Mystery Endures Years After 24-Year-Old Died Following Release From Sheriff’s Station

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Just after midnight on Sept. 17, 2009, Mitrice Richardson was released from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Malibu-Lost Hills station. She walked away into the night, alone, without a car, money, cellphone or even a jacket to ward off the chill.

The 24-year-old had been arrested on misdemeanor charges on Sept. 16 after behaving bizarrely at a Malibu steakhouse and failing to pay her bill. Almost a year later, her unclothed partial remains were found in a remote canyon known for its rugged and treacherous terrain. With the state of the body, an autopsy was unable to determine how she died but noted there was no evidence of trauma prior to her death.

The “undetermined” cause of death is just one of the enduring mysteries around her final hours. Multiple law enforcement agencies have drawn fire for their actions from the start, beginning with her arrest, their controversial decision to release her from custody in the middle of the night, and the drawn-out and incomplete efforts to recover her remains. A wrongful death lawsuit filed by her parents against the county resulted in a $900,000 settlement.

Her mother, Latice Sutton, told Essence she believes her daughter had bipolar disorder and it was “absolutely absurd” that Richardson was released from the sheriff’s station in the middle of the night. She has spent years calling for changes in law enforcement policies.

“ No one, male or female, mental health issues or no mental health issues should be released in a remote area when the city shuts down at 9 p.m., unless