspect in her disappearance, the New York Post reported.
Laura Garza, 25, has been missing since early last Wednesday morning, when she left a Manhattan club with Michael Mele and got into a car with him and his friend.
The three drove toward Mele's home in upstate New York, near Wallkill. The friend, who hasn't been identified, said he left the two in a McDonald's parking lot in Newburgh.
"The informant went on to state that when he was dropped off, he observed Ms. Garza and Mr. Mele kiss and laugh," read court documents obtained by the Post. The pair then drove away.
Mele, 23, hasn't been charged in the Texas native's disappearance. Police say he is refusing to answer any of their questions.
Cops say they found torn sections of carpet in Mele's newly-cleaned apartment and theorize he was trying to destroy evidence. Mele also had bite and scratch marks, according to the Post.
He also allegedly called the friend who'd been with him and told him Garza had disappeared more than eight hours before she was reported missing, the paper said.
Late Tuesday, Mele's bail was tripled to $150,000 and he was transferred to a jail closer to where Garza, who had moved to Brooklyn from McAllen, Texas, vanished.
Sheriff's deputies on Tuesday brought Mele from the Rockland County Jail to Town Court in Newburgh. He was ordered to the county jail in Goshen.
Mele is being held on alleged probation violations stemming from sex offenses in Rockland.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/missing-new-york-city-woman-last-seen-kissing-sex-offender-suspect