Laura Garza Murder: Sex Offender Michael Mele Charged with N.Y. Killing of Aspiring Dancer from Texas

GOSHEN, N.Y. (CBS/AP) Prosecutors charged sex offender Michael Mele Wednesday for the murder of 25-year-old Laura Garza, an aspiring dancer who disappeared two years ago after leaving a New York City nightclub with him.

PICTURES: Laura Garza Found Dead

Mele, who is already serving time for violating his parole as a sex offender, is  charged with murder, manslaughter, and evidence tampering in the death of Garza, who vanished five months after moving to New York from her hometown of McAllen, Texas.

Security cameras outside Manhattan nightspot Marquee caught the pair leaving together Dec. 3, 2008, and according to witnesses, Mele and Garza were spotted again a couple of hours later very close to the suspect's home in Wallkill, N.Y.

Although Mele had always been the prime suspect in the case, investigators were unable to find Garza or her remains.

As soon as Garza was reported missing, firefighters, police officers, volunteers, and family members began searching in Orange and Sullivan counties in upstate New York combing through Mele's apartment complex, the woods and fields around it, septic systems, trash bags, roads, highways, and lakes.

Although there were no signs of the young woman, police did find that patches of carpet had been removed from Mele's apartment.

Police took Mele into custody on a separate parole violation, and have been holding him ever since. A board denied his release in March citing his "history of sexually deviant behavior."

On April 11, 2010, a group of ATV riders cruising through the woods in Mount Cobb, Pa. came across what police described as "an intact skeleton."

It was later confirmed that the remains belonged to Garza.

Mele is accused of killing Garza in Orange County, N.Y., northwest of New York City, but the one count of evidence tampering alleges Mele committed an act of "concealment, alteration, or destruction" involving her body, which was recovered 80 miles from the alleged crime scene.

"We're pleased with the result," Garza's cousin, Isela Villalobos of McAllen, Texas, said by phone. "It's been two long years. There's a sense of relief that the New York State Police Department and the district attorney have done their job."

"We think about her every day," Villalobos said. "This Christmas will be another difficult Christmas."

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April 28, 2010 - Laura Garza's Body Found; "A Really Sad Moment" for Family
April 27, 2010 - Laura Garza, Aspiring Dancer, Found Dead; Texas Woman Identified 16 Months After Vanishing in NYC