Reward Increased For Info On Mitrice Richardson's Malibu Disappearance, Death

MALIBU, CA — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted to increase the award amount for information surrounding the disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson, which has remained unsolved for 15 years amid accusations from Richardson's family that the sheriff's department mishandled the case.

The reward was renewed and increased from $20,000 to $25,0000. It's for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Richardson's disappearance and death.

Richardson, a 24-year-old California State University, Fullerton graduate had been arrested on Sept. 16, 2009 after she was unable to pay her $89 bill at the Malibu restaurant Geoffrey's; her arrest occurred amid a mental health crisis. Deputies found less than an ounce of cannabis in her car and impounded it, ABC 7 reported in a deep-dive article on the case.

Richardson disappeared the following day after she was released from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills Station without a car, wallet or cell phone shortly after midnight.

After her release, neighbors reported seeing a woman who may have been Richardson, but she was gone by the time deputies arrived. Authorities and volunteers unsuccessfully searched for the missing woman by land and air.

Nearly a year later, skeletal remains were found by authorities searching an abandoned marijuana farm in the Dark Canyon area of Monte Nido, a remote unincorporated neighborhood about 6 miles north of the sheriff's station in the Santa Monica Mountains, ABC 7 reported.

Richardson was found naked: Her belt, bra and jeans were scattered hundreds of feet down the ravine. Her skull and spinal cord were detached from the rest of her remains, ABC 7 reported.

Authorities have never determined Richardson's cause of death. The Sheriff's Department said there was no sign of foul play, which her family challenges.

Investigators said they found evidence in Richardson's diaries and text messages that she was suffering from bipolar disorder and may have been awake for as many as five nights leading up to what appeared to be a mental breakdown at Geoffrey's.

Her mother, Latice Sutton, contended that authorities should have recognized her daughter's erratic behavior as abnormal and given her a mental health evaluation. Her father said she should have been placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold, rather than being released.

The county's Office of Independent Review concluded in a report that deputies at the station acted properly the night Richardson was released. The report found that authorities gave Richardson the option to stay in jail until daylight or when she found transportation, but she opted to leave in the early morning.

The case has drawn national attention.

"I absolutely believe that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is responsible for what happened to Mitrice Richardson," said Congresswoman Maxine Waters told ABC 7. "I believe that they had it within their hands and within their power to keep her safe. And they did not do that."

Richardson's family sued the county and reached a $900,000 settlement in 2011.

The county initially offered a $10,000 reward for information into Richardson's disappearance, before her remains were found. The reward was reestablished in 2010 and again in 2021, and doubled to $20,000 in 2022.

That reward lapsed in May, prompting the Board of Supervisors to reestablish the $20,000 award in August. The board increased it to $25,000 on Wednesday.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the Los Angeles Police Department at 213-486-6900 or the Sheriff's Department at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers online or by calling 800-222-8477.

City News Service contributed to this report.