Bail Tripled for Suspect in Brooklyn Woman's Disappearance

Jen Chung

Published Dec 10, 2008

Modified Dec 10, 2008

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Jen Chung

Published Dec 10, 2008

Modified Dec 10, 2008

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Bail for Michael Mele, a convicted sex offender, was raised to $150,000, as he remains the sole suspect in the disappearance of Laura Garza. Garza, a Brooklyn resident who had recently moved from Texas, was last seen in a SUV with Mele, who she apparently met at Marquee nightclub last Wednesday. Mele's friend told state police he last saw the Mele and Garza in a McDonald's parking lot in Newburgh. The Daily News reports that the state police are also trying to use Mele's cellphone records to "trace his steps...When a cell phone is on, it frequently 'pings' off the closest tower, and that information can be used to create a road map of the user's movements." Mele's lawyer points out that his client hasn't been charged in Garza's disappearance, in spite of the police searching his apartment and finding blood in his car (Mele is being held on a probation violation).