Mitrice Richardson’s Mother Doesn’t Think Her Daughter Is in Las Vegas

BY ANNE SOBLE

Despite the 100 reported “sightings,” Latice Sutton, the mother of Mitrice Richardson is not convinced her daughter is now in Las Vegas and voices concern that the well publicized search effort may be a “diversionary” tactic to take attention away from the lack of progress in finding the woman who now has been missing for 11 months.

In a statement given to the Malibu Surfside News, Sutton said she “does not believe the sighting of Mitrice by a teenage acquaintance is a credible sighting, since he has not seen her since she was 15 years old.”

Contrary to what law enforcement officials indicated during the highly publicized press conference, Sutton said, “Mitrice did not grow up with, go to school with, or spend any significant time with this witness,” and added that she is curious “why officials pursue this witness as a ‘credible lead’ [but] did not pursue the same lead from Mitrice’s biological father, Michael Richardson, with the same tenacity and credibility, when [he said he saw] someone he believed to be Mitrice in Las Vegas in January 2010.”

Sutton, who blames the LASD for her daughter’s Sept. 17, 2009, disappearance, wants investigators to concentrate on the Santa Monica Mountain areas where she was last seen.

Nevertheless, Latice Sutton is appealing to authorities that “if they strongly believe that Mitrice is in Las Vegas, this is another reason why the FBI must be formally requested to assist in the investigation because Mitrice, who is a critically missing person and classified as “endangered,” has crossed state lines, which makes it a federal issue.”