LA Sheriff Orders Homicide Investigation In Disappearance of Mitrice Richardson

12/16/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
It has now been three months since Mitrice Richardson went missing from an LA County Sheriff’s Station. While there have been a few leads, she has not been seen nor heard from since then. Today, the LA Times is reporting that Ms Richardson’s case has been bumped up to Homicide. LA County Sheriff Lee Baca has ordered that a homicide investigation be opened up with regards to Ms Richardson’s disappearance, and stresses that this does not mean that she is dead. Rather, Sheriff Baca is hoping that by opening up a homicide investigation into Ms Richardson’s disappearance he will be able to open up more resources in order to find her. Department spokesperson Steve Whitmore stated “He has declared it a homicide investigation. That does not mean the sheriff believes Ms. Richardson is dead. But by opening up a homicide investigation, it does allow the Sheriff’s Department to put some of our top investigators on the case.” By making this move, Sheriff Baca is able to then add in three more officers- a lieutenant and two detectives- to the case.

Additional information has come out about this particular case. It appears that Ms Richardson may be suffering from extreme bipolar disorder. In the lead up to her arrest, she appears to have spent five days without sleep. According to LAPD Det. Chuck Knolls, the department consulted with mental health professionals who went through several journals which were left in Ms Richardson’s car. According to them, she may have have had a mental health break close to the time of her arrest. She was arrested at the restaurant Geoffrey’s in Malibu, CA where she had ordered dinner but been unable to pay. During her time there, she was speaking in gibberish and acting strangely.

The LAPD has been facing a great deal of criticism with regards to this case. Mitrice Richardson is black, lesbian, and worked at a local gay night club part time. The fact that they released her from custody in the middle of the night has been one of the biggest criticisms that the LAPD has faced. Ms Richardson was released from custody just after 1am in an area of Los Angeles that she likely did not know well. Since then, she has been reported in a few spots, but nothing substantial.

People in the LA area are urged to contact the LAPD if they see Ms Richardson.

L.A. County sheriff orders homicide probe in Mitrice Richardson disappearance
Mitrice Richardson, Still Missing After Two Months