Authorities believe Mitrice Richardson may be alive and in Las Vegas

Los Angeles law enforcement authorities believe that Mitrice Richardson, the woman who vanished after being released from a sheriff's station in the early morning last September, may be alive and living in Las Vegas.

"It's not definitive, it's not absolute," said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore. But Los Angeles sheriff's and police investigators plan to hold a press conference with local police officials in Las Vegas Thursday to announce they are looking for Richardson and to urge her to contact them, he said.

"Please let us know you're OK," Whitmore said of their message to Richardson. "You're not in trouble. You've done nothing wrong. You are not the subject of a criminal investigation. You will not be arrested."

Richardson's father, Michael Richardson, said Wednesday that a Sheriff's Department official told him recently the department had gathered information on 80 possible sightings of his daughter in Las Vegas. Whitmore would not confirm that number but he said, "They wouldn't be doing this if they didn't believe they had credible information of her whereabouts. They want to prove or disprove beyond a shadow of a doubt that these sightings are indeed fact or indeed not fact."

Richardson, a Cal State Fullerton graduate whose 25th birthday was three months ago, was arrested the evening of last Sept. 16 at Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu after she couldn't pay her $89 dinner bill. Patrons and restaurant staff said she had been behaving bizarrely, but Sheriff's Department staffers said she acted normally while in custody at the Lost Hills/Malibu station. She was released shortly after midnight but without her car — which had been impounded — or her purse and cellphone, which were in the car. There were three credible sightings of her later that morning in Malibu Canyon. But she never made contact with friends or family and no further trace of her was found. Los Angeles Police Department homicide investigators assigned to the case discovered a few months later that she was probably suffering from a severe bipolar mental disorder at the time of her arrest and disappearance.

Since then, Sheriff's Department officials have been repeatedly criticized for not holding her for further medical evaluation and instead releasing her without a car or phone in the early morning darkness near the rugged terrain of Malibu Canyon. The department has steadfastly maintained that Richardson acted rationally in their custody. But its handling of the case has been investigated at the request of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Richardson's parents have filed lawsuits claiming negligence.

Authorities conducted four searches across miles of Malibu Canyon — the last one in January was the largest ever conducted in the county for a missing person — without turning up a single clue.

According to Michael Richardson, a Sheriff's Department official discussed with him the possibility that his daughter was working as a prostitute in Las Vegas. Richardson said it was possible she was under the influence of someone keeping her from contacting family and friends. Or that she may have simply shrugged off old connections on her own.

It's also possible that the multiple sightings are not of Richardson but of a woman who resembles her.

"Absolutely possible," Whitmore said. "They want to make it definitive."

-- Carla Hall

Photo: Mitrice Richardson, a Cal State Fullerton graduate, was last seen at the Malibu sheriff's station in September.

Comments

[Downtown resident]

I'm sure this woman will reach out now that you have outed her as a possible prostitute through a major publication, nice job....

[Avril]

I pray that this is true and that she is not in harms way. May God bless her...

[Mike]

I hope she is in Las Vegas, alive and well. You also have to wonder if the Sheriff's Dept. is just blowing smoke to avoid the big lawsuit?

[thecanimalshusband]

If they find her in Vegas, does that mean the parents and their lawyer can't collect on their lawsuit against the LA Sheriffs?

[Joe]

It sure was nice of the cops to take her money and her phone and then put her out on the street in the middle of the night.

To protect and serve...their pensions!

[James T.]

So let me understand this correctly. They arrest this woman because she didn't have $89 to pay for dinner? First of all, this is not a crime, but rather a CIVIL penalty.

Secondly, they impound her car? For what purpose? Was her car involved in her eating?

Thirdly, they release her without verifying she has a ride home?

I think the Malibu sheriff should be investigated for civil rights violations. This seems to reek of racism.

[Ruby Jackson]

This is a smokescreen. The Sheriff's department should be ashamed. But, of course, this is the same department that thought it was alright to let this woman wander out into the night, alone, in the middle of nowhere.

[kgoddess]

I hope the woman is ok. Wonder what her family is thinking after rushing off to have her declared dead & filing a lawsiut?
Anybody smell conspiracy here?

[Jess]

They have all this credible information, 80 possible sightings and yet they still can't confirm it's her? And they believe she's possibly working the streets in Vegas? Not exactly what I would call a low profile gig. Riiiiiiight. That's...what...happened.

[LLewis]

Hope it's her, but you gotta give this new information the side-eye, especially considering it's not conclusive. Plus, if she's hiding out from family and friends, wouldn't publicizing this information jeopardize her whereabouts? If someone is holding her against her will and after hearing the police is hot on her trace, she may again pick up and leave the area.

[Carrie]

Thank you for writing this update. I was just thinking about this young lady yesterday. I have a daughter a few years younger than her and it has hurt my heart to know this girl has been been missing all this time. I can only imagine the hell her folks have been going through.

I pray she is alive and living in Las Vegas so she can be reunited with her family and get the resources she needs.

[Susannah2k]

Just for future reference, before impounding anything, couldn't the officers check for something important like a wallet or handbag in a vehicle as part of making the arrest? That way, when releasing the person, whether into the darkness of Malibu or downtown, the person has the basic resources he or she started the day with. I mean, forcing the officer to say something really lame like, Oh, we can't give you your purse back because it's in your car which has been towed off to the impound lot where we can't get at it, is poor business practice and just opens the door for trouble -- for the person and for the police, as this case shows.

[Astonished]

Has anyone stopped to consider that as an adult, she does not have to report her whereabouts to anyone. Maybe she doesn't want to be found.

[james]

My sister is bi-polar. I sympathize with the family, I also think they share a lot of the blame. Our family knew something was very, very wrong with my sister even when she was able to fool others, even doctors about her condition.

I just wonder how much the family isn't telling the media or even investigators. How does someone go from being a grad student to prostitute in Vegas that quickly, even if she's bi-polar? It's a sad story, but this family's also suing the police for millions, and there's definitely something fishy about all of this. Perhaps Matrice had other reasons not to want to linger at a police station that night?

[James]

Downtown Resident, I agree that the part about Mitrice Richardson possibly working as a prostitute might have been better left unsaid, but it seems her father divulged that bit of information, not the sheriff's dept. He probably should have thought before telling the media that, but maybe he feels it could help in finding her somehow.

[Mufon]

I hope she's found alive and well, for the obvious reason. But a hilarious byproduct will be to watch the stuttering, stammering and back-pedaling of all the cop-haters who've weighed in on this thing from the beginning. Guess it'll hurt the lawsuit attorney's bottom line, will it not, if she's found alive?

[Philip]

I know times are tough but you are telling me that this college educated young woman could be "possibly" working as a prostitute? Facts should be known before such insulting acusations are made.

[Olivia]

Of course they don't say why they believe she is in Las Vegas - they want to deflect attention from themselves - what did they do to that girl? Steve Whitmore seems to have an answer, an explanation, and an excuse for every
dirty deed the LAPD is accused of.

[Tarzana Jane]

Somthing smells bad with this missing persons case. She just vanished, without a trace. If she is alive in Vegas, what would be the penalty for fraud? Hope the girl is alive, however if so, should pay every cent for the tens of thousands of dollars devoted to finding her and Malibu Sherrifs being harasssed and threatened by her parents.

[Hmmmm]

I hope it is Mitrice and she is safe. If she had a mental health issue we need to be understanding.

There are considerations which need to be made on her release from custody last year. Law Enforcement could not keep her longer than needed without violating her civil rights, however, the hour she was released is questionable especially if its true about the facility's isolated location.

I am confused if the police found drugs in her car (marijuana), did they evaluate her for being under the influence. How many drinks does her dinner reciept show she purchased? Why was she taken to the station for defauding an innkeeper and not issued a citation? Her bill was only $89.00. Plus, she had a valid credit card in her name inside her vehicle when the police were impounding it, so why didn't the police investigate that further. (It doesn't make sense). Finally, writing a 5150 hold would have been a lot easier on the officers at the scene and she would have been taken to a hospital (therefore out of their responsibilty).

There are questions that need to be asked and investigated....

[Gernine Lindsey]

Why would this woman's father actually say she's either being held against her will or she decided to shrug off connections. If she's alive wouldn't it only be one or the other? Secondly, this is an educated woman, I'm sure that she could still gain some type of revenue without resorting to being a prostitute, now maybe managing a brothel, but to bust her down to a prostitute seems very unlikely to me. Just because she's bi-polar doesn't mean she's forgotten she has a degree. Come on now, why report something so unsubstantiated.

[P.Signorelli]

If Mitrice is found = NO $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
No Mon, No Fun.

She shouldn't have stiffed the restaurant for her food bill, that's
against the law.....Hello..........This ain't a Free Country and there
ain't no Free Feeds. She had coin to purchase Pot, bet she didn't
get that Free.

[Tom]

Count me in as one who hopes she is alive and "well" in Las Vegas; and that she gets the help she needs.

[Olivia]

Really? And why do they believe she is in Las Vegas - "sightings"? Steve Whitmore has an explanation/excuse for every accusation against the LAPD ever lodged. He just wants to deflect attention from his own dept. - what happened to that girl, what did they do to her is a better question.

[My opinon means nothing]

If this turns out that she is ok, what a story she has to tell. Book deal!