Mitrice Richardson Supporters Rally for City Reward Leading to Answers

Had she lived, Mitrice Richardson would be turning 27 on April 30. However, the Aug. 12, 2010, 11 months after she was questionably released from the custody of the around 1 a.m. on Sept. 17 2009 and was never seen alive again.

She was arrested at Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu on the night of Sept. 16, 2009 after failing to pay her $89 dinner bill because she didn't have enough money.

Though she was reportedly behaving strangely and appeared incoherent, she was released from the Malibu/Lost Hills station without her car, which had been impounded, or a cell phone or purse.

Her family said Richardson, a former beauty pageant contestant and an honors graduate in psychology from Cal State Fullerton, suffered from mental health issues and should have been kept at the sheriff's station until a relative arrived to pick her up.

Los Angeles County and the sheriff's department over the matter.

Richardson's friends and supporters attended Wednesday evening's City Council meeting to appeal to council members to bring awareness to the community of the events that occurred on that fateful night leading up to the woman's disappearance and eventual death.

"We want to beg-slash-ask that you consider offering a reward," Lisa Santa Maria, who identified herself as a friend searching for justice, said during her 3-minute comment. "We really believe that someone here in your community has information related to the disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson."

Clinical psychologist Ronda Hampton next took to the podium stating that Richardson had interned with her a year prior to her disappearance. She told the council that since most of the focus and media pertaining to Richardson has been on the Malibu area from where she was arrested, someone living in Agoura or Calabasas who has pertinent information may not know or want to come forward.

"We really want to appeal to you [for] any type of advice or assistance you could give us to get the word out to this community," Hampton said to the dais. "I'm appealing to you to offer some type of reward similar to how Malibu offered a $10,000 reward."

Hampton also told Patch that she planned on attending a future Calabasas City Council meeting with a similar appeal.

Among allegations of police cover-ups, deputies' mistake of moving Mitrice's remains before the coroner's arrival and a $900,000 settlement from the sheriff's department, the mystery of where Richardson went on the night of Sept. 17 and how she died remains unsolved.

As Richardson's birthday approaches, Patch is asking readers for your opinion on the case. Please take our poll below and let everyone know what you think.