On Tenth Anniversary Of Her Disappearance, Sheriff Villanueva Promises Fresh Eyes On Case

MALIBU (CBSLA)  -- What happened to Mitrice Richardson?

Ten years ago, the then 24-year-old left the LA County Sheriff's Station in Malibu and was never seen alive again.

Her remains were found about a year after she disappeared.

CBS2 and KCAL9's Tom Wait said LA County Sheriff Chief Villanueva is taking another look at the mysterious case.

Today, her father spoke at a memorial gathering  for his daughter.

The father became emotional as he thanked Sheriff Villanueva for attending a memorial on the anniversary of the disappearance of his daughter. 24-year-old Richardson went missing back in 2009 after she was released from the Sheriff's Malibu-Lost Hills Station in the middle of the night  even though she did not have transportation, a phone or a wallet. Authorities said she she may have been suffering from mental illness.

About a year later her remains were found not far a way in a ravine. Her family wants to know exactly what happened.

"I guess I want to know that her life meant something to the Sheriff's department. And that they can change the way they look at people with mental illness and they can change the way they look at people who have gone missing and they don't dismiss us families. and the people who love them. It really, really, really hurts when someone goes missing," said Dr. Ronda Hampton, an event organizer.

The coroner was not able to determine the cause of Richardson's death.  Sheriff  Villanueva promised his department would take another look at the case.

"I'd like to pursue the truth - Id' like to get to the bottom of it. I want to assess the entire case from the beginning with a whole new fresh set of eyes. And that means we will go back and we're going to canvas and we're going to walk the entire length of it," said Villanueva.

Richardson's family believes she was the victim of foul play.

Back in 2017, then California Attorney General Kamala Harris reviewed the cast and cleared the Sherriff's department of any wrong-doing or misconduct.
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