Mitrice Richardson
LOS ANGELES -- The family of a 24-year-old woman who mysteriously vanished after walking out of the Lost Hills sheriff's station nearly four months ago has filed a multi-million dollar claim against the county.
The claim, filed last week, alleges that sheriff's department personnel acted negligently in releasing Mitrice Richardson from custody Sept. 17.
Attorney Leo Terrell took the action on behalf of Richardson's mother, Latice Sutton; her father, Michael Richardson; the missing woman; and her estate. Terrell plans to follow the claim with a lawsuit, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At least three searches for for Richardson in Malibu have turned up empty.
The mystery began on September 16 when the Cal State Fullerton graduate went to Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu.
She ordered a drink and a steak dinner. When the $89 bill came, she said she had no money.
She told restaurant employees that she was from Mars and spoke to them in a made-up language.
Her odd behavior and failure to pay for a steak and a drink prompted restaurant staff to call deputies.
Sheriff's officials say they also found a small amount of marijuana in her car, and Richardson, who passed a sobriety test, was booked at the sheriff's station for failing to pay her bill.
She was released about 1:25 a.m. the next morning, according to the sheriff's department.
Her 1990 Honda Civic was impounded, and she walked away from the station with no purse or cell phone.
Richardson's mother said she believes her daughter was in a "manic state of mind" because she was sending "erratic" text messages to family and friends the afternoon of Sept. 16.
The Sheriff's Department has come under fire for not holding her for a psychological evaluation.
The department has said Richardson appeared rational and it felt it had a legal obligation to release her in a timely manner.
Investigators say they have since found evidence in the missing woman's diaries and text messages that she was suffering from severe bipolar disorder.
L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca has ordered a homicide investigation into Richardson's disappearance, despite having no evidence that she is dead. In doing so, the sheriff's department can put some of its "top investigators" on the case, according to Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman.
Several weeks after she disappeared, some residents of South Los Angeles claimed to have seen Richardson.
A homeowner on Cold Canyon Road reported a woman resting in her yard about 6:30 a.m., but when deputies arrived, the woman was gone.
Mitrice Richardson is African American with brown hair and hazel-brown eyes. She is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and about 125 pounds and has tattoos on her lower abdomen and on the back of her neck. She was last seen wearing a brown Bob Marley T-shirt and blue jeans.
Police are asking anyone with information about her whereabouts to call Los Angeles detectives at 213-486-6900.
A $25,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to her being found.
The claim, filed last week, alleges that sheriff's department personnel acted negligently in releasing Mitrice Richardson from custody Sept. 17.
Attorney Leo Terrell took the action on behalf of Richardson's mother, Latice Sutton; her father, Michael Richardson; the missing woman; and her estate. Terrell plans to follow the claim with a lawsuit, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At least three searches for for Richardson in Malibu have turned up empty.
The mystery began on September 16 when the Cal State Fullerton graduate went to Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu.
She ordered a drink and a steak dinner. When the $89 bill came, she said she had no money.
She told restaurant employees that she was from Mars and spoke to them in a made-up language.
Her odd behavior and failure to pay for a steak and a drink prompted restaurant staff to call deputies.
Sheriff's officials say they also found a small amount of marijuana in her car, and Richardson, who passed a sobriety test, was booked at the sheriff's station for failing to pay her bill.
She was released about 1:25 a.m. the next morning, according to the sheriff's department.
Her 1990 Honda Civic was impounded, and she walked away from the station with no purse or cell phone.
Richardson's mother said she believes her daughter was in a "manic state of mind" because she was sending "erratic" text messages to family and friends the afternoon of Sept. 16.
The Sheriff's Department has come under fire for not holding her for a psychological evaluation.
The department has said Richardson appeared rational and it felt it had a legal obligation to release her in a timely manner.
Investigators say they have since found evidence in the missing woman's diaries and text messages that she was suffering from severe bipolar disorder.
L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca has ordered a homicide investigation into Richardson's disappearance, despite having no evidence that she is dead. In doing so, the sheriff's department can put some of its "top investigators" on the case, according to Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman.
Several weeks after she disappeared, some residents of South Los Angeles claimed to have seen Richardson.
A homeowner on Cold Canyon Road reported a woman resting in her yard about 6:30 a.m., but when deputies arrived, the woman was gone.
Mitrice Richardson is African American with brown hair and hazel-brown eyes. She is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and about 125 pounds and has tattoos on her lower abdomen and on the back of her neck. She was last seen wearing a brown Bob Marley T-shirt and blue jeans.
Police are asking anyone with information about her whereabouts to call Los Angeles detectives at 213-486-6900.
A $25,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to her being found.
