Family of Mitrice Richardson Plans Multi-Area Field Search on Sunday

• LASD Says It Plans to Employ SDSU Drone But Provides No Specifics on When and Where

BY ANNE SOBLE

A series of citywide field searches for the Los Angeles woman who disappeared after a Malibu-based incident resulted in her being booked at the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station last Sept. 16 will take place this Sunday.
The mother of Mitrice Richardson, a 24-year-old honors college graduate who may be bipolar, Latice Sutton, and a circle of relatives and friends plan to send search teams in groups of a half dozen or more to Malibu, Calabasas, Santa Monica,Venice, Hollywood, Skid Row and the South Central area from noon to 4 p.m. on March 28.
Family members describe Sunday’s effort as “the biggest volunteer one-day search yet.”
The group needs more volunteers. Those interested in taking part can visit www.findmitrice.info for contact numbers.
On the law enforcement agency investigation front, Richardson’s mother says she has received an email from Lt. Michael Rosson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Division indicating that there are plans to use the San Diego State University Immersive Visualization Center drone in a separate effort the week of March 29.
Rosson did not respond to telephone messages and emails requesting more specific details.
The drone is a small unmanned aircraft equipped with cameras. The SDSU Viz Center says the drone has the ability to go deep into canyons and can search through dense brush.
The craft, also dubbed the “bird,” can fly lower than a helicopter in difficult terrain and obtain high resolution, close-up images and video.
The drone is credited with discovering lost people and skeletal remains in a number of instances when traditional search efforts failed.
For more information about the status of the Mitrice Richardson case, see Sutton’s website at www.findmitrice.info; the father Michael Richardson’s website at www.bringmitricehome.org; contact Dr. Ronda Hampton at 951-660-8031; or LAPD Homicide Lt. Charles Knolls and Detective Steven Eguchi at 213-486-6900.