1 00:00:15,066 --> 00:00:25,876 Speaker 1: Pushkin. During the time Mitrice was missing, a search party 2 00:00:26,156 --> 00:00:29,996 Speaker 1: organized by Dr. Rhonda Hampton discovered a mural in a 3 00:00:30,076 --> 00:00:35,526 Speaker 1: culvert high above Montanito. On the cement around two large tunnels, 4 00:00:36,106 --> 00:00:39,606 Speaker 1: someone had painted a series of naked Black women in 5 00:00:39,666 --> 00:00:44,936 Speaker 1: various degrading and bizarre poses. This is Dr. Hampton describing 6 00:00:44,976 --> 00:00:48,836 Speaker 1: the scene in a video made by documentarian Chip Croft. 7 00:00:49,516 --> 00:00:55,356 Speaker 2: This culvert area here is where there was the images 8 00:00:55,436 --> 00:01:02,236 Speaker 2: that were taken by the searchers of approximately 13 African-American 9 00:01:02,856 --> 00:01:10,386 Speaker 2: women with afros who were nude and in very graphic ways. 10 00:01:11,226 --> 00:01:15,046 Speaker 2: sexually provocative positions. 11 00:01:15,896 --> 00:01:20,536 Speaker 1: One was hula-hooping. One was spread-eagle. One was doing a handspring. 12 00:01:21,196 --> 00:01:24,076 Speaker 1: One was climbing out of a vagina. Another was in 13 00:01:24,116 --> 00:01:28,416 Speaker 1: a wheelchair, giving a thumbs-up. At the center, there was 14 00:01:28,456 --> 00:01:31,696 Speaker 1: a man's face with crazed eyes and a mop of 15 00:01:31,756 --> 00:01:32,656 Speaker 1: curly red hair. 16 00:01:33,596 --> 00:01:39,906 Speaker 2: Along the concrete here were wordings indicating Entering Afroland or 17 00:01:39,966 --> 00:01:43,106 Speaker 2: something similar to that. Over the side here, it said 18 00:01:43,266 --> 00:01:47,266 Speaker 2: Afro Hose, H-O-E-S, so Afro Hose. 19 00:01:48,106 --> 00:01:51,006 Speaker 1: One of the figures really caught Dr. Hampton's eye. 20 00:01:52,086 --> 00:01:56,116 Speaker 2: One of the images was of a woman who was 21 00:01:56,176 --> 00:02:00,136 Speaker 2: painted blue, kneeling on all fours. On her buttocks area, 22 00:02:00,196 --> 00:02:04,976 Speaker 2: she had a symbol, the letters L-H. and she had 23 00:02:04,996 --> 00:02:07,516 Speaker 2: a marijuana joint out of her mouth. That's what makes 24 00:02:07,596 --> 00:02:09,876 Speaker 2: us think that it's possibly that the person is trying 25 00:02:09,916 --> 00:02:13,136 Speaker 2: to talk about Mitrice in terms of the fact that 26 00:02:13,176 --> 00:02:16,036 Speaker 2: she was from L.A., that she was accused of having marijuana. 27 00:02:17,156 --> 00:02:20,576 Speaker 1: To Mitrice's friends and family, this mural was tantamount to 28 00:02:20,616 --> 00:02:25,236 Speaker 1: a confession, a narrative depiction of her abduction, rape, torture, 29 00:02:25,436 --> 00:02:30,226 Speaker 1: and murder. According to Mitrice's mother, Latice Sutton, there was 30 00:02:30,406 --> 00:02:33,426 Speaker 1: even a forensic psychologist who wrote up a report about 31 00:02:33,466 --> 00:02:39,056 Speaker 1: it unsolicited, saying it was a quote-unquote sick trophy, the 32 00:02:39,096 --> 00:02:43,936 Speaker 1: killer's calling card. But the day after it was discovered, 33 00:02:44,216 --> 00:02:47,086 Speaker 1: when Dr. Hampton went to see it for herself, it 34 00:02:47,126 --> 00:02:52,706 Speaker 1: was already gone. She found that suspicious. Here she is 35 00:02:52,766 --> 00:02:53,746 Speaker 1: again at the scene. 36 00:02:53,766 --> 00:02:58,756 Speaker 2: This image yesterday was painted with the mural, which is 37 00:02:58,776 --> 00:03:02,636 Speaker 2: what we're calling it. And here today, the city has quickly... 38 00:03:03,546 --> 00:03:06,026 Speaker 2: come by and painted it over. 39 00:03:06,906 --> 00:03:09,646 Speaker 1: There was nothing to see but a swath of beige paint, 40 00:03:10,106 --> 00:03:14,446 Speaker 1: the kind used by the graffiti task force. Law enforcement 41 00:03:14,526 --> 00:03:17,756 Speaker 1: questioned the artist. It turned out he didn't know anything 42 00:03:17,816 --> 00:03:21,936 Speaker 1: about Mitrice. This was just his thing, painting naked Black 43 00:03:21,996 --> 00:03:26,516 Speaker 1: women with afros in sexually explicit positions. He sent Dr. 44 00:03:26,556 --> 00:03:29,556 Speaker 1: Hampton an email telling her he was sorry for her loss. 45 00:03:32,956 --> 00:03:35,856 Speaker 1: I knew the mural didn't have a direct connection to Mitrice. 46 00:03:36,676 --> 00:03:41,656 Speaker 1: But still, it was so unbelievably eerie and compelling, like 47 00:03:41,716 --> 00:03:45,606 Speaker 1: a reel of found footage explaining the total mystery of 48 00:03:45,646 --> 00:03:49,606 Speaker 1: what had happened to Mitrice. So Haley and I figured 49 00:03:49,646 --> 00:03:52,666 Speaker 1: we should see the spot and understand its proximity to 50 00:03:52,686 --> 00:03:56,246 Speaker 1: the neighborhood and to Dark Canyon, where Mitrice's remains were found. 51 00:03:57,426 --> 00:04:00,456 Speaker 1: We met in Montanito and drove way up into the mountains. 52 00:04:01,666 --> 00:04:04,726 Speaker 1: we parked on a narrow shoulder and got out. The 53 00:04:04,786 --> 00:04:07,946 Speaker 1: culvert ran underneath the road, so it wasn't visible till 54 00:04:07,966 --> 00:04:11,366 Speaker 1: you went down below street level. I think we were 55 00:04:11,406 --> 00:04:18,616 Speaker 1: expecting to see the beige government paint. We were seriously surprised. Oh, 56 00:04:18,776 --> 00:04:25,216 Speaker 1: there's some weird graffiti here right now. Does not look 57 00:04:25,256 --> 00:04:27,316 Speaker 1: like a dis... It's like a similar style. 58 00:04:27,516 --> 00:04:28,956 Speaker 2: Oh my God, I just got all the hairs on 59 00:04:28,976 --> 00:04:29,686 Speaker 2: my arms put up. 60 00:04:30,856 --> 00:04:34,076 Speaker 1: On the main panel, above the culvert's tunnels, someone had 61 00:04:34,136 --> 00:04:37,756 Speaker 1: painted a new mural. It was nowhere near as elaborate 62 00:04:37,796 --> 00:04:40,436 Speaker 1: as the original, but it did seem to share some 63 00:04:40,486 --> 00:04:47,166 Speaker 1: basic DNA. That caricature over on the left looks similar 64 00:04:47,266 --> 00:04:48,646 Speaker 1: to the, and the yellow one too. 65 00:04:48,666 --> 00:04:50,966 Speaker 2: And the green one too. 66 00:04:51,006 --> 00:04:54,586 Speaker 1: That's creepy as fuck. I poked my head into one 67 00:04:54,606 --> 00:04:55,216 Speaker 1: of the tunnels. 68 00:04:57,516 --> 00:04:59,176 Speaker 3: How much do I not want to go in there? 69 00:05:02,456 --> 00:05:04,216 Speaker 4: Hello? 70 00:05:06,216 --> 00:05:09,776 Speaker 1: Then, over on the right, I noticed something really weird. 71 00:05:11,236 --> 00:05:11,716 Speaker 1: Look at this. 72 00:05:11,736 --> 00:05:12,156 Speaker 2: Help. 73 00:05:14,576 --> 00:05:18,296 Speaker 1: It's the same, like, creepy orange hair. It was a face, 74 00:05:18,676 --> 00:05:22,536 Speaker 1: outlined in orange, with curly orange hair and crazy eyes, 75 00:05:23,226 --> 00:05:27,766 Speaker 1: next to the word, help. Then there's another face, and 76 00:05:27,786 --> 00:05:29,466 Speaker 1: it looks like there might be like a marijuana leaf 77 00:05:29,506 --> 00:05:33,816 Speaker 1: in the middle of it. What the fuck? 78 00:05:36,536 --> 00:05:37,296 Speaker 5: I want to go home. 79 00:05:39,416 --> 00:05:41,776 Speaker 1: The original mural turned out to be a red herring, 80 00:05:42,356 --> 00:05:45,506 Speaker 1: and this was just a copycat. So why did I 81 00:05:45,566 --> 00:05:49,886 Speaker 1: feel a mounting sense of dread? I think it's because 82 00:05:50,086 --> 00:05:52,086 Speaker 1: I was starting to see how easy it is to 83 00:05:52,106 --> 00:05:55,936 Speaker 1: get turned around in these mountains. to be misled by 84 00:05:56,056 --> 00:06:01,336 Speaker 1: seeming clues that don't solve anything. And I'm guessing that's 85 00:06:01,456 --> 00:06:05,076 Speaker 1: pretty much what Mitrice's friends and family were feeling when 86 00:06:05,116 --> 00:06:10,036 Speaker 1: the first mural was discovered and debunked. They still didn't 87 00:06:10,076 --> 00:06:13,376 Speaker 1: know what had happened to Mitrice. They were desperate to 88 00:06:13,436 --> 00:06:17,796 Speaker 1: find her or find out. But they couldn't distinguish what 89 00:06:17,856 --> 00:06:20,816 Speaker 1: might be crucial information that could lead them to an 90 00:06:20,976 --> 00:06:30,006 Speaker 1: answer from what was spinning them blindfolded, in circles. I'm 91 00:06:30,036 --> 00:07:02,476 Speaker 1: Dana Goodyear, and this is Lost Hills. Episode 5, So Close. 92 00:07:06,896 --> 00:07:10,666 Speaker 1: Throughout the fall of 2009, Mitrice's case was all over 93 00:07:10,706 --> 00:07:13,566 Speaker 1: the news, and the pressure on the Sheriff's Department to 94 00:07:13,626 --> 00:07:16,366 Speaker 1: explain their decision to release her without a safe ride 95 00:07:16,406 --> 00:07:21,096 Speaker 1: home was intense. Here's a report from NBCLA. 96 00:07:22,396 --> 00:07:25,296 Speaker 6: Among all the swirling questions in this case, one thing 97 00:07:25,396 --> 00:07:29,426 Speaker 6: is certain. Mitrice Richardson was last seen leaving this substation 98 00:07:29,556 --> 00:07:30,196 Speaker 6: a week ago. 99 00:07:30,616 --> 00:07:33,686 Speaker 7: She was not intoxicated. She was not disoriented. The L.A. 100 00:07:33,726 --> 00:07:38,206 Speaker 8: County Sheriff's Department did not only everything procedurally correct, but 101 00:07:38,386 --> 00:07:39,266 Speaker 8: was morally right. 102 00:07:39,706 --> 00:07:43,566 Speaker 6: The Sheriff's Department says they'll launch another expansive search, a 103 00:07:43,626 --> 00:07:46,346 Speaker 6: hunt for clues as authorities try to figure out how 104 00:07:46,386 --> 00:07:49,266 Speaker 6: a beautiful young woman could simply vanish into the night 105 00:07:49,806 --> 00:07:51,146 Speaker 6: outside a sheriff's station. 106 00:07:52,536 --> 00:07:55,676 Speaker 1: The Sheriff's Department had arrested and released Mitrice on the 107 00:07:55,716 --> 00:07:59,216 Speaker 1: assumption that she was not gravely disabled or a danger 108 00:07:59,256 --> 00:08:02,716 Speaker 1: to herself or others. Now that she was missing, they 109 00:08:02,736 --> 00:08:06,256 Speaker 1: were at pains to explain why, if she was perfectly fine, 110 00:08:06,696 --> 00:08:09,716 Speaker 1: she had not returned to her family. This is a 111 00:08:09,756 --> 00:08:13,486 Speaker 1: recording that documentarian Chip Croft made of a press conference 112 00:08:13,636 --> 00:08:17,526 Speaker 1: outside Lost Hills Station three weeks after Mitrice's disappearance. 113 00:08:18,546 --> 00:08:20,946 Speaker 7: Steve Whitmore, Sheriff's Department spokesman. 114 00:08:21,946 --> 00:08:23,936 Speaker 8: Now, the important thing that I want to say, and 115 00:08:23,956 --> 00:08:27,136 Speaker 8: I've said since the beginning, is we want to find 116 00:08:27,596 --> 00:08:28,516 Speaker 8: Mitrice Richardson. 117 00:08:29,356 --> 00:08:31,716 Speaker 7: That's all we want to do. We want to find her. 118 00:08:32,716 --> 00:08:36,406 Speaker 1: At the station, he said, Mitrice gave no indication of 119 00:08:36,466 --> 00:08:37,686 Speaker 1: needing psychiatric help. 120 00:08:38,646 --> 00:08:42,666 Speaker 8: She exhibited no signs of incapacitation whatsoever, no mental challenges. 121 00:08:43,266 --> 00:08:44,986 Speaker 7: She was not under the influence. 122 00:08:45,306 --> 00:08:48,366 Speaker 8: We gave her an extensive field sobriety test where the 123 00:08:48,546 --> 00:08:51,616 Speaker 8: eyes are checked, where the pulse is checked. where this 124 00:08:51,716 --> 00:08:55,436 Speaker 8: language is checked, where a person's physical abilities are checked. 125 00:08:56,536 --> 00:08:59,356 Speaker 1: The jailer, he said, had offered Maitrese a bed in 126 00:08:59,396 --> 00:09:02,676 Speaker 1: an unlocked cell and also told her she was free 127 00:09:02,736 --> 00:09:04,436 Speaker 1: to wait in the lobby for a ride. 128 00:09:05,556 --> 00:09:07,796 Speaker 8: And when she came here, the jailer, it was an 129 00:09:07,876 --> 00:09:10,556 Speaker 8: African-American jailer, by the way, a woman who had been 130 00:09:10,596 --> 00:09:13,066 Speaker 8: a jailer for 14 years with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, 131 00:09:13,486 --> 00:09:15,486 Speaker 8: talked to her at great length, visited with her, talked 132 00:09:15,526 --> 00:09:18,626 Speaker 8: about music, jazz she liked, gospel she didn't. 133 00:09:19,006 --> 00:09:21,966 Speaker 7: There was a lucid conversation. That jailer said, why don't 134 00:09:21,996 --> 00:09:22,536 Speaker 7: you stay? 135 00:09:23,286 --> 00:09:27,346 Speaker 1: A quick aside. A very senior member of the detective division, 136 00:09:27,666 --> 00:09:30,646 Speaker 1: now retired, told me that one of the sheriff's department's 137 00:09:30,786 --> 00:09:34,846 Speaker 1: biggest mistakes in the whole Mitrice-Richardson episode was that they 138 00:09:34,886 --> 00:09:39,216 Speaker 1: didn't ask the Lost Hills jailer, Sharon Cummings, a black woman, 139 00:09:39,716 --> 00:09:43,596 Speaker 1: to explain to the public why she'd been released. I 140 00:09:43,656 --> 00:09:47,316 Speaker 1: wondered what Cummings would have said. She's also retired now, 141 00:09:47,556 --> 00:09:51,646 Speaker 1: so I called her. The minute I said, Mitrice Richardson, 142 00:09:52,306 --> 00:09:57,676 Speaker 1: she hung up the phone. At the press conference, Steve Whitmore, 143 00:09:57,876 --> 00:10:01,736 Speaker 1: the Sheriff's Department spokesman, continued to defend the decision to 144 00:10:01,796 --> 00:10:02,916 Speaker 1: let Mitrice leave. 145 00:10:03,896 --> 00:10:07,606 Speaker 8: This is a 24-year-old adult who is fully cognizant of 146 00:10:07,626 --> 00:10:12,096 Speaker 8: her surroundings and is is coherent to said extent. If 147 00:10:12,296 --> 00:10:16,776 Speaker 8: we hold them against their will, it's called over-detention. You 148 00:10:16,796 --> 00:10:17,856 Speaker 8: can't do that in America. 149 00:10:19,456 --> 00:10:24,016 Speaker 1: But reporters pressed. Didn't the Lost Hills deputies have some 150 00:10:24,096 --> 00:10:27,856 Speaker 1: responsibility to help her? Shouldn't she have been driven back 151 00:10:27,896 --> 00:10:28,376 Speaker 1: to her car? 152 00:10:29,316 --> 00:10:31,256 Speaker 8: If she had asked, sure. But let me, that's an 153 00:10:31,296 --> 00:10:34,316 Speaker 8: interesting question. We did that before. We've been asked to 154 00:10:34,356 --> 00:10:35,556 Speaker 8: do that. And we've done it. 155 00:10:36,136 --> 00:10:38,176 Speaker 7: And then we've been disciplined for doing it. 156 00:10:38,686 --> 00:10:39,586 Speaker 2: Taking somebody back. 157 00:10:39,726 --> 00:10:41,146 Speaker 7: Exactly. Oh, yes. 158 00:10:41,666 --> 00:10:44,306 Speaker 8: We've been, people, if it's late at night, if the 159 00:10:44,326 --> 00:10:47,126 Speaker 8: situation warrants it, not only in Malibu, but any station. 160 00:10:47,766 --> 00:10:50,296 Speaker 8: There's some, especially in some stations where, like Century, where 161 00:10:50,616 --> 00:10:52,096 Speaker 8: there may be some danger. 162 00:10:52,396 --> 00:10:56,356 Speaker 7: And I mean real danger. I mean, you know, real danger. Now, 163 00:10:56,396 --> 00:10:57,796 Speaker 7: that doesn't say there's no danger here. 164 00:10:59,436 --> 00:11:02,376 Speaker 1: It makes sense the Sheriff's Department didn't want to dwell 165 00:11:02,516 --> 00:11:07,776 Speaker 1: on Mitrice's mental state. It might expose them to liability. Soon, 166 00:11:08,016 --> 00:11:12,396 Speaker 1: Mitrice's family would sue the county for negligence, intentional infliction 167 00:11:12,416 --> 00:11:17,256 Speaker 1: of emotional distress, and wrongful death. That claim ended in 168 00:11:17,756 --> 00:11:21,726 Speaker 1: a $ 900, 000 settlement for the family. But for the LAPD, 169 00:11:22,066 --> 00:11:25,866 Speaker 1: the lead agency tasked with finding her, Mitrice's mental health 170 00:11:25,966 --> 00:11:32,086 Speaker 1: was becoming an important investigative angle. Not long after Mitrice's disappearance, 171 00:11:32,226 --> 00:11:35,626 Speaker 1: detectives reached out to Hannah Parks, the woman she'd fallen 172 00:11:35,666 --> 00:11:39,246 Speaker 1: for in the summer of 2009. She knew Mitrice was 173 00:11:39,326 --> 00:11:42,126 Speaker 1: missing and was waiting anxiously for her to get in touch. 174 00:11:43,006 --> 00:11:45,866 Speaker 3: In the back of my mind, I kept thinking maybe 175 00:11:45,926 --> 00:11:48,866 Speaker 3: she'll pop up. Like I thought maybe she would just 176 00:11:48,986 --> 00:11:50,986 Speaker 3: come to my house. I was waiting for her to 177 00:11:51,026 --> 00:11:54,566 Speaker 3: kind of like reach out. I thought it was weird 178 00:11:54,586 --> 00:11:56,476 Speaker 3: that she wasn't texting or calling, but then of course 179 00:11:56,506 --> 00:11:58,936 Speaker 3: she didn't have her phone. But for me, in the 180 00:11:58,976 --> 00:12:02,856 Speaker 3: back of my mind, of course I was concerned because 181 00:12:02,896 --> 00:12:06,716 Speaker 3: I knew the mental state she was in. But I 182 00:12:06,756 --> 00:12:10,736 Speaker 3: was like, she'll come over. Like, she'll pop up. 183 00:12:11,956 --> 00:12:15,826 Speaker 1: She was startled to get a call from LAPD Robbery Homicide. 184 00:12:16,946 --> 00:12:19,606 Speaker 3: They said, hey, we need to meet with you about 185 00:12:20,186 --> 00:12:24,506 Speaker 3: the disappearance of my Therese Richardson. And we're on our 186 00:12:24,546 --> 00:12:26,066 Speaker 3: way right now. And I'm like. 187 00:12:26,716 --> 00:12:30,336 Speaker 1: I'm at work, and they're like, we don't care. Hannah 188 00:12:30,376 --> 00:12:32,716 Speaker 1: called her mom, and together they went to meet the 189 00:12:32,776 --> 00:12:34,276 Speaker 1: detectives at a Starbucks. 190 00:12:35,476 --> 00:12:39,156 Speaker 3: They just asked me a bunch of questions about how 191 00:12:39,236 --> 00:12:45,526 Speaker 3: I knew her, our relationship, things like that. And I 192 00:12:45,646 --> 00:12:47,126 Speaker 3: asked them, why L.A. 193 00:12:47,126 --> 00:12:48,586 Speaker 1: Homicide? 194 00:12:48,606 --> 00:12:55,566 Speaker 3: Like, Why homicide? Because she's just missing, right? So shouldn't 195 00:12:55,586 --> 00:12:57,026 Speaker 3: this be like missing persons? 196 00:12:58,966 --> 00:13:01,666 Speaker 1: At first, Hannah felt like she might be a suspect. 197 00:13:02,756 --> 00:13:08,156 Speaker 3: Then once they started talking to me more, I think 198 00:13:08,196 --> 00:13:13,016 Speaker 3: they very quickly realized, like, I wasn't, I didn't have 199 00:13:13,096 --> 00:13:17,766 Speaker 3: anything to do with it. Then they started trying to 200 00:13:17,806 --> 00:13:22,156 Speaker 3: just get more information out of me regarding... my trees really. 201 00:13:23,676 --> 00:13:26,516 Speaker 1: The detectives asked Hannah if they could look around her home. 202 00:13:27,596 --> 00:13:31,276 Speaker 3: They ended up following me back to my apartment and 203 00:13:32,976 --> 00:13:35,396 Speaker 3: I gave them like everything I had of my trees. 204 00:13:35,476 --> 00:13:41,256 Speaker 3: So there was a couple of journals, some clothes. 205 00:13:41,516 --> 00:13:42,686 Speaker 1: And just a few little things. 206 00:13:42,706 --> 00:13:44,546 Speaker 3: Like I didn't have that much, but I gave them 207 00:13:45,066 --> 00:13:46,606 Speaker 3: everything of hers that was at the house. 208 00:13:47,856 --> 00:13:51,236 Speaker 1: Detectives also searched Mitrice's car at the tow yard in 209 00:13:51,276 --> 00:13:55,186 Speaker 1: Malibu and recovered a black purse containing several more journals. 210 00:13:56,546 --> 00:13:59,766 Speaker 1: According to her father, they also found her wallet underneath 211 00:13:59,826 --> 00:14:03,046 Speaker 1: a seat. It contained a bank card connected to an 212 00:14:03,106 --> 00:14:06,966 Speaker 1: account with plenty of money in it. The journals were 213 00:14:06,986 --> 00:14:10,586 Speaker 1: handed over to Detective Chuck Knowles, one of the LAPD 214 00:14:10,666 --> 00:14:13,806 Speaker 1: robbery homicide detectives who'd been assigned to take over what 215 00:14:13,826 --> 00:14:19,256 Speaker 1: was still, officially, a missing persons case. Knowles had the 216 00:14:19,276 --> 00:14:23,836 Speaker 1: journals analyzed by an LAPD psychologist who saw indications of 217 00:14:23,916 --> 00:14:28,666 Speaker 1: severe bipolar disorder. From Mitrice's phone records, they determined that 218 00:14:28,706 --> 00:14:31,226 Speaker 1: she had not slept for five days by the time 219 00:14:31,266 --> 00:14:36,886 Speaker 1: she arrived at Joffrey's. Knowles now understood how acute Mitrice's 220 00:14:36,946 --> 00:14:40,446 Speaker 1: mental illness was at the time of her disappearance. It 221 00:14:40,506 --> 00:14:43,956 Speaker 1: was the very recognition her friends and family had hoped for, 222 00:14:44,496 --> 00:14:48,286 Speaker 1: to add urgency to the search. but it had an 223 00:14:48,446 --> 00:14:53,956 Speaker 1: unintended effect. Because now, the LAPD appeared to view her 224 00:14:54,096 --> 00:14:57,856 Speaker 1: illness and erratic behavior as a likely explanation for the 225 00:14:57,896 --> 00:15:01,736 Speaker 1: fact that she couldn't be found. Mitrice might have committed 226 00:15:01,796 --> 00:15:06,596 Speaker 1: suicide or succumbed to the elements. Or, as Detective Knowles 227 00:15:06,716 --> 00:15:10,536 Speaker 1: told the LA Times, she could have, quote, gotten herself 228 00:15:10,616 --> 00:15:14,546 Speaker 1: into a comfortable relationship outside of her immediate friends and family. 229 00:15:16,506 --> 00:15:20,186 Speaker 1: In other words, the cops were implying Mitrice had made 230 00:15:20,266 --> 00:15:35,516 Speaker 1: herself disappear. One of the central mysteries of Mitrice's case 231 00:15:35,736 --> 00:15:38,756 Speaker 1: is how she got from Lost Hill Station to Montanito, 232 00:15:39,416 --> 00:15:44,396 Speaker 1: six miles in the dark. Law enforcement checked with local 233 00:15:44,436 --> 00:15:49,316 Speaker 1: taxi companies. There was no record of her. Leaving Lost 234 00:15:49,356 --> 00:15:52,846 Speaker 1: Hill Station, she would have, in all likelihood, walked east 235 00:15:52,996 --> 00:15:56,026 Speaker 1: on Agora Road. In about a mile, she would have 236 00:15:56,066 --> 00:15:59,706 Speaker 1: hit Las Virginas Road. To the left, past the McDonald's 237 00:15:59,726 --> 00:16:02,246 Speaker 1: and a couple of gas stations, is the 101 freeway. 238 00:16:03,786 --> 00:16:06,566 Speaker 1: To the right, the road takes you through Malibu Canyon 239 00:16:06,666 --> 00:16:10,466 Speaker 1: to Montanito. If you keep going, you hit Pacific Coast 240 00:16:10,506 --> 00:16:14,206 Speaker 1: Highway and the ocean. Was she trying to get back 241 00:16:14,246 --> 00:16:17,146 Speaker 1: to her car? And had she really gone all that 242 00:16:17,216 --> 00:16:23,056 Speaker 1: way on foot? As soon as Mitrice went missing, her 243 00:16:23,156 --> 00:16:27,336 Speaker 1: inner circle began demanding documentation of her arrest and detention. 244 00:16:28,016 --> 00:16:30,676 Speaker 1: More than anything, they wanted to see the video footage 245 00:16:30,896 --> 00:16:34,536 Speaker 1: of Mitrice leaving Lost Hill Station. They wanted to see 246 00:16:34,616 --> 00:16:37,076 Speaker 1: which way she walked, or if someone who had yet 247 00:16:37,096 --> 00:16:40,446 Speaker 1: to come forward had picked her up. They were hoping 248 00:16:40,546 --> 00:16:44,386 Speaker 1: for a clue. But they were told there was no videotape. 249 00:16:45,156 --> 00:16:47,256 Speaker 1: At least, that's what they were told at first. 250 00:16:48,176 --> 00:16:52,296 Speaker 2: That story changes. So originally, we were told there were 251 00:16:52,336 --> 00:16:53,076 Speaker 2: no front cameras. 252 00:16:53,816 --> 00:16:54,096 Speaker 7: Dr. 253 00:16:54,136 --> 00:16:55,056 Speaker 1: Rhonda Hampton again. 254 00:16:56,296 --> 00:16:59,566 Speaker 2: Every weekend, we were doing a search somewhere in some way, right? 255 00:17:00,206 --> 00:17:03,286 Speaker 2: And so we kept coming back to how do we 256 00:17:03,326 --> 00:17:05,666 Speaker 2: know that we're going in the right directions? So we 257 00:17:05,706 --> 00:17:07,946 Speaker 2: were asking about the video so that we can see 258 00:17:07,986 --> 00:17:09,906 Speaker 2: which way she walked when she went out the front door. 259 00:17:10,766 --> 00:17:12,926 Speaker 2: And then they just denied that there was ever the 260 00:17:13,006 --> 00:17:14,006 Speaker 2: existence of a video. 261 00:17:15,166 --> 00:17:17,546 Speaker 1: When they presented the Sheriff's Department with a picture of 262 00:17:17,586 --> 00:17:20,826 Speaker 1: the camera at the front of Lost Hill Station, the 263 00:17:20,866 --> 00:17:21,666 Speaker 1: story shifted. 264 00:17:22,346 --> 00:17:24,626 Speaker 2: We were told, oh, there are cameras, but it's recorded over. 265 00:17:25,826 --> 00:17:27,726 Speaker 1: And then the story shifted again. 266 00:17:28,966 --> 00:17:31,026 Speaker 2: And then the next one was, it's live, and so 267 00:17:31,786 --> 00:17:34,716 Speaker 2: we don't record that. All three of those. 268 00:17:36,936 --> 00:17:41,116 Speaker 1: The evolving answer did nothing to satisfy Mitrice's friends and family. 269 00:17:41,766 --> 00:17:44,626 Speaker 1: and did everything to convince them that the sheriff's department 270 00:17:44,706 --> 00:17:51,436 Speaker 1: was hiding information, to throw them off, on purpose. Eventually, Dr. 271 00:17:51,476 --> 00:17:54,456 Speaker 1: Hampton says, she asked about the video in a meeting 272 00:17:54,516 --> 00:17:57,556 Speaker 1: with Tom Martin, who was the captain at Lost Hills 273 00:17:57,596 --> 00:17:59,316 Speaker 1: Station when Mitrice went missing. 274 00:18:00,536 --> 00:18:05,076 Speaker 2: And then Tom Martin admitted at that point that he 275 00:18:05,136 --> 00:18:10,466 Speaker 2: had the video, that he had had it, and that 276 00:18:10,486 --> 00:18:11,286 Speaker 2: it was in his desk. 277 00:18:12,906 --> 00:18:15,866 Speaker 1: So there was a video, and this whole time it 278 00:18:15,906 --> 00:18:18,666 Speaker 1: was at the station, in the captain's desk? 279 00:18:19,306 --> 00:18:21,266 Speaker 2: I mean, we were, it was pretty heated because it 280 00:18:21,306 --> 00:18:23,106 Speaker 2: was like, wait, you lied all this time and said 281 00:18:23,126 --> 00:18:25,166 Speaker 2: that there wasn't a video? You know, like, why would 282 00:18:25,206 --> 00:18:27,576 Speaker 2: you hide it? He never answered that question. 283 00:18:28,576 --> 00:18:31,796 Speaker 1: The impression that the sheriff's department was lying only deepened 284 00:18:31,956 --> 00:18:35,076 Speaker 1: when Mitrice's friends and family actually got to see the video. 285 00:18:36,016 --> 00:18:39,136 Speaker 1: It was screened for them with a homicide detective named 286 00:18:39,296 --> 00:18:43,396 Speaker 1: Lieutenant Mike Rawson, who was assisting on the case. It 287 00:18:43,436 --> 00:18:47,296 Speaker 1: showed my Therese inside Lost Hill Station, and contrary to 288 00:18:47,316 --> 00:18:50,296 Speaker 1: what the sheriff's spokesman had claimed, she did seem to 289 00:18:50,336 --> 00:18:51,276 Speaker 1: be acting erratic. 290 00:18:52,516 --> 00:18:58,416 Speaker 2: From what I recall seeing on the video, she's placed 291 00:18:58,516 --> 00:19:05,106 Speaker 2: in the cell with another woman, and she interacts with 292 00:19:05,126 --> 00:19:09,066 Speaker 2: that woman a bit, and she's pacing back and forth, 293 00:19:09,146 --> 00:19:16,566 Speaker 2: and eventually the woman... leaves. And so she's there by herself. 294 00:19:16,586 --> 00:19:18,956 Speaker 2: And she goes up to the phone. She picks up 295 00:19:18,976 --> 00:19:21,516 Speaker 2: the phone several times. She picks up the phone, puts 296 00:19:21,536 --> 00:19:26,996 Speaker 2: it down, picks it up, puts it down. She starts 297 00:19:27,496 --> 00:19:30,716 Speaker 2: swinging on the side of, so like the door and 298 00:19:30,756 --> 00:19:32,696 Speaker 2: the jail has like a bar on it kind of. 299 00:19:32,736 --> 00:19:35,406 Speaker 2: And so she starts swinging. You know how kids, you'll 300 00:19:35,426 --> 00:19:37,386 Speaker 2: see them kind of doing it in like when they're 301 00:19:37,426 --> 00:19:41,046 Speaker 2: in a crib. It's kind of doing that. And then 302 00:19:41,066 --> 00:19:44,176 Speaker 2: my tree says, kind of sitting or laying like in 303 00:19:44,296 --> 00:19:47,916 Speaker 2: fetal position on this like concrete bench. 304 00:19:49,236 --> 00:19:50,896 Speaker 1: When it got to the part of the video where 305 00:19:50,916 --> 00:19:54,846 Speaker 1: Mitrice was about to be released, Dr. Hampton watched attentively. 306 00:19:55,606 --> 00:19:58,706 Speaker 1: This was the moment she'd been most focused on, where 307 00:19:58,726 --> 00:20:01,496 Speaker 1: she might get to see which way Mitrice went, or 308 00:20:01,536 --> 00:20:02,626 Speaker 1: if someone had picked her up. 309 00:20:03,776 --> 00:20:06,096 Speaker 2: They're collecting her, and so they gave her this, like, 310 00:20:06,996 --> 00:20:09,756 Speaker 2: it's like a clear baggie, right? And it has, like, 311 00:20:09,776 --> 00:20:11,416 Speaker 2: her belt in it, her hat's in it. There's some 312 00:20:11,476 --> 00:20:14,976 Speaker 2: other paperwork in there. And then she's putting on her 313 00:20:14,996 --> 00:20:19,476 Speaker 2: items and... And then they walk her out. Sharon Cummins, 314 00:20:19,556 --> 00:20:23,736 Speaker 2: the jailer, walks her out of the side door. And 315 00:20:24,136 --> 00:20:27,216 Speaker 2: so when she opens that door, it's pitch dark so 316 00:20:27,236 --> 00:20:29,696 Speaker 2: that when they both exit together after that, all you 317 00:20:29,716 --> 00:20:32,996 Speaker 2: see is darkness. And then the screen goes black, right? 318 00:20:33,816 --> 00:20:36,186 Speaker 2: At that point, when the screen went black, we kind 319 00:20:36,226 --> 00:20:37,446 Speaker 2: of thought the video was over. 320 00:20:38,256 --> 00:20:42,066 Speaker 1: But the tape was still rolling, showing the darkened exterior 321 00:20:42,166 --> 00:20:42,826 Speaker 1: of the station. 322 00:20:42,846 --> 00:20:42,906 Speaker 2: So. 323 00:20:45,586 --> 00:20:49,626 Speaker 2: The guy who was showing us the film, um, I 324 00:20:49,646 --> 00:20:52,996 Speaker 2: was sitting to his right. And so even though the 325 00:20:53,026 --> 00:20:55,606 Speaker 2: screen was black, he looks over at me and he 326 00:20:55,656 --> 00:20:57,596 Speaker 2: like nods his head. Like he's trying to get me 327 00:20:57,636 --> 00:20:59,716 Speaker 2: to look at something. So I, you know, I just 328 00:20:59,736 --> 00:21:03,476 Speaker 2: kind of look up and then Jonathan also looked up 329 00:21:03,616 --> 00:21:07,316 Speaker 2: my Teresa's cousin. And he says, who's that? Because even 330 00:21:07,356 --> 00:21:11,616 Speaker 2: though the screen was black at some point, um, So 331 00:21:11,656 --> 00:21:15,116 Speaker 2: two minutes pass, but Sharon Cummins comes back and opens 332 00:21:15,156 --> 00:21:18,316 Speaker 2: her door. And then at the same time, the deputy, 333 00:21:19,076 --> 00:21:21,816 Speaker 2: a deputy leaves. Like, as soon as that door shut, 334 00:21:21,896 --> 00:21:22,756 Speaker 2: the deputy leaves. 335 00:21:23,836 --> 00:21:26,426 Speaker 1: They hadn't known that a deputy had left the station 336 00:21:26,586 --> 00:21:30,386 Speaker 1: shortly after Mitrice. It seemed like the answer they'd been 337 00:21:30,426 --> 00:21:30,966 Speaker 1: looking for. 338 00:21:31,766 --> 00:21:33,826 Speaker 2: So then we're like, wait a minute, who was that 339 00:21:33,866 --> 00:21:37,946 Speaker 2: who was leaving? I can tell that Lieutenant Rawson was 340 00:21:38,026 --> 00:21:41,596 Speaker 2: very surprised. that there was more footage on that video 341 00:21:41,856 --> 00:21:45,126 Speaker 2: because his face turned absolutely beet red. 342 00:21:47,646 --> 00:21:50,626 Speaker 1: The Sheriff's Department claims that all the deputies working that 343 00:21:50,666 --> 00:21:53,956 Speaker 1: night were accounted for, and a report from the Office 344 00:21:54,016 --> 00:21:58,696 Speaker 1: of Independent Review, a civilian oversight group, concluded that deputies 345 00:21:58,716 --> 00:22:04,506 Speaker 1: had acted lawfully in Mitrice's arrest and release. Still, over 346 00:22:04,546 --> 00:22:08,336 Speaker 1: the years, many people have speculated that a deputy from 347 00:22:08,416 --> 00:22:12,296 Speaker 1: Lost Hills Station might have picked up Mitrice, assaulted her, 348 00:22:12,636 --> 00:22:16,386 Speaker 1: killed her, and dumped her body. Or that a deputy 349 00:22:16,426 --> 00:22:19,226 Speaker 1: may have picked her up and assaulted her, causing her 350 00:22:19,266 --> 00:22:23,746 Speaker 1: to flee into Montanito, where she died. There is no 351 00:22:23,946 --> 00:22:27,786 Speaker 1: evidence to support either scenario, but it doesn't seem to matter. 352 00:22:28,636 --> 00:22:32,836 Speaker 1: The Sheriff's Department's consistent impulse to shield themselves from blame 353 00:22:33,256 --> 00:22:38,356 Speaker 1: made everything they did looked like a cover-up. Here's Michael, 354 00:22:38,536 --> 00:22:41,536 Speaker 1: Mitrice's dad. This is from the first time I met him, 355 00:22:41,936 --> 00:22:44,636 Speaker 1: almost five years ago, at an event being held on 356 00:22:44,676 --> 00:22:49,106 Speaker 1: the 10-year anniversary of Mitrice's disappearance. He was firm in 357 00:22:49,166 --> 00:22:52,686 Speaker 1: his belief that Mitrice's death was an inside job. 358 00:22:54,106 --> 00:22:56,946 Speaker 9: So it was a cover-up from the time Mitrice was released. 359 00:22:57,616 --> 00:22:59,956 Speaker 9: all the way up and still to now, to this day, 360 00:23:00,016 --> 00:23:03,136 Speaker 9: it's still a cover up. And even though, you know, 361 00:23:03,296 --> 00:23:07,886 Speaker 9: let's say, how can you 100% surely say it was 362 00:23:07,966 --> 00:23:10,646 Speaker 9: a sheriff that did something to my trees? Well, it's 363 00:23:10,686 --> 00:23:14,586 Speaker 9: very easy at this point in time. I'm not going 364 00:23:14,606 --> 00:23:18,326 Speaker 9: to lie about something that I didn't do. If I 365 00:23:18,376 --> 00:23:23,336 Speaker 9: didn't do it, here's all the information. And ironically, the 366 00:23:23,396 --> 00:23:26,926 Speaker 9: same thing that The sheriffs expect for you to do 367 00:23:27,026 --> 00:23:30,066 Speaker 9: as a witness. If you don't do it, you get 368 00:23:30,106 --> 00:23:34,486 Speaker 9: arrested for it. So like saying withholding evidence such as 369 00:23:34,546 --> 00:23:37,186 Speaker 9: a tape of a crime, guess who's going to jail? 370 00:23:37,626 --> 00:23:40,366 Speaker 9: The person withholding, and none of them went to jail. 371 00:23:41,886 --> 00:23:46,486 Speaker 1: With the help of Dr. Hampton, Mitrice's family asked then-California 372 00:23:46,586 --> 00:23:50,766 Speaker 1: Attorney General Kamala Harris to open a criminal investigation into 373 00:23:50,806 --> 00:23:55,116 Speaker 1: the conduct of sheriff's deputies. including Captain Tom Martin, for 374 00:23:55,156 --> 00:24:00,816 Speaker 1: his possession of the videotape. In a 2016 report, Harris's 375 00:24:00,936 --> 00:24:05,496 Speaker 1: office found, quote, it is entirely doubtful that Martin can 376 00:24:05,536 --> 00:24:09,696 Speaker 1: be successfully prosecuted for concealment of evidence as the tape 377 00:24:09,856 --> 00:24:17,106 Speaker 1: was preserved and its contents eventually produced, unquote. In the 378 00:24:17,166 --> 00:24:20,326 Speaker 1: course of our reporting, we heard of two more irregularities, 379 00:24:20,766 --> 00:24:24,126 Speaker 1: from very different ends of the spectrum regarding deputies and 380 00:24:24,166 --> 00:24:27,686 Speaker 1: Mitrice at the time of her release. The first was 381 00:24:27,746 --> 00:24:32,636 Speaker 1: from Shermaine Henderson, Mitrice's cellmate at Lost Hills. She said 382 00:24:32,766 --> 00:24:36,096 Speaker 1: she was uncomfortable with the way Mitrice was released. Even 383 00:24:36,136 --> 00:24:38,116 Speaker 1: though they were no longer in the same cell, she 384 00:24:38,136 --> 00:24:40,756 Speaker 1: could tell that Mitrice was leaving the station without a 385 00:24:40,796 --> 00:24:44,296 Speaker 1: ride after midnight. That seemed wrong to her. 386 00:24:45,076 --> 00:24:47,316 Speaker 5: I guess they cited her out. But when you cite 387 00:24:47,336 --> 00:24:48,936 Speaker 5: someone out, you still don't let them leave until midnight. 388 00:24:49,336 --> 00:24:50,776 Speaker 5: They have a way to get somewhere. 389 00:24:50,796 --> 00:24:51,956 Speaker 7: I mean, they. 390 00:24:51,906 --> 00:24:54,026 Speaker 5: Can call a cab on their own, you know, something 391 00:24:54,046 --> 00:24:56,726 Speaker 5: like that. You know, because it's in the middle of nowhere. 392 00:24:58,266 --> 00:25:01,006 Speaker 1: But what she heard next actually gave her the creeps. 393 00:25:01,806 --> 00:25:04,316 Speaker 6: What I was hearing, like, they were saying they would 394 00:25:04,376 --> 00:25:05,616 Speaker 6: drop her off. 395 00:25:07,476 --> 00:25:10,996 Speaker 1: One of the deputies, she said, offered to give Mitrice 396 00:25:11,216 --> 00:25:11,656 Speaker 1: a ride. 397 00:25:12,756 --> 00:25:15,536 Speaker 6: Yes, yes, one of the deputies. It was a male deputy. 398 00:25:16,026 --> 00:25:19,666 Speaker 1: Did you think that was weird or inappropriate that he 399 00:25:19,726 --> 00:25:21,306 Speaker 1: had offered to give her a ride? 400 00:25:21,346 --> 00:25:21,586 Speaker 2: Yes. 401 00:25:22,146 --> 00:25:23,546 Speaker 4: Yes, I think it was. 402 00:25:24,406 --> 00:25:25,526 Speaker 6: When you release, you're released. 403 00:25:25,966 --> 00:25:26,586 Speaker 4: And you're gone. 404 00:25:27,346 --> 00:25:30,326 Speaker 5: It's like when caravans give you a ride, you know, 405 00:25:31,606 --> 00:25:32,106 Speaker 5: you're released. 406 00:25:32,136 --> 00:25:33,536 Speaker 4: They'll give you a ride. 407 00:25:33,576 --> 00:25:34,416 Speaker 5: That's not their job. 408 00:25:36,056 --> 00:25:38,336 Speaker 1: Take it with a grain of salt, because it's just 409 00:25:38,416 --> 00:25:41,216 Speaker 1: a snippet of a story from someone whose memory is, 410 00:25:41,476 --> 00:25:45,696 Speaker 1: by her own admission, unreliable. And I have seen no 411 00:25:45,796 --> 00:25:50,256 Speaker 1: documentation to support it. The second thing we heard about 412 00:25:50,296 --> 00:25:54,216 Speaker 1: Mitrice and cops and cars came from a very different source. 413 00:25:54,936 --> 00:25:55,276 Speaker 7: Dr. 414 00:25:55,356 --> 00:26:00,316 Speaker 1: Lisa Scheinman, the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy. She 415 00:26:00,356 --> 00:26:03,136 Speaker 1: worked closely with law enforcement as part of her job. 416 00:26:03,686 --> 00:26:06,066 Speaker 1: She was sympathetic to the bind the deputies were in 417 00:26:06,346 --> 00:26:09,706 Speaker 1: when they believed they were legally obligated to release Mitrice 418 00:26:10,186 --> 00:26:11,106 Speaker 1: and she wanted to go. 419 00:26:12,226 --> 00:26:16,546 Speaker 10: And they were very nervous about letting her go because 420 00:26:16,936 --> 00:26:19,656 Speaker 10: they knew she had nothing. It was dark out. They 421 00:26:19,716 --> 00:26:23,276 Speaker 10: knew it was remote. But if she said no, they 422 00:26:23,316 --> 00:26:26,716 Speaker 10: couldn't force her to stay. So they had to let 423 00:26:26,756 --> 00:26:27,076 Speaker 10: her go. 424 00:26:28,436 --> 00:26:32,286 Speaker 1: She vaguely recalls hearing that deputies were so concerned that 425 00:26:32,306 --> 00:26:34,546 Speaker 1: they decided to go out of their way for her. 426 00:26:35,526 --> 00:26:40,726 Speaker 10: I believe somebody said they actually followed her after she left. 427 00:26:41,806 --> 00:26:43,996 Speaker 10: from a distance with a car just to see that 428 00:26:44,476 --> 00:26:48,996 Speaker 10: she was okay. And eventually they veered off. But they 429 00:26:49,056 --> 00:26:51,476 Speaker 10: were actually quite concerned about her. 430 00:26:52,956 --> 00:26:55,116 Speaker 1: If any of this is true, then all of these 431 00:26:55,176 --> 00:26:58,536 Speaker 1: deputies and anyone they spoke to about it conspired to 432 00:26:58,576 --> 00:27:02,616 Speaker 1: stay silent when the disappearance of Mitrice became a nationwide scandal. 433 00:27:03,596 --> 00:27:06,156 Speaker 1: And no one from law enforcement has ever come forward 434 00:27:06,176 --> 00:27:10,826 Speaker 1: with any information about this. Intriguing as these fragments are, 435 00:27:11,206 --> 00:27:14,186 Speaker 1: They don't lead anywhere. And they detract from what I 436 00:27:14,246 --> 00:27:18,106 Speaker 1: think is the deeper truth. Had Mitrice been given a 437 00:27:18,146 --> 00:27:21,786 Speaker 1: ride from the station, she would likely still be alive. 438 00:27:21,806 --> 00:27:32,816 Speaker 11: In January 2010, when Mitrice had been missing for four months, 439 00:27:38,536 --> 00:27:42,596 Speaker 11: Authorities launched one of the largest searches in Los Angeles history. 440 00:27:43,276 --> 00:27:48,986 Speaker 1: There were more than 300 people, more than 60 horses, dogs, ATVs, bikes, 441 00:27:49,336 --> 00:27:53,786 Speaker 1: and air support. They searched from Calabasas to Pacific Coast Highway, 442 00:27:54,266 --> 00:27:58,246 Speaker 1: including all throughout Malibu Creek State Park and the Backbone Trail. 443 00:27:59,386 --> 00:28:02,406 Speaker 1: Here's Sergeant Tui Wright of Malibu Search and Rescue. 444 00:28:03,246 --> 00:28:06,326 Speaker 12: I can tell you that it was a huge undertaking. 445 00:28:07,326 --> 00:28:11,386 Speaker 12: And it was pretty much unprecedented. I've never done a 446 00:28:11,406 --> 00:28:14,136 Speaker 12: search with 400 personnel before that or since then. 447 00:28:15,796 --> 00:28:19,976 Speaker 1: By now, investigators had a clear understanding of Mitrice's mental state. 448 00:28:20,476 --> 00:28:23,816 Speaker 1: They focused the January search on the areas below cliffs 449 00:28:24,036 --> 00:28:28,276 Speaker 1: and dams and rock faces, thinking that Mitrice, in her distress, 450 00:28:28,636 --> 00:28:33,016 Speaker 1: might have jumped. Law enforcement had pledged to search every 451 00:28:33,186 --> 00:28:35,746 Speaker 1: inch of the area. And there were trails near the 452 00:28:35,766 --> 00:28:39,626 Speaker 1: Smith's house, where Mitrice was last seen, connecting to Dark Canyon, 453 00:28:40,206 --> 00:28:46,666 Speaker 1: the treacherous, steep, poison-oak-infested canyon that yawns above Montanito. It 454 00:28:46,726 --> 00:28:49,156 Speaker 1: seemed unlikely that someone just trying to get back to 455 00:28:49,196 --> 00:28:51,936 Speaker 1: her car would have gone in there. But maybe a 456 00:28:51,976 --> 00:28:55,476 Speaker 1: person in the midst of a bipolar episode would. Maybe 457 00:28:55,516 --> 00:29:00,016 Speaker 1: a suicidal person would. Sergeant Wright ordered it to be searched. 458 00:29:01,286 --> 00:29:04,186 Speaker 1: Back in the early 2000s, when Sergeant Wright was a 459 00:29:04,226 --> 00:29:08,696 Speaker 1: narcotics detective, he'd learned about an illegal marijuana growing operation 460 00:29:08,996 --> 00:29:09,776 Speaker 1: in Dark Canyon. 461 00:29:10,776 --> 00:29:13,976 Speaker 4: So, having that in the back of my mind, when 462 00:29:14,136 --> 00:29:15,076 Speaker 4: we were doing. 463 00:29:14,876 --> 00:29:18,696 Speaker 12: The matrice search, I wanted to make sure what we 464 00:29:18,736 --> 00:29:22,406 Speaker 12: call a sworn team, in other words, an armed team 465 00:29:22,466 --> 00:29:26,766 Speaker 12: with armed peace officers, was assigned to search Dark Canyon. 466 00:29:28,396 --> 00:29:32,456 Speaker 1: They were carrying some rudimentary GPS devices, partly reliant on 467 00:29:32,536 --> 00:29:35,056 Speaker 1: cell service. They were supposed to be able to track 468 00:29:35,126 --> 00:29:38,886 Speaker 1: where each deputy had walked. The cell service in Montanito 469 00:29:38,966 --> 00:29:42,746 Speaker 1: is spotty even today. Back then, it was very limited. 470 00:29:43,726 --> 00:29:46,586 Speaker 1: And in Dark Canyon, it was pretty much non-existent. 471 00:29:47,366 --> 00:29:48,986 Speaker 4: They didn't work. We had no. 472 00:29:49,536 --> 00:29:56,776 Speaker 12: way of telling exactly how far searchers went up Dark Canyon. 473 00:29:58,296 --> 00:30:01,936 Speaker 1: He also tried using drones, a new technology at the time. 474 00:30:02,816 --> 00:30:07,156 Speaker 12: It was from an experimental drone. The program was out of... 475 00:30:08,286 --> 00:30:11,326 Speaker 12: I believe it was San Diego, a university down there. 476 00:30:12,066 --> 00:30:16,286 Speaker 12: I would call this drone pretty rudimentary by today's standards. 477 00:30:17,386 --> 00:30:19,726 Speaker 12: And what I mean by that, it was a sort 478 00:30:19,746 --> 00:30:22,826 Speaker 12: of what I would call a batwing drone. You had 479 00:30:22,876 --> 00:30:25,836 Speaker 12: to turn it on and throw it, and it would 480 00:30:26,016 --> 00:30:26,616 Speaker 12: take flight. 481 00:30:27,956 --> 00:30:30,536 Speaker 1: They searched the bottom of Dark Canyon, but didn't get 482 00:30:30,596 --> 00:30:34,196 Speaker 1: very far. The operators were afraid of losing their drones. 483 00:30:37,456 --> 00:30:40,716 Speaker 1: It's these searches of Dark Canyon that fill Sergeant Wright 484 00:30:40,776 --> 00:30:44,376 Speaker 1: with regret to this day. Knowing what he knows now, 485 00:30:44,496 --> 00:30:46,706 Speaker 1: he told me, he would have pushed the team to 486 00:30:46,836 --> 00:30:50,406 Speaker 1: focus on Dark Canyon from the beginning and search its 487 00:30:50,506 --> 00:30:51,286 Speaker 1: full extent. 488 00:30:51,306 --> 00:30:55,826 Speaker 12: It was so obvious in hindsight. It was one of 489 00:30:55,866 --> 00:31:01,446 Speaker 12: the darkest, deepest canyons right there. And in hindsight, obviously, 490 00:31:01,466 --> 00:31:04,466 Speaker 12: we didn't go deep enough soon enough. I mean, it 491 00:31:04,506 --> 00:31:05,466 Speaker 12: was so close. 492 00:31:08,666 --> 00:31:13,666 Speaker 1: Sergeant Wright's been retired since 2019, but the Mitrice-Richardson case 493 00:31:13,686 --> 00:31:17,606 Speaker 1: has continued to bother him. He wishes, of course, he'd 494 00:31:17,626 --> 00:31:20,966 Speaker 1: found her alive, or even found her body sooner, when 495 00:31:21,006 --> 00:31:25,006 Speaker 1: her remains could have told a more complete story. And 496 00:31:25,026 --> 00:31:27,176 Speaker 1: I think all of that is why he decided to 497 00:31:27,216 --> 00:31:29,756 Speaker 1: do something no one else in law enforcement has been 498 00:31:29,796 --> 00:31:32,976 Speaker 1: willing to do, help us figure out what happened to her. 499 00:31:33,996 --> 00:31:37,286 Speaker 1: But that came a little later. At first, He just 500 00:31:37,346 --> 00:31:40,226 Speaker 1: helped us understand what it had been like when Mitrice 501 00:31:40,266 --> 00:31:47,296 Speaker 1: was missing. As the months passed, it was clear to 502 00:31:47,336 --> 00:31:50,316 Speaker 1: authorities they were no longer searching for a lost person. 503 00:31:50,876 --> 00:31:56,076 Speaker 1: They were searching for remains, possibly a skeleton. Finding bones 504 00:31:56,156 --> 00:31:59,706 Speaker 1: is actually fairly common in Malibu because of all the wildlife. 505 00:32:00,546 --> 00:32:01,446 Speaker 1: Here's Sergeant Wright. 506 00:32:02,186 --> 00:32:04,966 Speaker 12: People see bones when they're hiking on trails, and they 507 00:32:05,006 --> 00:32:07,776 Speaker 12: also see them on the side of the road. particularly 508 00:32:07,856 --> 00:32:10,496 Speaker 12: in turnouts, where you might have an area where you 509 00:32:10,516 --> 00:32:12,496 Speaker 12: can park a car and maybe look over at a 510 00:32:12,516 --> 00:32:16,436 Speaker 12: beautiful view of the ocean or something. People are standing there, 511 00:32:16,476 --> 00:32:20,626 Speaker 12: and then they see bones, or they smell a dead smell. 512 00:32:22,006 --> 00:32:24,906 Speaker 1: But everyone in Malibu was on high alert, and so 513 00:32:24,926 --> 00:32:29,046 Speaker 1: were the authorities. They were looking for a high-profile missing person. 514 00:32:29,846 --> 00:32:31,466 Speaker 1: Those bones could be hers. 515 00:32:32,266 --> 00:32:35,956 Speaker 12: During the time of the Matrice investigation, we never ignored 516 00:32:36,036 --> 00:32:38,676 Speaker 12: any of those. We went out on each and every 517 00:32:38,916 --> 00:32:41,916 Speaker 12: one and we were thorough and would investigate. And I 518 00:32:41,976 --> 00:32:46,516 Speaker 12: do recall some of those where people reported the smell 519 00:32:46,536 --> 00:32:51,586 Speaker 12: of something dead. I remember one, we sent a team out. 520 00:32:52,246 --> 00:32:56,066 Speaker 12: They went out and they looked and they smelled something 521 00:32:56,106 --> 00:32:58,606 Speaker 12: and they looked and they basically found the remains of 522 00:32:58,646 --> 00:32:59,486 Speaker 12: a dead coyote. 523 00:33:01,006 --> 00:33:05,746 Speaker 1: Law enforcement records show that on June 10th and 12th, 2010, 524 00:33:06,146 --> 00:33:09,946 Speaker 1: Two months before Mitrice's remains were found, Malibu Search and 525 00:33:09,986 --> 00:33:14,126 Speaker 1: Rescue conducted two operations in response to reports of bones 526 00:33:14,166 --> 00:33:14,706 Speaker 1: in the area. 527 00:33:15,826 --> 00:33:18,836 Speaker 12: I do recall a tip came in to the detective bureau, 528 00:33:20,896 --> 00:33:23,936 Speaker 12: and there was some talk of a ribcage was observed 529 00:33:24,236 --> 00:33:28,556 Speaker 12: by somebody who was at a particular location off of 530 00:33:28,596 --> 00:33:30,376 Speaker 12: Paiuma where they described a. 531 00:33:30,996 --> 00:33:32,546 Speaker 4: Fort, like a tree fort. 532 00:33:33,876 --> 00:33:37,416 Speaker 1: Sergeant Wright assembled a team, including his tracker and a 533 00:33:37,436 --> 00:33:38,116 Speaker 1: cadaver dog. 534 00:33:38,916 --> 00:33:41,236 Speaker 12: We went out there in a couple of different vehicles. 535 00:33:41,906 --> 00:33:45,286 Speaker 12: We took at least one rifle with us and maybe 536 00:33:45,306 --> 00:33:49,626 Speaker 12: even a shotgun because it sounded suspicious. 537 00:33:51,206 --> 00:33:54,426 Speaker 1: The location was in the wilderness off Paiuma Road, about 538 00:33:54,446 --> 00:33:57,366 Speaker 1: a mile up the mountain from the Smith's house in Montanito, 539 00:33:57,826 --> 00:33:59,006 Speaker 1: close to the Backbone Trail. 540 00:34:00,396 --> 00:34:05,076 Speaker 4: And we went in and eventually we found what could 541 00:34:05,116 --> 00:34:06,276 Speaker 4: be described as a fort. 542 00:34:07,316 --> 00:34:11,376 Speaker 12: Or, you know, back in the marijuana investigation days, we 543 00:34:11,396 --> 00:34:15,326 Speaker 12: would call it a hooch, which is a term basically 544 00:34:15,346 --> 00:34:22,946 Speaker 12: from Vietnam of a tent-type outpost in thick jungle. 545 00:34:23,606 --> 00:34:26,226 Speaker 4: So that's what we found. 546 00:34:27,406 --> 00:34:30,406 Speaker 12: We spread out and approached it, and I could see 547 00:34:30,426 --> 00:34:34,406 Speaker 12: that it was made from camouflaged tarps that had wrapped. 548 00:34:34,126 --> 00:34:38,846 Speaker 4: Around Several trees, including a real big tree. 549 00:34:39,066 --> 00:34:42,516 Speaker 12: And it had a roof and it had a doorway area. 550 00:34:43,356 --> 00:34:48,836 Speaker 12: And we went in and clearly on public land, we 551 00:34:48,876 --> 00:34:50,286 Speaker 12: went in and cleared it. 552 00:34:51,086 --> 00:34:52,526 Speaker 4: And there was nobody inside. 553 00:34:53,846 --> 00:34:57,406 Speaker 12: Inside was sort of a bed area where you could 554 00:34:57,446 --> 00:34:59,286 Speaker 12: tell somebody could sleep. 555 00:35:01,106 --> 00:35:02,756 Speaker 1: Someone was definitely living there. 556 00:35:03,886 --> 00:35:09,026 Speaker 4: And I do recall one book in particular. It was 557 00:35:09,066 --> 00:35:10,846 Speaker 4: a U.S. Army survival manual. 558 00:35:12,146 --> 00:35:14,916 Speaker 12: I saw that in there. I saw on the outside 559 00:35:14,956 --> 00:35:20,776 Speaker 12: of the, outside the fort, there was some cubes called 560 00:35:20,816 --> 00:35:26,776 Speaker 12: Grodan cubes that were consistent with starting marijuana plants. And 561 00:35:26,816 --> 00:35:29,416 Speaker 12: I actually saw some marijuana growing there, like a couple 562 00:35:29,456 --> 00:35:30,076 Speaker 12: inches high. 563 00:35:31,846 --> 00:35:35,066 Speaker 1: Hanging from a tree outside the fort, they spotted the ribcage. 564 00:35:35,936 --> 00:35:38,936 Speaker 1: This was the reason they were there, because the tipster 565 00:35:38,976 --> 00:35:42,916 Speaker 1: had thought this ribcage might belong to Mitrice Richardson. 566 00:35:43,956 --> 00:35:47,736 Speaker 12: The ribcage was taken as evidence and submitted to the 567 00:35:47,776 --> 00:35:49,176 Speaker 12: coroner or to the crime lab. 568 00:35:49,936 --> 00:35:51,716 Speaker 4: If I recall, it turned out to be deer bones. 569 00:35:52,536 --> 00:35:58,656 Speaker 1: Deer bones. Still, the fort was potentially significant. The person 570 00:35:58,716 --> 00:36:01,816 Speaker 1: living there seemed to have a funny habit, of collecting 571 00:36:01,976 --> 00:36:04,416 Speaker 1: items that belonged to various women. 572 00:36:05,186 --> 00:36:10,606 Speaker 12: What I recall on it is, I think it was IDs, identifications, 573 00:36:11,566 --> 00:36:17,746 Speaker 12: and or ATM cards for a couple of different females. 574 00:36:18,846 --> 00:36:22,306 Speaker 1: But Mitrice's driver's license, which she had on her when 575 00:36:22,346 --> 00:36:29,546 Speaker 1: she left Lost Hill Station, was not among them. While 576 00:36:29,586 --> 00:36:34,476 Speaker 1: Mitrice was missing, her dad, Michael Richardson, had a wrenching experience. 577 00:36:35,236 --> 00:36:36,956 Speaker 1: He was in Las Vegas with some friends. 578 00:36:37,896 --> 00:36:39,836 Speaker 9: My friend was driving. I was in the back seat, 579 00:36:40,016 --> 00:36:44,876 Speaker 9: and I was on the window side. So when I 580 00:36:44,916 --> 00:36:47,396 Speaker 9: looked over to the right, I just seen a girl 581 00:36:47,456 --> 00:36:50,066 Speaker 9: standing at the light, getting ready to walk across the street, 582 00:36:50,466 --> 00:36:54,446 Speaker 9: looked just like Mitrice. And I just said, stop the car, stop. 583 00:36:54,466 --> 00:36:57,506 Speaker 9: And they're like, what, what, what? And I just jump 584 00:36:57,526 --> 00:36:59,186 Speaker 9: out the car, and they're like, man, where you going? 585 00:36:59,646 --> 00:37:02,706 Speaker 9: And cars was stopping, almost about to hit me. And 586 00:37:02,746 --> 00:37:05,166 Speaker 9: they all get out like, what, what? I said, man, 587 00:37:05,186 --> 00:37:07,006 Speaker 9: I could have sworn I just seen my daughter standing 588 00:37:07,026 --> 00:37:10,126 Speaker 9: right here. And we were in the alley. Did you 589 00:37:10,166 --> 00:37:12,716 Speaker 9: just see this girl like that? Nobody saw that person 590 00:37:13,176 --> 00:37:16,576 Speaker 9: that we were talking about. And I was like, I 591 00:37:16,616 --> 00:37:19,656 Speaker 9: know I'm not tripping. I saw that, you know. And 592 00:37:19,896 --> 00:37:23,656 Speaker 9: I will still stand behind that. But this person that 593 00:37:23,736 --> 00:37:28,066 Speaker 9: I saw vanished into the thin air. And it was 594 00:37:28,126 --> 00:37:28,736 Speaker 9: another dead end. 595 00:37:30,186 --> 00:37:32,566 Speaker 1: When he got back to his hotel room, he called 596 00:37:32,606 --> 00:37:34,046 Speaker 1: the LAPD detectives. 597 00:37:34,926 --> 00:37:37,166 Speaker 9: But I called it and said, man, I think my 598 00:37:37,186 --> 00:37:37,846 Speaker 9: daughter in Vegas. 599 00:37:37,866 --> 00:37:41,266 Speaker 4: All right, what makes you think that, Michael? 600 00:37:41,286 --> 00:37:46,946 Speaker 9: All right, well, we'll check it out and let you 601 00:37:46,986 --> 00:37:50,726 Speaker 9: know what we find. And it was like, it was 602 00:37:50,766 --> 00:37:51,786 Speaker 9: a dead end, Michael. 603 00:37:52,486 --> 00:37:53,756 Speaker 4: I'm like, I know. 604 00:37:54,026 --> 00:37:56,456 Speaker 9: I said, OK, man, maybe it was just me wanting 605 00:37:56,496 --> 00:37:57,016 Speaker 9: it to be her. 606 00:37:57,096 --> 00:37:57,416 Speaker 5: I don't know. 607 00:37:59,116 --> 00:38:02,196 Speaker 1: Then, someone else thought they saw Mitrice in Las Vegas. 608 00:38:02,756 --> 00:38:05,196 Speaker 1: It was a high school friend of hers. This was 609 00:38:05,256 --> 00:38:09,526 Speaker 1: in June 2010. The LAPD took the sighting seriously. 610 00:38:10,316 --> 00:38:13,886 Speaker 9: And, I mean, they all, detectives and everybody, set up 611 00:38:14,006 --> 00:38:15,566 Speaker 9: camp and shop down there. 612 00:38:17,546 --> 00:38:21,246 Speaker 1: But today, Michael thinks this was a trap. A diversion 613 00:38:21,506 --> 00:38:24,526 Speaker 1: by law enforcement to keep him out of Malibu so 614 00:38:24,566 --> 00:38:26,686 Speaker 1: they could discover her remains. 615 00:38:27,626 --> 00:38:32,886 Speaker 9: And They were trying to get us, and me, falling 616 00:38:32,926 --> 00:38:34,986 Speaker 9: for it, flew to Las Vegas. 617 00:38:37,106 --> 00:38:42,226 Speaker 1: It's a wild theory, fueled by frustration and mistrust, and 618 00:38:42,286 --> 00:38:48,566 Speaker 1: by an unfortunate coincidence. On August 9, 2010, while Michael 619 00:38:48,626 --> 00:38:51,466 Speaker 1: was in Las Vegas for a press conference about Mitrice, 620 00:38:52,086 --> 00:38:56,006 Speaker 1: some park rangers checking out an old pot grow discovered 621 00:38:56,046 --> 00:39:00,506 Speaker 1: her skull among the fallen leaves. The site was about 622 00:39:00,546 --> 00:39:03,706 Speaker 1: a mile from where Mitrice was last seen, on the 623 00:39:03,766 --> 00:39:12,876 Speaker 1: side of a steep ravine in Dark Canyon. Next time 624 00:39:13,096 --> 00:39:13,956 Speaker 1: on Lost Hills. 625 00:39:14,916 --> 00:39:18,716 Speaker 9: So it just all unfolded like, they did a botched 626 00:39:18,836 --> 00:39:21,856 Speaker 9: up job anyway by sweeping her remains in a plastic 627 00:39:21,896 --> 00:39:24,916 Speaker 9: bag and flying it out before the coroner got there 628 00:39:24,956 --> 00:39:28,536 Speaker 9: to make the call, which contaminated the crime scenes. 629 00:39:30,466 --> 00:39:38,526 Speaker 1: That's next in Episode 6, Reconnaissance. Lost Hills is written 630 00:39:38,586 --> 00:39:42,056 Speaker 1: and hosted by me, Dana Goodyear. It was reported by 631 00:39:42,116 --> 00:39:45,816 Speaker 1: me and Haley Fox, our senior producer. The show was 632 00:39:45,876 --> 00:39:49,466 Speaker 1: created by me and Ben Adair. Lost Hills is a 633 00:39:49,506 --> 00:39:58,486 Speaker 1: production of Western Sound and Pushkin Industries. Subscribe to Pushkin 634 00:39:58,526 --> 00:40:02,326 Speaker 1: Plus and you can binge the whole season right now ad-free. 635 00:40:02,966 --> 00:40:05,766 Speaker 1: Find Pushkin Plus on the Lost Hills Show page in 636 00:40:05,906 --> 00:40:10,066 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm slash plus.