Death of Mitrice Richardson

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.

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

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. 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.

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. 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."

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.

Searches

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.

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.

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.

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. In 2011, her parents, who had sued separately, were awarded $450,000 each.

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.

On December 30, 2016 results of the criminal investigation into the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department handling of the Mitrice Richardson case concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution of anyone involved in the handling of the case.