Nearly six years after Mitrice Richardson’s remains were found in a rugged Malibu canyon, the California attorney general’s office agreed to conduct a criminal investigation of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department when they handled the young woman’s case.
The decision to review the department is a sharp reversal of a previous response made by the attorney general’s office three months ago. Richardson’s family and their supporters had sent nearly 500 pages of documents and reports about the case to Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office hoping she would find cause for criminal action against deputies of the Sheriff’s Department.
Ronda Hampton, a family friend who once mentored Mitrice Richardson and who submitted the 500 page request, received a response from their office in November that denied calls for an investigation.
“The records you provided do not create a reasonable inference that the actions of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department or its employees violated the law,” according to their letter dated Nov, 16, 2015. “Nor, in our view, does it appear that the Sheriff’s Department failed to properly respond to your complaints.”
A spokeswoman with the attorney general’s office this week would not comment on what compelled them to change their decision.
“We cannot comment further on the specifics of this review, as it is ongoing,” the spokeswoman said in an email response.
The attorney general’s agreement to review the conduct at the Sheriff’s Department was made late last month, but on Wednesday former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of lying to government investigators probing corruption and civil rights abuses by the department. Baca’s plea is considered a major development in a long-standing federal criminal investigation into corruption and abuse by deputies in the county’s downtown jails and the attempt by the Sheriff’s Department to obstruct that investigation.
Baca had long defended the way deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station had handled Richardson’s case, even amid criticism.
On Sept. 16, 2009, Mitrice Richardson dined at Geoffrey’s restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway, then was briefly detained by deputies for not paying her bill. A few hours later, before her mother, Latice Sutton, could come and pick her up, Richardson was released just after midnight by deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station. Her car, which included her purse and cellphone, had been impounded. She had no transportation as she headed out into the darkness of Agoura Road.
Except for a brief appearance on the front lawn of a nearby residence, Richardson was never seen or heard from again. Search parties formed. Family and friends became worried. The sheriff’s department met with criticism and anger for letting the young woman walk alone into the night after she may have had a mental health breakdown hours before.
Eleven months after she disappeared, Richardson’s remains were discovered about seven miles from the station. Park rangers who were patrolling the area to check for illegal marijuana farms found her near a creek bed where few traveled. Deputies arrived and removed the bones, and once again met with criticism, this time from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.
Baca had told reporters he believed his officers followed procedures and that deputies had asked her to stay in jail until her mother arrived, but Richardson refused. The Office of Independent Review, which oversees the Sheriff’s Department, agreed with him. In the meantime, Richardson’s parents, who are not married to each other, filed separate wrongful death suits and in 2011 were awarded $450,000 each by Los Angeles County.
Hampton said Thursday she was elated to learn that Baca would be held accountable for some of his actions, however, she said it wasn’t satisfying.
“Now I am just saddened that there is still no justice for Mitrice,” she said. “While the exposure of the corruption that has occurred within the LASD jail system is a positive outcome for the county, there are still no answers for what happened to Mitrice and it is likely that those in the department have answers to what occurred during her disappearance and death.
“As for as the attorney general is concerned, I am trying to remain hopeful that their review of Mitrice Richardson’s handling by the LASD is an earnest attempt to explain what happened to her so that she may rest in peace,” Hampton added. “My thoughts are always focused ensuring that her beautiful life was not in vain.”
A spokesman with the sheriff’s department said they are aware of the Attorney General’s review.
“The Sheriff’s Department is aware of the investigation and it’s cooperating fully with the investigation,” according to their statement.
Michael Richardson, Mitrice’s father, said Friday he knows more work needs to be done to bring whoever harmed his daughter to justice, but he was hopeful with the attorney general’s decision.
“Success waits patiently for anyone who has the determination and strength to seize it,” he said. “Achievement comes to those who refuse to place limitations on themselves”
