Of course, Sheriff Baca resigned in the wake of the inmate-abuse scandal, a story that broke shortly after publication of my article, and his press officer, Steve Whitmore, has moved on. 24 talking about this.
My guess is she died in an accident of some sort after leaving the police station but the police were still grossly negligent in releasing her in the middle of the night with no way of getting home.
Thats why I can really, totally, blame the police. This is extremely odd for our area. For those who don’t know who Mitrice is, Mitrice Richardson was the Cal State Fullerton Grad who went to Geoffrey’s Restaurant on September 16, 2009. Why It Matters: If this deputy had followed protocol and taken a missing persons report right away, he might have issued that "BOLO" alert — and even helped find Richardson. Her mother found out and she received CONSTANT ASSURANCE as you will hear on tape from deputies telling her that they were NOT going to release her daughter until the next morning at around 6:30am. Edit: im on my phone right now so the video quality isnt great.
Again, by not elaborating on who had contact with Richardson when she was in or near the station, the more LASD appears to have something to hide. Why It Matters: If LASD put forth a narrative to cover for its mistakes, the people responsible for creating and sharing that narrative should be held accountable. It's virtually unheard of for law enforcement to block access to remains in this way. The graffiti was freshly painted and paint cans, brushes and other potential evidence were left at the scene.
What was most baffling was that shortly after admitting to then-Sheriff Baca that he'd had the tape in his possession, he was promoted. On August 9th, 2010, Mitrice Richardson’s body was discovered by State Parks Rangers on a creek bed in Dark Canyon, just a mere 1.5 miles where she … Was she the artistic sort? Things got even stranger when the LASD, which had exclusive access to Richardson's remains for at least six hours, moved the body without bringing the coroner in to gather evidence that could help determine the cause, time and location of her death.
One year later, her skeletal remains were discovered in a creek bed. TOM MARTIN WITHHOLD THE VIDEO FROM THE FAMILY AND CLAIM IT DIDN'T EXIST, WHEN IN FACT IT WAS IN HIS DESK DRAWER FOR SEVERAL MONTHS? Especially in the middle of the night. Though residents reportedly heard screams in that area several nights after Richardson disappeared,[13] her death was deemed to not be a homicide; there was no foul play.
I feel so bad for the parents and the restaurant workers; they did everything right. In a way, it's less about why he didn't issue a BOLO and more about whether he paid consequences.