Death of Mitrice Richardson

Mitrice L. Richardson
Born Mitrice Lavon Richardson
(1985-04-30)April 30, 1985
Disappeared September 17, 2009 (aged 24)
Body discovered August 9, 2010, Monte Nido, California, United States
Nationality American
Ethnicity Black
Alma mater California State University, Fullerton
Occupation Executive assistant, dancer
Known for Missing person from South Los Angeles, California, United States;

Mitrice Lavon Richardson (born April 30, 1985 – remains found August 9, 2010) was a 24-year-old African American woman who went missing after being released from a Malibu, California, jail on September 17, 2009, and was subsequently found deceased 11 months later in August 2010.

She worked as an administrative assistant at a freight company in Santa Fe Springs, California; was a dancer in a nightclub in Long Beach, California; lived in South Los Angeles, California, and was an out lesbian at the time of her disappearance and death.[1][2]

Richardson's parents have maintained that their daughter should never have been released on her own by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. In 2014 they won civil lawsuits against the county. Two years later, California Attorney General Kamala Harris changed her mind about her office's initial refusal to investigate the sheriff's handling of the case and opened a criminal investigation.

Early life and education

Richardson was a graduate of South Hills High School in West Covina, California. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 2008. She had been a beauty pageant contestant.[3]

She was the daughter of Latice Sutton and Michael Richardson. She was raised by her mother and stepfather Larry Sutton in Covina, California.[4][5]

Disappearance

On the evening of September 16, 2009, Richardson entered the parking lot of Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu. Due to what staff and patrons at the restaurant described as "bizarre" behavior and the fact that she was unable to pay her bill, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department from the Malibu/Lost Hills Station was called to assess her condition.[6] The officers on the scene purportedly administered a field sobriety test and determined that she was not intoxicated and not under the influence of any substance. She was arrested on charges of "suspicion of not paying for the meal" and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.[7][8][9]

According to the arresting officers; upon her arrest, her phone, purse and money were secured in her car and her car was towed to a tow yard on the Pacific Coast Highway. Richardson was detained and booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station approximately ten miles up Malibu Canyon.

Although Richardson's mother informed the station of concern for her daughter's mental health, and despite promises from the station personnel that she would not be released until later in the morning, Richardson was released on September 17, 2009, at 12:28 a.m. with no belongings and no means of calling for assistance, against advice of law enforcement who offered to allow her to stay in the station until morning or until her mother could pick her up.[10] Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said Richardson was released from jail because "She exhibited no signs of mental illness or intoxication. She was fine. She's an adult."[7]

Several hours later, she was seen in the backyard of former KTLA news anchor Bill Smith who stated she was in his backyard "resting". Neighbors stated that they heard a woman's voice in the tennis courts of Smith's home. Others stated that they heard and saw Richardson either leaving or attempting to enter Smith's home and that she had been in the presence of a man who frequented the home for a few days after her disappearance. Neighbors also stated that they heard loud screams in a vacant home around the time that Richardson went missing. They stated that the police were called.

Richardson's father Michael Richardson publicly claimed to have seen Mitrice working as a prostitute in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2010.[11][12]

Searches

Site where Richardson's remains were found.

On January 9, 2010, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department conducted one of the largest-scale searches in the history of the department. Over 300 volunteers trained in search and rescue operations participated in the 18-square-mile search in the area of Malibu Canyon. The search included both air and ground searches of creeks, trails, and ridges. Richardson was not found during this search.[13]

Maurice Dubois, father of slain Escondido, California, teen Amber Dubois, assisted Richardson's family in a two-day search on June 5 and 6, 2010, in the Monte Nido, California, area of Malibu Canyon. Over 100 private-citizen volunteers participated in the search of the area. Although Richardson's remains were not discovered, searchers found racially and sexually offensive graffiti on the walls of a culvert in the canyon. The graffiti was freshly painted and paint cans, brushes and other potential evidence was left at the scene.[14][15]

The creek bed in Malibu Canyon where Richardson's naked mummified remains were eventually discovered is adjacent to a 21-acre ranch that is known for producing pornography. It is very secluded and has direct access to the creek bed. When her body was discovered, the detectives on the case removed her body against the order of the coroner. Her death was deemed to not be a homicide; there was no foul play.[16][17]

Media coverage

Richardson's disappearance was covered on an episode of Disappeared on the Investigation Discovery channel, entitled "Lost in the Dark"; it first aired on November 19, 2012.

Lawsuits

Richardson's family has filed several lawsuits against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for releasing her from jail even though, they claim, she was experiencing severe bipolar disorder at the time.[18][19] In 2014, her parents, who had sued separately, were awarded $450,000 each.[20]

They have also asked the California Attorney General's office to review the sheriff's office's handling of the case. In November 2015, after reviewing 500 pages of documents sent with the request, Attorney General Kamala Harris replied that her office had not found any grounds for criminal charges against the sheriff or his deputies, or even that they had mishandled the complaint. Three months later, however, Harris's office changed its mind and announced it was beginning a criminal investigation over the case.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Staff (November 17, 2009). "Where's Mitrice? The Search for a Young Lesbian Missing Since September". SheWired. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ Hall, Carla (October 8, 2009). "Woman Who Went Missing in Malibu Canyon Is Out There". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Blankstein, Andrew; Hall, Carla (August 12, 2010). "No Signs of Foul Play in Mitrice Richardson's Death, Authorities Say [Updated]". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  4. ↑ Hall, Carla; Rubin, Joel (July 29, 2010). "Mitrice Richardson May Have Been Spotted in Las Vegas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015. Her parents, who have never been a couple, are divided on whether the new sightings are real.
  5. ↑ Kessler, Mike (September 1, 2011). "What Happened to Mitrice Richardson?". Los Angeles. Retrieved March 29, 2015. She knew Covina and the suburbs east of L.A., where she grew up with her mother and stepfather. She knew Fullerton, where she graduated with honors from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in psychology the year before, in 2008. She knew Long Beach, where she worked Friday nights as a go-go dancer. She knew South L.A., where her father lived and where she resided with her great-grandmother at 118th and Central. Malibu was not Mitrice's turf.
  6. ↑ "Long search for Mitrice Richardson comes to tragic end". latimes. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Mitrice Richardson Arrested, Released, then Disappeared: Are the Cops to Blame?". cbsnews.com. September 25, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  8. ↑ Neal Boverman. "Where is Mitrice Richardson". Advocate.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  9. ↑ "What Happened To Mitrice Richardson work=Los Angeles Magazine". Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  10. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q40LyouAfs
  11. ↑ Carla Hall and Joel Rubin (July 29, 2010). "Mitrice Richardson may have been spotted in Las Vegas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015. Her parents, who have never been a couple, are divided on whether the new sightings are real. " 'God, this girl looks like my daughter,' " he said he thought to himself. So he jumped out of the truck, which was stuck in traffic. "I'm running over to get to where she is. I'm almost getting hit by cars. She was standing in the middle of two palm trees in a restaurant parking lot. And then she's gone. I'm like 'Where was that girl?' "….Michael Richardson said Rosson discussed with him the possibility that she was working as a prostitute. He said he believes that it is possible someone is keeping her from contacting family and friends.
  12. ↑ Associated Press (July 28, 2010). "Missing since September, Mitrice Richardson may be alive — and in Vegas". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  13. ↑ Hall, Carla (January 9, 2010). "Search for Mitrice Richardson Draws 300 Volunteers to Malibu, Canyon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  14. ↑ Soble, Anne (June 9, 2010). "Latest Search for Clues to Mitrice Richardson's Disappearance Adds to Mystery". Malibu Surfside News. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  15. ↑ Coleman, Andre; Chapman, Justin (July 22, 2010). "The Handwriting on the Wall". Pasadena Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  16. ↑ Hall, Carla; Blankstein, Andrew (August 13, 2010). "Long Search for Mitrice Richardson Comes to Tragic End". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  17. ↑ Duke, Alan (August 13, 2010). "Remains Found in Malibu Canyon Identified as Mitrice Richardson". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  18. ↑ Faturechi, Robert (August 23, 2011). "Mitrice Richardson: $900,000 Settlement Tentatively Reached". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  19. ↑ Salazar, Denise (May 25, 2011). "Mother of Dead CSUF Grad Files Another Lawsuit". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  20. 1 2 Abram, Susan (February 2, 2016). "California attorney general opens criminal investigation into Sheriff’s Department over Mitrice Richardson case". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 13, 2016.

External links

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