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State Police Give Another Go at Finding Garza
By
Billy Parker
Published Feb 28, 2009
Modified Feb 28, 2009
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By
Billy Parker
Published Feb 28, 2009
Modified Feb 28, 2009
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Today in Orange County, police have resumed the search for Laura Garza, the Brooklyn woman who left a nightclub with a registered sex offender three months ago, never to be seen again. State police will focus once again on trails off of Route 17, including the area where they discovered a piece of carpet that they believe came from the apartment of the man Garza left with, Michael Mele, who police have only named as a "person of interest." Garza's family and friends recently camped outside of Mele's apartment, demanding he provide more answers since being labeled by authorities as "uncooperative." As for the search that will take place today and tomorrow, police say that they have declined offers of assistance from the public due to fears of tainting any evidence and said that they can't make headway into Sullivan County because there is too much snow on the ground. Captain Wayne Olson said the previous searches have turned up evidence but told reporters, "We have submitted a number of items for analysis and we've had some results, and I can't go into specific."
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