Family of Man Whose  ‘Sighting’  of Mitrice Richardson Triggered Las Vegas Search Is Concerned It’s Being Blown Out of Proportion

BY ANNE SOBLE

The intensive field search still under way in Las Vegas is ostensibly the result of a possible sighting by a former acquaintance of Mitrice Richardson whose father now is concerned that law enforcement officials and the mainstream media are overemphasizing an incident that could turn out to be a case of mistaken identity.

Greg Amerson, Sr., a longtime family friend of the missing woman’s mother’s relatives, contacted the Malibu Surfside News on Tuesday to say that his son, Greg Amerson, Jr., “is being bombarded by the press.”

The senior Amerson said, “They got hold of his phone number, and he has had to take his phone off the hook. They don’t have his address yet, but he is concerned that is next.”

The father emphasized that his son and Mitrice Richardson “were acquaintances.” They did not attend the same high school and did not “have a relationship” as was stated at the press conference.

Amerson says he thinks his son is now questioning the certainty of the sighting and appears “increasingly doubtful it was Mitrice.”

He acknowledged reports that the younger Amerson had several complimentary alcoholic beverages while sitting at the slot machines in the casino.

The father said he is “troubled that so much weight is being given to a statement about a sighting” that occurred at 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

He stressed that his “main concern is that a possible case of mistaken identity could bring other search efforts to a halt.”