L.A. County Sheriff Screwing Up Mitrice Richardson Investigation

by Armand Vaquer

The Los Angeles County Sheriff may have damaged the investigation into the disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson by moving her skeletal remains without the County Coroner's permission.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

A Los Angeles County coroner's official criticized sheriff's deputies for removing the remains of Mitrice Richardson from a rugged ravine without permission, saying the deputies' actions may have violated the law and undermined the thoroughness of the coroner's investigation.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said he was "very clear" with sheriff's officials and could not think of another case in which a police agency had moved entire skeletal remains without coroner's approval.

A sheriff's spokesman acknowledged that deputies removed Richardson's body from the scene without the coroner's permission, but said they did so because detectives were concerned that it was getting dark and that animals might destroy the remains.

The 24-year-old Richardson drew national media attention in September 2009 when she disappeared after being released from the sheriff's Lost Hills/Malibu station about midnight, without her car, purse or cellphone. Nearly 11 months after her disappearance, her remains were spotted in a remote Malibu Canyon ravine.

If the sheriff detectives were so "concerned" that animals may destroy the remains, why didn't they just guard the site? Someone with the sheriff's department isn't very bright! Why would animals suddenly try to "destroy the remains" since they've been there for eleven months? This is a fishy excuse.

The L.A. County Sheriff screwed up the whole Mitrice Richardson matter from the start. First, they arrest her at Geoffrey's Restaurant in Malibu for not paying her tab. She was acting disoriented at the time and since when is not paying a tab a criminal matter (especially under those circumstances)? It was more of a civil matter between the restaurant and Richardson. They could have obtained her information and took her to small claims court.

Also, releasing Richardson in the dead of night in unfamiliar surroundings without her car, purse and cell phone was another blunder by the sheriff's department.

Now they fouled up the investigation of her death by moving her remains from the site without the coroner's permission. Hopefully, good photos of the remains as they were found were taken.

Is this stupidity or is this a possible cover-up by the Malibu sheriff's department? This is getting awfully suspicious. Is the Malibu sheriff's office purposely botching the investigation to cover-up foul play by one of their own? It seems possible, given how they've messed things up.

Now it is alleged that Richardson's family were taken to the wrong location of where her remains were found. What is going on with this?

According to the Malibu Surfside News:

On Saturday, the Malibu Surfside News learned that Latice Sutton, the mother of the dead woman; a close aunt, Lauren Sutton; and Richardson’s college mentor, psychologist Ronda Hampton, hiked in with the support of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue crew members, headed by Sgt. Tui Wright, a veteran of difficult local mountain searches.

The three women were accompanied by the forensic anthropologist the mother has involved in the ever more complicated case, Clea Koff, who said she believes that “it is clear that where we were taken today is not the same location where the coroner’s crew recovered bones” on Aug. 25, two weeks after the initial finding of Richardson’s skull and separated remains.

Compounding the concerns about the accuracy of the location, Sutton found a small bone—Koff says it appears to be phalangeal—while preparing the dirt for an impromptu memorial of flowers, crosses, photos and other personal mementos.

Above, the bone found at the site.

If the bone is indeed Richardson's, then the sheriff botched up the gathering of her remains as well! Are there more missing body parts?

An independent investigation into the whole Mitrice Richardson case is needed.

To read the full L.A. Times story, go here.

UPDATE (11/9/10): The Los Angeles Times is reporting that an investigation into the handling of Mitrice Richardson's remains by the L.A. County Sheriff is to take place.

The Times reported:

Initially, sheriff's officials believed that only a skull and possibly a couple of other bones were there. Winter said that at that point, sheriff's officials were told they could move the bones only after coroner's officials reviewed photos of the scene and gave clearance. Sheriff's officials disagreed, saying permission was granted to remove partial remains.

But when the rest of her skeleton was found, sheriff's officials proceeded without clearance to move all the remains. Winter said he told sheriff's officials not to do so, but a sheriff's captain said that message never got to deputies on the scene.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the goal of the inquiry is to "minimize such miscommunications … in the future."

The inquiry will be overseen by the Office of Independent Review, the sheriff's watchdog agency. "It'll be thorough but also expeditious," Whitmore said, adding that the goal is to make any findings public.

To read the full article, go here.