1 00:00:15,066 --> 00:00:15,506 Speaker 1: Pushkin. 2 00:00:24,896 --> 00:00:27,056 Speaker 2: She sat on the top step, and I looked out 3 00:00:27,096 --> 00:00:31,076 Speaker 2: that window. By the time I got my husband to 4 00:00:31,116 --> 00:00:33,316 Speaker 2: look out the window, she was gone. And we looked 5 00:00:33,356 --> 00:00:34,836 Speaker 2: out the front, and we never did find her or 6 00:00:34,916 --> 00:00:35,956 Speaker 2: see her again. 7 00:00:37,956 --> 00:00:39,256 Speaker 1: This is Karen Smith. 8 00:00:40,056 --> 00:00:42,796 Speaker 2: My name is Karen Smith, and I saw my Trace Richardson, 9 00:00:43,576 --> 00:00:47,066 Speaker 2: the last day that she was seen by anyone that 10 00:00:47,146 --> 00:00:48,126 Speaker 2: has come forward. 11 00:00:49,786 --> 00:00:52,286 Speaker 1: The Smiths' house is at the bottom of Cold Canyon Road. 12 00:00:53,026 --> 00:00:57,326 Speaker 1: It's the tennis courthouse in Montanito. Karen had been reluctant 13 00:00:57,366 --> 00:01:00,086 Speaker 1: to let me come over. Her husband, Bill, was the 14 00:01:00,126 --> 00:01:02,906 Speaker 1: TV reporter who'd called the cops about a prowler in 15 00:01:02,946 --> 00:01:05,696 Speaker 1: the yard in what turned out to be the last 16 00:01:05,746 --> 00:01:09,596 Speaker 1: confirmed sighting of Mitrice. He passed away a few years ago, 17 00:01:09,896 --> 00:01:11,096 Speaker 1: and she wasn't feeling her best. 18 00:01:12,636 --> 00:01:13,356 Speaker 3: I've got keys. 19 00:01:13,886 --> 00:01:15,686 Speaker 2: Bad hips, bad shoulder. 20 00:01:16,246 --> 00:01:16,686 Speaker 3: I'm a mess. 21 00:01:19,426 --> 00:01:21,286 Speaker 1: She walked me around the side of the house to 22 00:01:21,306 --> 00:01:23,286 Speaker 1: the back, and we sat down on a couple of 23 00:01:23,346 --> 00:01:27,486 Speaker 1: white plastic chairs. The patio was strewn with dark feathers. 24 00:01:28,586 --> 00:01:32,836 Speaker 2: Probably the vultures, the turkey vultures, that like to land 25 00:01:32,896 --> 00:01:35,156 Speaker 2: on my tennis court lights and leave me a gift 26 00:01:35,196 --> 00:01:36,416 Speaker 2: every time they take off. 27 00:01:36,436 --> 00:01:39,136 Speaker 1: Well, that's very courteous of them. 28 00:01:39,156 --> 00:01:42,216 Speaker 2: The tennis court has all these white blotches right below 29 00:01:42,256 --> 00:01:45,156 Speaker 2: the lights. They like to open their wings in the 30 00:01:45,196 --> 00:01:46,876 Speaker 2: morning and dry them. 31 00:01:48,096 --> 00:01:51,506 Speaker 1: Beyond the patio was a large, dusty yard with a 32 00:01:51,586 --> 00:01:55,886 Speaker 1: sun-bleached plastic play structure left over from her son's childhood. 33 00:01:56,726 --> 00:02:00,406 Speaker 1: There were some railroad ties serving as steps. That's where 34 00:02:00,466 --> 00:02:03,976 Speaker 1: Karen saw Mitrice around 6.30 a.m. on the morning of 35 00:02:04,036 --> 00:02:09,076 Speaker 1: her disappearance. And it was Karen, even though her husband Bill, 36 00:02:09,376 --> 00:02:12,016 Speaker 1: talking to the cops, described the scene as if he'd 37 00:02:12,036 --> 00:02:12,856 Speaker 1: been the one to see her. 38 00:02:14,006 --> 00:02:17,346 Speaker 2: He's the one that talked to the sheriffs, mostly. I 39 00:02:17,646 --> 00:02:21,276 Speaker 2: was being quiet. And he was a news reporter for 40 00:02:21,276 --> 00:02:26,096 Speaker 2: 35 years, so he took control of the discussion, and 41 00:02:26,156 --> 00:02:30,116 Speaker 2: maybe they just assumed. Because my son said the same thing. No, 42 00:02:30,176 --> 00:02:31,956 Speaker 2: Dad saw her. And I go, no, it was me. 43 00:02:32,456 --> 00:02:36,056 Speaker 2: I'm the one that saw her. She was sitting on 44 00:02:36,076 --> 00:02:41,306 Speaker 2: the top step here in the back. And it was unusual, 45 00:02:41,346 --> 00:02:43,886 Speaker 2: because nobody really comes on the property even though we 46 00:02:43,926 --> 00:02:48,846 Speaker 2: don't have any fences in the back of it. But 47 00:02:48,906 --> 00:02:53,146 Speaker 2: I looked down and I said, are you all right? 48 00:02:53,186 --> 00:02:55,426 Speaker 2: And she said, I'm just resting. And I said, okay. 49 00:02:56,786 --> 00:02:59,566 Speaker 2: And then I left, went to get my husband, and 50 00:02:59,606 --> 00:03:01,546 Speaker 2: by the time I got to the other bathroom window, 51 00:03:02,146 --> 00:03:04,786 Speaker 2: she was gone. And then I looked out the front 52 00:03:04,846 --> 00:03:07,606 Speaker 2: window of the dining room to see if she went 53 00:03:08,016 --> 00:03:10,236 Speaker 2: one way or the other there, never did see her. 54 00:03:12,856 --> 00:03:16,316 Speaker 1: At the edge of the yard, beyond some dried-out century plants, 55 00:03:17,056 --> 00:03:22,006 Speaker 1: I noticed a trail. What does the backyard open out to, 56 00:03:22,026 --> 00:03:22,906 Speaker 1: just into the neighborhood? 57 00:03:23,286 --> 00:03:27,446 Speaker 2: Just to another property. Other properties, and people walk the 58 00:03:27,486 --> 00:03:31,146 Speaker 2: horse trail, which is above and over and down, and 59 00:03:31,166 --> 00:03:33,006 Speaker 2: they go to a cul-de-sac on the other side. 60 00:03:33,806 --> 00:03:34,746 Speaker 1: Oh, what's that cul-de-sac? 61 00:03:36,486 --> 00:03:41,456 Speaker 2: Let's see. Malibu Meadows Road is what it's called. And that's... 62 00:03:42,236 --> 00:03:44,996 Speaker 2: That's over there. It's wide open, too, just like most 63 00:03:45,036 --> 00:03:45,776 Speaker 2: of these properties. 64 00:03:46,756 --> 00:03:49,176 Speaker 1: So there's a horse trail that leads from there to here. 65 00:03:49,236 --> 00:03:51,936 Speaker 2: Yes, there's a horse trail. It comes up over and 66 00:03:51,986 --> 00:03:56,226 Speaker 2: it goes around and down into the street, right above 67 00:03:56,786 --> 00:03:57,746 Speaker 2: this side of those trees. 68 00:03:59,466 --> 00:04:02,746 Speaker 1: Riders can come along the trail, cross Cold Canyon Road, 69 00:04:03,026 --> 00:04:07,356 Speaker 1: and connect to the Backbone Trail, a 67-mile-long trail that 70 00:04:07,436 --> 00:04:11,886 Speaker 1: runs all through the Santa Monica Mountains. The backbone passes 71 00:04:11,926 --> 00:04:15,206 Speaker 1: by the mouth of Dart Canyon, the canyon where Mitrice's 72 00:04:15,266 --> 00:04:21,506 Speaker 1: remains were ultimately found. And she was definitely alone when 73 00:04:21,546 --> 00:04:22,226 Speaker 1: you spotted her. 74 00:04:22,286 --> 00:04:26,716 Speaker 2: Oh, yes. She was all by herself and non-threatening. That's 75 00:04:26,746 --> 00:04:31,896 Speaker 2: all I remember. That's it. I wish I had more information, 76 00:04:31,996 --> 00:04:34,356 Speaker 2: and I was so upset that I just let her 77 00:04:34,396 --> 00:04:38,836 Speaker 2: go like that, knowing what happened later that, you know... 78 00:04:40,146 --> 00:04:45,166 Speaker 2: She unfortunately met her demise. I always shook my head thinking, 79 00:04:45,246 --> 00:04:47,306 Speaker 2: I wonder, I just don't know what happened. And I 80 00:04:47,386 --> 00:04:49,356 Speaker 2: always wish I had done more, but at the time 81 00:04:49,386 --> 00:04:50,416 Speaker 2: there was nothing more to do. 82 00:04:52,116 --> 00:04:54,576 Speaker 1: I asked her about that other story, the one the 83 00:04:54,616 --> 00:04:58,076 Speaker 1: Montanito lifer told in the video, where he claimed my 84 00:04:58,136 --> 00:05:00,276 Speaker 1: trees had been at the front door of the Smith's 85 00:05:00,296 --> 00:05:05,446 Speaker 1: house earlier in the morning, shouting. Karen said she didn't 86 00:05:05,486 --> 00:05:08,626 Speaker 1: know anything about that. She did say I could check 87 00:05:08,666 --> 00:05:11,926 Speaker 1: out the trail. I followed it to where it started, 88 00:05:12,346 --> 00:05:14,846 Speaker 1: in a grove of mature oak trees in the heart 89 00:05:14,966 --> 00:05:19,396 Speaker 1: of Montanito. I looked around. There was no sign to 90 00:05:19,456 --> 00:05:23,256 Speaker 1: mark the trail. In broad daylight, it was barely visible, 91 00:05:23,576 --> 00:05:26,876 Speaker 1: just a faint impression in the dust, mostly obscured by 92 00:05:26,936 --> 00:05:32,636 Speaker 1: fallen leaves. How had Mitrice made her way here, all 93 00:05:32,676 --> 00:05:37,316 Speaker 1: the way from Lost Hill Station, in the dark? And 94 00:05:37,496 --> 00:05:47,196 Speaker 1: where had she gone? I'm Dana Goodyear, and this is 95 00:05:47,276 --> 00:06:23,516 Speaker 1: Lost Hills. Episode 4, Hopscotch. Mitrice went missing early on 96 00:06:23,556 --> 00:06:28,986 Speaker 1: a Thursday morning. On Friday night, her mother called Mitrice's mentor, Dr. 97 00:06:29,046 --> 00:06:29,766 Speaker 1: Rhonda Hampton. 98 00:06:30,606 --> 00:06:33,186 Speaker 4: I was driving home from work. I remember it, you know, 99 00:06:33,206 --> 00:06:35,766 Speaker 4: like it was yesterday. And her mom called and said, 100 00:06:35,786 --> 00:06:37,286 Speaker 4: you know, has Mitrice reached out to you? I haven't 101 00:06:37,306 --> 00:06:38,536 Speaker 4: seen her. And I said, no, I haven't seen her. 102 00:06:39,276 --> 00:06:41,496 Speaker 4: So on my drive home, I'm telling her, no, you know, 103 00:06:41,636 --> 00:06:43,336 Speaker 4: we were going to have lunch on Monday, but I 104 00:06:43,356 --> 00:06:46,276 Speaker 4: haven't talked to her since then. And then mom proceeded 105 00:06:46,316 --> 00:06:49,336 Speaker 4: to tell me how she had been at the restaurant 106 00:06:49,436 --> 00:06:52,416 Speaker 4: and acting, you know, strangely, and that she had been 107 00:06:52,436 --> 00:06:53,736 Speaker 4: arrested and released. 108 00:06:55,556 --> 00:06:59,536 Speaker 1: Matrice had been released approximately 43 hours earlier, and no 109 00:06:59,596 --> 00:07:02,376 Speaker 1: one had heard from her. And besides the sighting at 110 00:07:02,396 --> 00:07:05,636 Speaker 1: the Smiths, there'd been no other reports of anyone seeing her. 111 00:07:06,866 --> 00:07:09,726 Speaker 1: Her girlfriend, Desiree Black, finds this odd. 112 00:07:10,946 --> 00:07:16,646 Speaker 5: I think that it would be just kind of missing 113 00:07:16,686 --> 00:07:22,686 Speaker 5: the point if we didn't acknowledge the fact that she 114 00:07:22,766 --> 00:07:33,656 Speaker 5: was a young, black, single female in Malibu. Calabasas. Somewhere 115 00:07:33,796 --> 00:07:41,186 Speaker 5: where wasn't exactly made for us. Somewhere where she should 116 00:07:41,246 --> 00:07:48,056 Speaker 5: have stuck out. Somebody should have seen her. And I 117 00:07:48,096 --> 00:07:51,076 Speaker 5: think that is one of the pieces to the story 118 00:07:51,136 --> 00:07:58,736 Speaker 5: that's kind of still astonishing to me. That nobody saw her. 119 00:08:00,356 --> 00:08:08,756 Speaker 5: Because those just being facts, the fact that she was Young, attractive, black, female. 120 00:08:09,536 --> 00:08:09,936 Speaker 2: Alone. 121 00:08:10,596 --> 00:08:16,936 Speaker 5: Alone. If someone saw her, they would have remembered that 122 00:08:18,096 --> 00:08:22,426 Speaker 5: in Calabasas. She would have been hard to miss. And 123 00:08:23,046 --> 00:08:24,266 Speaker 5: that makes people a target. 124 00:08:27,266 --> 00:08:30,506 Speaker 1: Leticia filed a missing persons report at Lost Hill Station 125 00:08:30,526 --> 00:08:33,946 Speaker 1: the day she disappeared. Deputies took it as a courtesy, 126 00:08:34,266 --> 00:08:37,066 Speaker 1: because Matrice being a resident of the city of L.A., 127 00:08:37,386 --> 00:08:41,616 Speaker 1: it was really an LAPD case. When the deputy at 128 00:08:41,676 --> 00:08:46,136 Speaker 1: Lost Hills told Latice that someone matching Matrice's description had 129 00:08:46,156 --> 00:08:50,586 Speaker 1: been seen in Montanito early Thursday morning, Latice had driven 130 00:08:50,666 --> 00:08:53,286 Speaker 1: out there. But no one else seemed to be looking 131 00:08:53,326 --> 00:08:56,746 Speaker 1: for her daughter, and she felt that crucial time was 132 00:08:56,786 --> 00:08:57,406 Speaker 1: being lost. 133 00:08:58,456 --> 00:09:00,876 Speaker 4: And mom called me because she said she did not 134 00:09:00,916 --> 00:09:02,946 Speaker 4: know what to do because they were not searching for 135 00:09:02,986 --> 00:09:06,026 Speaker 4: her and there was no planned search. And she asked 136 00:09:06,046 --> 00:09:08,966 Speaker 4: if I would contact the detective on the case to 137 00:09:09,006 --> 00:09:10,386 Speaker 4: try to plead for help. 138 00:09:11,266 --> 00:09:16,996 Speaker 1: The detective was Kristen Merrill with the LAPD Missing Persons Unit. Dr. 139 00:09:17,026 --> 00:09:21,396 Speaker 1: Hampton says Detective Merrill told her LAPD Missing Persons didn't 140 00:09:21,476 --> 00:09:24,116 Speaker 1: have funds to mount a search. There would need to 141 00:09:24,176 --> 00:09:28,366 Speaker 1: be a compelling reason to search for Mitrice. If you 142 00:09:28,406 --> 00:09:31,826 Speaker 1: go to the LAPD missing persons website, this is all 143 00:09:31,886 --> 00:09:36,836 Speaker 1: spelled out. Since being a missing person is not a crime, 144 00:09:37,166 --> 00:09:39,996 Speaker 1: police are given a very limited role while conducting these 145 00:09:40,036 --> 00:09:44,036 Speaker 1: types of investigations. As a general rule, all people have 146 00:09:44,096 --> 00:09:47,216 Speaker 1: a right to be left alone, and police intrusion into 147 00:09:47,256 --> 00:09:50,596 Speaker 1: their lives must be minimal. It goes on to say 148 00:09:50,876 --> 00:09:53,616 Speaker 1: that where foul play is suspected or the person is 149 00:09:53,696 --> 00:09:56,756 Speaker 1: otherwise endangered, the police will investigate. 150 00:09:58,366 --> 00:10:00,546 Speaker 4: So when it started looking like they weren't going to search, 151 00:10:00,906 --> 00:10:02,756 Speaker 4: of course my anxiety is rising, and you just say 152 00:10:02,796 --> 00:10:04,756 Speaker 4: whatever it is you can say to get the help 153 00:10:04,776 --> 00:10:05,296 Speaker 4: that you need. 154 00:10:06,646 --> 00:10:09,566 Speaker 1: She shared some background on Mitrice's mental health. and the 155 00:10:09,606 --> 00:10:11,606 Speaker 1: details about her behavior at Joffrey's. 156 00:10:12,306 --> 00:10:14,266 Speaker 4: So then I just start quoting the law. If she 157 00:10:14,286 --> 00:10:16,476 Speaker 4: was at the restaurant saying she was from Mars, if 158 00:10:16,506 --> 00:10:18,456 Speaker 4: she was saying she was there to avenge the death 159 00:10:18,496 --> 00:10:21,776 Speaker 4: of Michael Jackson, you know, the people, the patrons in 160 00:10:21,796 --> 00:10:24,796 Speaker 4: the restaurant were saying she was acting strange. I was like, well, 161 00:10:25,096 --> 00:10:27,876 Speaker 4: why wasn't she 5150'd? So after about an hour and 162 00:10:27,896 --> 00:10:30,516 Speaker 4: a half of talking to the detective, they did agree 163 00:10:30,536 --> 00:10:33,096 Speaker 4: to do a search. So they agreed to do the 164 00:10:33,116 --> 00:10:35,756 Speaker 4: search on Saturday. And at that, they weren't going to 165 00:10:35,796 --> 00:10:37,516 Speaker 4: start that search until 10 o'clock in the morning. So 166 00:10:38,436 --> 00:10:43,376 Speaker 4: that's a lot of time that went by. I couldn't sleep, obviously, 167 00:10:43,396 --> 00:10:47,556 Speaker 4: and I had never been to Malibu. And so somewhere 168 00:10:47,596 --> 00:10:49,756 Speaker 4: around 5 o'clock in the morning, I called my girlfriend 169 00:10:50,176 --> 00:10:52,676 Speaker 4: and asked her, have you ever been to Malibu and 170 00:10:52,696 --> 00:10:55,176 Speaker 4: can you come out with me? She's another therapist who 171 00:10:55,216 --> 00:10:58,316 Speaker 4: worked in my office, so we both had clients that day. 172 00:10:58,356 --> 00:11:01,376 Speaker 4: We shut the practice down and drove out to Malibu. 173 00:11:03,246 --> 00:11:06,846 Speaker 1: Over the next several days, Dr. Hampton, along with members 174 00:11:06,886 --> 00:11:10,906 Speaker 1: of Mitrice's family and other supporters, kept returning to Malibu. 175 00:11:11,766 --> 00:11:13,206 Speaker 1: They didn't really know where to go. 176 00:11:13,866 --> 00:11:17,706 Speaker 4: We were frantic, passing out flyers, you know, at Pepperdine, 177 00:11:17,726 --> 00:11:21,046 Speaker 4: on Pacific Coast Highway, in Calabasas, anywhere we can think of. 178 00:11:21,606 --> 00:11:25,246 Speaker 4: We stayed there. on Pacific Coast Highway, passing out flyers 179 00:11:25,286 --> 00:11:26,206 Speaker 4: until about midnight. 180 00:11:27,366 --> 00:11:31,126 Speaker 1: She remembers taking flyers to the Ralph's supermarket on PCH. 181 00:11:31,606 --> 00:11:33,866 Speaker 4: And then on the side of that Ralph's, there's like 182 00:11:33,946 --> 00:11:37,576 Speaker 4: a homeless encampment, kind of like on this hill. So 183 00:11:37,616 --> 00:11:39,696 Speaker 4: we walked up there just to search, you know, maybe 184 00:11:39,716 --> 00:11:42,456 Speaker 4: she ended up there or something, right? And so as 185 00:11:42,496 --> 00:11:45,056 Speaker 4: we're searching, we saw this group of homeless men and 186 00:11:45,696 --> 00:11:48,436 Speaker 4: we kind of just stopped and, hey, we're looking for 187 00:11:48,456 --> 00:11:52,556 Speaker 4: this person. And then one of the men He sits 188 00:11:52,616 --> 00:11:56,996 Speaker 4: up and says, look, the police don't care about her. 189 00:11:57,536 --> 00:12:00,316 Speaker 4: The law enforcement doesn't care about her because she's a nigger, 190 00:12:00,576 --> 00:12:03,456 Speaker 4: and you guys just need to get over it. And 191 00:12:04,276 --> 00:12:07,766 Speaker 4: that was my first kind of in my face, like, oh, wait, 192 00:12:07,806 --> 00:12:10,146 Speaker 4: there's a race component to this? 193 00:12:10,966 --> 00:12:13,826 Speaker 1: Before long, Dr. Hampton had reason to believe that the 194 00:12:13,866 --> 00:12:17,486 Speaker 1: sheriff's department didn't care, except maybe about itself. 195 00:12:18,426 --> 00:12:21,786 Speaker 4: And then we came home, you know, retired. Turn on 196 00:12:21,806 --> 00:12:26,206 Speaker 4: the TV, and Steve Whitmore, who was the spokesperson from LASD, 197 00:12:26,346 --> 00:12:31,226 Speaker 4: is putting this twist on the story that was unbelievable, 198 00:12:31,766 --> 00:12:35,806 Speaker 4: where he was kind of indicating that Mitrice was perfectly fine, 199 00:12:35,866 --> 00:12:38,846 Speaker 4: nothing was wrong with her, she's an adult, she wanted 200 00:12:38,886 --> 00:12:40,446 Speaker 4: to leave, so we had to let her leave. 201 00:12:42,166 --> 00:12:46,566 Speaker 1: Dr. Hampton was shocked. This was not only untrue, she thought, 202 00:12:46,886 --> 00:12:50,886 Speaker 1: but entirely beside the point. They needed to find Mitrice. 203 00:13:04,556 --> 00:13:07,716 Speaker 1: While Mitrice's friends and family were passing out flyers on 204 00:13:07,756 --> 00:13:11,296 Speaker 1: Pacific Coast Highway, law enforcement was searching too. 205 00:13:12,316 --> 00:13:17,006 Speaker 3: I'm retired Sergeant Tui Wright, and at the time of 206 00:13:17,026 --> 00:13:20,546 Speaker 3: this investigation, I was in charge of Malibu Search and Rescue. 207 00:13:21,046 --> 00:13:22,906 Speaker 3: at Malibu Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. 208 00:13:23,836 --> 00:13:25,976 Speaker 1: I met Sergeant Wright back when I was working on 209 00:13:26,016 --> 00:13:28,776 Speaker 1: the first season of Lost Hills. He's one of the 210 00:13:28,816 --> 00:13:32,196 Speaker 1: people who helped solve the murder of Tristan Beaudet, the 211 00:13:32,256 --> 00:13:35,876 Speaker 1: scientist who was shot and killed in 2018 while camping 212 00:13:35,896 --> 00:13:39,716 Speaker 1: with his young daughters in Malibu Creek State Park. Sergeant 213 00:13:39,756 --> 00:13:43,356 Speaker 1: Wright tracked the killer, a drifter named Anthony Rauta, to 214 00:13:43,416 --> 00:13:46,836 Speaker 1: his encampment in the hills behind Lost Hills Station, where 215 00:13:46,876 --> 00:13:50,196 Speaker 1: he was ultimately arrested with the murder weapon. In the 216 00:13:50,256 --> 00:13:54,686 Speaker 1: spring of 2023, Rauta was found guilty and sentenced to 217 00:13:54,686 --> 00:13:59,046 Speaker 1: 119 years to life in prison. He's appealing his conviction. 218 00:14:00,526 --> 00:14:03,566 Speaker 1: Over his career, Sergeant Wright searched for hundreds of lost 219 00:14:03,646 --> 00:14:07,086 Speaker 1: and missing people in the Santa Monica Mountains. The LAPD 220 00:14:07,106 --> 00:14:09,866 Speaker 1: didn't know the area, but Malibu Search and Rescue did. 221 00:14:11,166 --> 00:14:16,196 Speaker 1: On September 19, 2009, two days after Mitrice disappeared, Sergeant 222 00:14:16,236 --> 00:14:19,756 Speaker 1: Wright conducted a search. He started at the Smith's house, 223 00:14:19,976 --> 00:14:23,536 Speaker 1: where Mitrice was last seen, rather than at Lost Hill Station, 224 00:14:23,736 --> 00:14:24,676 Speaker 1: where she'd been released. 225 00:14:25,536 --> 00:14:30,926 Speaker 3: It's basically what I call a hopscotch. We basically start 226 00:14:30,966 --> 00:14:34,246 Speaker 3: a search for missing persons at the last known location 227 00:14:34,286 --> 00:14:39,086 Speaker 3: where somebody's seen. To start it before that just consumes 228 00:14:39,666 --> 00:14:40,666 Speaker 3: unnecessary time. 229 00:14:41,856 --> 00:14:45,236 Speaker 1: That day, Sergeant Wright was working with a certified man 230 00:14:45,276 --> 00:14:47,576 Speaker 1: tracker who found an important clue. 231 00:14:48,496 --> 00:14:53,356 Speaker 3: He's the one that found footprints going, they were basically 232 00:14:53,376 --> 00:14:57,646 Speaker 3: in the side yard. I would call that the southwest 233 00:14:57,686 --> 00:14:58,646 Speaker 3: side of the house. 234 00:14:59,546 --> 00:15:03,746 Speaker 1: The footprints were clearly directional. They found them entering the Smiths' 235 00:15:03,826 --> 00:15:06,266 Speaker 1: property from the back by way of the trail and 236 00:15:06,366 --> 00:15:10,576 Speaker 1: exiting at the front. And they were identifiable. They had 237 00:15:10,596 --> 00:15:15,116 Speaker 1: the waffle pattern unique to Vans. They'd soon learn Mitrice 238 00:15:15,136 --> 00:15:19,316 Speaker 1: was wearing Vans when she left Lost Hill Station. and 239 00:15:19,356 --> 00:15:22,736 Speaker 1: her shoe size matched the prints found at the Smiths. 240 00:15:23,956 --> 00:15:27,936 Speaker 1: It wasn't much, but the tracks told a story, or 241 00:15:27,956 --> 00:15:28,956 Speaker 1: a fragment of one. 242 00:15:30,636 --> 00:15:34,006 Speaker 3: Now, when you're looking at footprints, an expert can tell 243 00:15:34,166 --> 00:15:37,726 Speaker 3: whether somebody's walking or running. It's usually pretty easy to 244 00:15:37,786 --> 00:15:41,906 Speaker 3: tell a running individual because the print goes down into 245 00:15:41,946 --> 00:15:42,746 Speaker 3: the ground different. 246 00:15:43,566 --> 00:15:48,506 Speaker 1: The tracker measured each footfall. At first, entering the backyard, 247 00:15:48,866 --> 00:15:52,996 Speaker 1: Mitrice had been walking. There was a consistent 14-inch gap 248 00:15:53,216 --> 00:15:55,756 Speaker 1: between the toe of one print and the heel of 249 00:15:55,796 --> 00:15:59,256 Speaker 1: the next. But the prints leading from the backyard to 250 00:15:59,276 --> 00:16:03,186 Speaker 1: the front showed pronounced toe digs, and the stride was 251 00:16:03,306 --> 00:16:06,466 Speaker 1: much longer, 26 inches between footfalls. 252 00:16:07,126 --> 00:16:11,626 Speaker 3: They indicated running motion to the front of the house, 253 00:16:12,066 --> 00:16:16,556 Speaker 3: to the driveway area. So we assumed she was seen 254 00:16:16,596 --> 00:16:19,536 Speaker 3: in the backyard and that she ran... alongside the house, 255 00:16:19,556 --> 00:16:23,036 Speaker 3: out to the front, out the driveway, onto Coal Canyon. 256 00:16:24,216 --> 00:16:27,136 Speaker 1: Sergeant Wright and the tracker found a few more footprints 257 00:16:27,336 --> 00:16:29,416 Speaker 1: in the dirt at the front of the house, but 258 00:16:29,446 --> 00:16:34,186 Speaker 1: they couldn't tell which way Mitrice had gone. The footprints stopped, 259 00:16:34,506 --> 00:16:36,946 Speaker 1: but a team of dogs that was also working that 260 00:16:36,986 --> 00:16:40,566 Speaker 1: day picked up Mitrice's scent and led their handlers to 261 00:16:40,606 --> 00:16:44,326 Speaker 1: the neighboring house. That house, set back from the road 262 00:16:44,426 --> 00:16:48,606 Speaker 1: and surrounded by trees, belongs to a family called the Aftergoods. 263 00:16:49,486 --> 00:16:51,686 Speaker 1: Sergeant Wright obtained permission to search it. 264 00:16:52,646 --> 00:16:56,386 Speaker 3: I made sure that we looked in the type of 265 00:16:56,406 --> 00:17:03,416 Speaker 3: places where somebody could be hiding or secreted, such as closets, 266 00:17:03,956 --> 00:17:05,836 Speaker 3: rooms under the stairs, things like that. 267 00:17:06,736 --> 00:17:10,696 Speaker 1: I'm wondering if anyone in either house was ever considered 268 00:17:10,716 --> 00:17:13,686 Speaker 1: a suspect in Mitrice's disappearance. 269 00:17:15,366 --> 00:17:18,166 Speaker 3: I wouldn't use the term suspect at that point. We 270 00:17:18,186 --> 00:17:20,806 Speaker 3: were just looking at a missing person. At the time, 271 00:17:20,866 --> 00:17:24,916 Speaker 3: we were thinking, well, maybe Mitrice was wandering from house 272 00:17:24,956 --> 00:17:25,456 Speaker 3: to house. 273 00:17:26,316 --> 00:17:29,656 Speaker 1: But at the aftergoods, Mitrice's scent went cold. 274 00:17:30,456 --> 00:17:32,636 Speaker 3: Now, I don't recall if it petered out at that 275 00:17:32,696 --> 00:17:36,316 Speaker 3: house's door or if it went a little further, but 276 00:17:36,416 --> 00:17:39,806 Speaker 3: I'm pretty sure it petered out before we got to 277 00:17:40,086 --> 00:17:44,026 Speaker 3: what I would call the bridge over Dark Canyon Creek. 278 00:17:45,566 --> 00:17:48,766 Speaker 3: on Cold Canyon. I'm sure it didn't go past that. 279 00:17:49,546 --> 00:17:52,336 Speaker 3: You know, I've heard rumors of people saying things about 280 00:17:52,416 --> 00:17:54,816 Speaker 3: the scent all over the place. I am not aware 281 00:17:54,876 --> 00:18:01,096 Speaker 3: of any other scent that was worked or located during 282 00:18:01,136 --> 00:18:01,616 Speaker 3: the search. 283 00:18:02,556 --> 00:18:05,116 Speaker 1: He remembers checking the sand on the banks of Dark 284 00:18:05,176 --> 00:18:08,666 Speaker 1: Creek for signs that Mitrice had followed the creek up 285 00:18:08,776 --> 00:18:09,706 Speaker 1: into Dark Canyon. 286 00:18:10,806 --> 00:18:13,346 Speaker 3: And I got out of the vehicle and I looked 287 00:18:13,366 --> 00:18:15,766 Speaker 3: around in that area. It was an area where the 288 00:18:15,826 --> 00:18:18,766 Speaker 3: creek flattened out, and there was quite a bit of 289 00:18:18,826 --> 00:18:22,796 Speaker 3: sand there. And I looked for footprints at that time, 290 00:18:23,016 --> 00:18:28,336 Speaker 3: and I did not see any footprints, none whatsoever. So 291 00:18:28,976 --> 00:18:32,596 Speaker 3: I didn't have any reason to believe that she had 292 00:18:32,666 --> 00:18:36,186 Speaker 3: walked up there, at least from that direction, from that 293 00:18:36,286 --> 00:18:37,786 Speaker 3: entryway into Dark Canyon. 294 00:18:39,996 --> 00:18:42,056 Speaker 1: At the time of the first search, Mitrice had only 295 00:18:42,076 --> 00:18:45,486 Speaker 1: been missing for two days. Law enforcement was looking for 296 00:18:45,506 --> 00:18:48,726 Speaker 1: a woman who might be lost or disoriented. They were 297 00:18:48,766 --> 00:18:52,386 Speaker 1: looking for a missing person. They weren't looking for a victim. 298 00:18:52,886 --> 00:18:57,606 Speaker 1: They weren't thinking about suspects. But three days later, on 299 00:18:57,666 --> 00:19:02,206 Speaker 1: September 22nd, LAPD missing persons handed the case over to 300 00:19:02,246 --> 00:19:07,086 Speaker 1: a pair of LAPD robbery homicide detectives, Chuck Knowles and 301 00:19:07,146 --> 00:19:11,076 Speaker 1: Steve Oguchi. And the sheriff's department, which was assisting the 302 00:19:11,236 --> 00:19:16,136 Speaker 1: LAPD investigation, also assigned a full-time team of homicide detectives. 303 00:19:17,216 --> 00:19:21,056 Speaker 1: There were a lot of tips to investigate. Matrice, while 304 00:19:21,096 --> 00:19:25,686 Speaker 1: being nowhere, was suddenly, seemingly, everywhere. She was at the 305 00:19:25,746 --> 00:19:29,046 Speaker 1: Ralphs in Malibu in a silver sports car. She was 306 00:19:29,106 --> 00:19:33,746 Speaker 1: in Carmel or Santa Monica, Topanga, a Kinko's in Culver City, 307 00:19:34,506 --> 00:19:37,226 Speaker 1: on a train headed for the airport in pink slippers, 308 00:19:37,626 --> 00:19:41,926 Speaker 1: talking to herself. These were phantoms. None of them turned 309 00:19:41,986 --> 00:19:46,446 Speaker 1: out to be Mitrice. Back in Montanito, though, neighbors were 310 00:19:46,506 --> 00:19:50,506 Speaker 1: starting to get scared. They didn't think Mitrice had gone far. 311 00:19:51,586 --> 00:19:54,646 Speaker 1: They'd started to believe that Mitrice was in and around 312 00:19:54,706 --> 00:20:00,336 Speaker 1: Montanito well past the morning of September 17th. hiding or 313 00:20:00,376 --> 00:20:18,596 Speaker 1: being hidden, possibly for days, before she died. There's not 314 00:20:18,676 --> 00:20:22,436 Speaker 1: much to Montanito. Just a few hundred homes clustered in 315 00:20:22,476 --> 00:20:25,516 Speaker 1: the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains under a canopy 316 00:20:25,576 --> 00:20:29,376 Speaker 1: of oaks. People there claim it was the winter camp 317 00:20:29,496 --> 00:20:33,476 Speaker 1: of the Chumash Indians and that it has mystical protection. 318 00:20:34,166 --> 00:20:38,906 Speaker 1: Fires may rage all around, they say, but Montanito never burns. 319 00:20:40,746 --> 00:20:44,926 Speaker 1: There are no sidewalks or street lamps intentionally. It's an 320 00:20:44,986 --> 00:20:50,426 Speaker 1: official dark sky community. a haven for nocturnal animals, a 321 00:20:50,466 --> 00:20:53,996 Speaker 1: place where you can see the stars. You get morning 322 00:20:54,056 --> 00:20:58,176 Speaker 1: frost in Montanito. In the afternoon, the peaks block out 323 00:20:58,196 --> 00:21:02,496 Speaker 1: the sun. The stark nature is all there in the 324 00:21:02,536 --> 00:21:13,046 Speaker 1: place names. Cold Canyon. Dark Creek. Dark Canyon. The residents 325 00:21:13,106 --> 00:21:16,726 Speaker 1: are private and circumspect, and they don't love talking to 326 00:21:16,766 --> 00:21:23,806 Speaker 1: law enforcement. It's always been a place for alternative lifestyles. Swingers, potheads, cowgirls, 327 00:21:23,846 --> 00:21:27,906 Speaker 1: and pornographers, alongside the doctors and lawyers and showbiz folks, 328 00:21:28,326 --> 00:21:30,126 Speaker 1: and people who just want to raise their kids where 329 00:21:30,146 --> 00:21:35,056 Speaker 1: they can play barefoot in a creek. Mitrice's vanishing threatened 330 00:21:35,196 --> 00:21:39,336 Speaker 1: an essential myth about Montanito, a story about its safety, 331 00:21:39,816 --> 00:21:43,876 Speaker 1: its special bubble of protection. Now it seemed like a 332 00:21:43,916 --> 00:21:48,406 Speaker 1: place where bad things could happen. Or maybe... Bad things 333 00:21:48,446 --> 00:21:55,216 Speaker 1: had always happened there, and now people were noticing. In 334 00:21:55,236 --> 00:21:58,376 Speaker 1: the days after Mitrice's disappearance, there were a number of 335 00:21:58,436 --> 00:22:02,716 Speaker 1: disturbances reported in the neighborhood. Many of them involved a woman, 336 00:22:03,176 --> 00:22:09,096 Speaker 1: seemingly in distress. One neighbor reported hearing a woman babbling 337 00:22:09,456 --> 00:22:12,736 Speaker 1: in an unfinished house across from the Smiths in an 338 00:22:12,896 --> 00:22:18,526 Speaker 1: area known as the Triangle. There were multiple reports of 339 00:22:18,566 --> 00:22:21,626 Speaker 1: a woman screaming near Dark Creek, where it comes down 340 00:22:21,686 --> 00:22:26,586 Speaker 1: from Dark Canyon into the neighborhood. According to a documentary 341 00:22:26,626 --> 00:22:30,656 Speaker 1: about the case made by local filmmaker Chip Croft, residents 342 00:22:30,696 --> 00:22:34,636 Speaker 1: heard a woman scream two times around 11 p.m. just 343 00:22:34,676 --> 00:22:38,936 Speaker 1: a few days after Mitrice disappeared. The second scream, one 344 00:22:38,956 --> 00:22:43,946 Speaker 1: of the witnesses said, was cut short. Some speculated maybe 345 00:22:44,426 --> 00:22:50,136 Speaker 1: the screamer's throat had been slit. Recently, Haley and I 346 00:22:50,196 --> 00:22:52,936 Speaker 1: met up with a woman named Emma Schultz, who lived 347 00:22:52,956 --> 00:22:57,606 Speaker 1: in Montanito back in 2009. She remembers seeing police cars 348 00:22:57,666 --> 00:23:00,446 Speaker 1: at the Smiths' house on the morning that Mitrice went missing. 349 00:23:01,006 --> 00:23:03,846 Speaker 1: She'd been driving her kids to school. It was the 350 00:23:03,886 --> 00:23:07,726 Speaker 1: deputies responding to Bill Smith's call about a prowler, the 351 00:23:07,766 --> 00:23:09,736 Speaker 1: last official sighting of Mitrice. 352 00:23:10,736 --> 00:23:12,516 Speaker 6: I knew when she was last seen, so I knew 353 00:23:12,536 --> 00:23:13,056 Speaker 6: where she was. 354 00:23:13,926 --> 00:23:17,786 Speaker 1: She remembered seeing an unfamiliar white car parked near the Smiths' 355 00:23:17,826 --> 00:23:20,686 Speaker 1: house on Cold Canyon Road right around the time of 356 00:23:20,706 --> 00:23:25,376 Speaker 1: the disappearance. She thought it could be significant. Maybe somebody 357 00:23:25,396 --> 00:23:25,856 Speaker 1: picked her up. 358 00:23:25,916 --> 00:23:27,856 Speaker 6: Maybe she called somebody. Maybe she did get to a 359 00:23:27,876 --> 00:23:30,816 Speaker 6: phone and called somebody, and somehow they ended up here 360 00:23:30,876 --> 00:23:31,316 Speaker 6: and lost. 361 00:23:31,476 --> 00:23:31,896 Speaker 1: I don't know. 362 00:23:31,956 --> 00:23:34,336 Speaker 6: I was just thinking there could have been any story. 363 00:23:34,406 --> 00:23:36,306 Speaker 6: You know, in your head, you make up all these stories. 364 00:23:36,926 --> 00:23:39,386 Speaker 1: She called the phone number on a bulletin she'd seen 365 00:23:39,426 --> 00:23:42,326 Speaker 1: about Mitrice and talked to Dr. Rhonda Hampton. 366 00:23:43,336 --> 00:23:46,956 Speaker 6: I called, and I said, I know you were missing 367 00:23:47,376 --> 00:23:50,006 Speaker 6: my trees, and I don't know what the police have 368 00:23:50,046 --> 00:23:52,566 Speaker 6: told you, but I, and this may mean nothing or 369 00:23:52,626 --> 00:23:54,706 Speaker 6: may mean something, but there was a white car that's 370 00:23:54,726 --> 00:23:57,986 Speaker 6: parked where my trees was last seen. 371 00:23:58,346 --> 00:23:59,766 Speaker 1: And they said, well, where is that? 372 00:24:00,646 --> 00:24:01,786 Speaker 6: And I said, well, what do you mean? 373 00:24:01,846 --> 00:24:02,716 Speaker 1: It was where the. 374 00:24:02,676 --> 00:24:06,796 Speaker 6: Police interviewed the couple that last saw her. And she said, 375 00:24:06,916 --> 00:24:07,996 Speaker 6: I don't know where that is. 376 00:24:08,836 --> 00:24:12,366 Speaker 1: Emma was shocked. She figured everyone in Mitrice's inner circle 377 00:24:12,386 --> 00:24:14,746 Speaker 1: would have had the address of the last place she'd 378 00:24:14,786 --> 00:24:15,306 Speaker 1: been seen. 379 00:24:16,296 --> 00:24:18,716 Speaker 6: And so I told Rhonda, come out, I'll walk you 380 00:24:18,736 --> 00:24:21,416 Speaker 6: to where she was last seen. You can understand where, 381 00:24:21,976 --> 00:24:24,956 Speaker 6: you know, their daughter was last seen alive. And then 382 00:24:25,016 --> 00:24:27,156 Speaker 6: I told them, you know, feel free also to walk 383 00:24:27,196 --> 00:24:30,846 Speaker 6: around and put flyers out and shared with them, you know, 384 00:24:30,906 --> 00:24:33,686 Speaker 6: what the community was about. I think they were surprised 385 00:24:33,706 --> 00:24:36,266 Speaker 6: at how far it was and how wooded it was. 386 00:24:37,166 --> 00:24:40,266 Speaker 6: I think that was surprising to them. and how dark 387 00:24:40,326 --> 00:24:40,786 Speaker 6: it would have been. 388 00:24:45,116 --> 00:24:48,556 Speaker 1: Emma agreed to drive us around Montanito, too. We left 389 00:24:48,596 --> 00:24:51,096 Speaker 1: the parking lot of the Saddle Peak Lodge, the only 390 00:24:51,156 --> 00:24:54,456 Speaker 1: public building in the community, and followed Cold Canyon Road 391 00:24:54,616 --> 00:24:56,356 Speaker 1: into a network of narrow streets. 392 00:24:58,256 --> 00:25:00,636 Speaker 6: You know, your brain kind of goes crazy when you 393 00:25:00,696 --> 00:25:03,336 Speaker 6: think someone just went missing right around the corner and 394 00:25:03,436 --> 00:25:06,396 Speaker 6: she was last seen, like, right there and never seen again. 395 00:25:06,416 --> 00:25:10,836 Speaker 6: And again, this is a small, very kind of closed 396 00:25:10,876 --> 00:25:13,816 Speaker 6: tight community and you don't you don't kind of drive 397 00:25:13,876 --> 00:25:15,976 Speaker 6: in here if you don't know somebody you don't wander 398 00:25:15,996 --> 00:25:21,706 Speaker 6: your way in here um yeah it's real tight community 399 00:25:21,796 --> 00:25:24,186 Speaker 6: you can see and and it has a little kind 400 00:25:24,206 --> 00:25:38,166 Speaker 6: of you know um was that deliverance so here's the 401 00:25:38,186 --> 00:25:39,426 Speaker 6: little creek in here. 402 00:25:42,676 --> 00:25:44,916 Speaker 2: But you can see it's very kind of, you. 403 00:25:44,856 --> 00:25:46,896 Speaker 6: Don't drive in here unless you need to be in here. 404 00:25:47,936 --> 00:25:49,416 Speaker 6: And everyone kind of looks at you when you drive 405 00:25:49,436 --> 00:25:53,936 Speaker 6: by your car if you haven't been living here. You know, 406 00:25:53,976 --> 00:25:55,736 Speaker 6: I think there's a lot of people keeping a lot 407 00:25:55,756 --> 00:25:58,476 Speaker 6: of information instead of just sharing it and finding someone. 408 00:25:59,886 --> 00:26:02,746 Speaker 1: She turned up a street that dead-ended into the woods. 409 00:26:04,646 --> 00:26:06,806 Speaker 1: We got out of the car and stood at a trailhead. 410 00:26:07,926 --> 00:26:10,456 Speaker 1: If you followed that trail, you'd hit the Backbone Trail. 411 00:26:11,836 --> 00:26:14,256 Speaker 1: A lot of the properties in this part of Montanito 412 00:26:14,536 --> 00:26:19,196 Speaker 1: basically border the wilderness. This was another place where there 413 00:26:19,216 --> 00:26:24,486 Speaker 1: was a possible, though unsubstantiated, sighting of Maitrese. A housekeeper 414 00:26:24,566 --> 00:26:27,806 Speaker 1: had reported seeing a black woman near the Backbone Trail. 415 00:26:28,946 --> 00:26:31,826 Speaker 6: And as you can see here, you're surrounded by mountains, 416 00:26:32,386 --> 00:26:35,626 Speaker 6: but then there's this low area here, and it's a 417 00:26:35,686 --> 00:26:41,186 Speaker 6: lot of hiking trails, it's a lot of people have 418 00:26:41,286 --> 00:26:42,606 Speaker 6: horses in this community. 419 00:26:42,626 --> 00:26:46,806 Speaker 1: The riders were very involved with the effort to find Mitrice, 420 00:26:46,906 --> 00:26:47,326 Speaker 1: she said. 421 00:26:48,546 --> 00:26:51,006 Speaker 6: I know the horse riders in the community went out 422 00:26:51,326 --> 00:26:52,466 Speaker 6: all the time looking for her. 423 00:26:52,916 --> 00:26:53,676 Speaker 1: That I do know. 424 00:26:55,036 --> 00:26:57,116 Speaker 6: That was very organized and we did a lot of 425 00:26:57,176 --> 00:27:00,616 Speaker 6: trail walks and everyone was always, there was a community board, 426 00:27:00,676 --> 00:27:04,866 Speaker 6: everyone talking about going out and looking for her. I 427 00:27:04,866 --> 00:27:06,866 Speaker 6: think the neighborhood was very supportive of trying to help 428 00:27:06,906 --> 00:27:09,206 Speaker 6: find my trees. I mean, the community was very, you know, 429 00:27:09,266 --> 00:27:10,286 Speaker 6: they wanted her found. 430 00:27:10,306 --> 00:27:11,506 Speaker 1: It's scary, you know. 431 00:27:11,676 --> 00:27:14,176 Speaker 6: I think that's something you always all think about. 432 00:27:17,596 --> 00:27:20,596 Speaker 1: Dr. Rhonda Hampton began to make herself a presence in 433 00:27:20,616 --> 00:27:21,156 Speaker 1: the neighborhood. 434 00:27:21,956 --> 00:27:23,596 Speaker 4: And so it's like we're going to do this big 435 00:27:23,646 --> 00:27:25,746 Speaker 4: search in Montanito, and at the time it was just 436 00:27:25,766 --> 00:27:27,766 Speaker 4: a bunch of black folks, you know, kind of going 437 00:27:27,826 --> 00:27:28,106 Speaker 4: in there. 438 00:27:28,746 --> 00:27:32,166 Speaker 1: She says they couldn't just show up and search. They 439 00:27:32,206 --> 00:27:33,986 Speaker 1: needed Emma to help finesse it. 440 00:27:34,436 --> 00:27:37,296 Speaker 4: And I've always been thankful that she did that because 441 00:27:37,876 --> 00:27:41,336 Speaker 4: I think the first, because there was mention of her race, 442 00:27:41,436 --> 00:27:43,776 Speaker 4: you know, that, you know, Black people don't live out there. 443 00:27:44,316 --> 00:27:47,226 Speaker 4: Black people don't come out here. And no one straight 444 00:27:47,266 --> 00:27:49,126 Speaker 4: out said, don't come here. But you were very clear 445 00:27:49,186 --> 00:27:50,626 Speaker 4: that it was not a place that Black people were 446 00:27:50,646 --> 00:27:51,166 Speaker 4: supposed to be. 447 00:27:52,186 --> 00:27:54,746 Speaker 1: She found Montanito to be a peculiar place. 448 00:27:55,666 --> 00:28:00,746 Speaker 4: Any information that we would get from people was very, like, 449 00:28:00,826 --> 00:28:04,306 Speaker 4: everybody was afraid to talk. So lots of information was 450 00:28:04,326 --> 00:28:06,746 Speaker 4: just kind of given, like, on the sly. 451 00:28:08,066 --> 00:28:10,066 Speaker 1: Did you have the feeling when you were dealing with 452 00:28:10,106 --> 00:28:13,956 Speaker 1: people in Montanito, like they wanted to tell you something, 453 00:28:14,016 --> 00:28:15,356 Speaker 1: but they couldn't tell you something? 454 00:28:15,976 --> 00:28:21,236 Speaker 4: Yes, definitely. It was a general feeling, right? And even 455 00:28:21,276 --> 00:28:23,186 Speaker 4: whether or not it was about my trees or not, 456 00:28:23,326 --> 00:28:27,546 Speaker 4: like something was going on in that area, and people just. 457 00:28:29,026 --> 00:28:31,066 Speaker 4: Didn't want to talk. Part of it is, and I 458 00:28:31,106 --> 00:28:34,586 Speaker 4: heard from one person, they're just afraid of law enforcement. So, 459 00:28:34,686 --> 00:28:36,176 Speaker 4: and I don't know if that's still true, but back 460 00:28:36,196 --> 00:28:37,836 Speaker 4: then they were afraid of law enforcement because what it 461 00:28:37,856 --> 00:28:39,276 Speaker 4: was explained to me is like, we're in the middle 462 00:28:39,296 --> 00:28:42,296 Speaker 4: of nowhere. They are the only source of protection that 463 00:28:42,336 --> 00:28:45,476 Speaker 4: we have. This story by this time had broke on 464 00:28:45,496 --> 00:28:48,676 Speaker 4: the news and law enforcement did not look good. They're 465 00:28:48,716 --> 00:28:50,696 Speaker 4: not really in a position to talk because these are 466 00:28:50,736 --> 00:28:53,616 Speaker 4: the people that they have to rely on to protect them. 467 00:28:54,156 --> 00:28:56,036 Speaker 4: And because, you know, it's such in the middle, it's 468 00:28:56,056 --> 00:28:56,736 Speaker 4: so secluded. 469 00:28:57,576 --> 00:29:01,136 Speaker 1: She passed out flyers showing Mitrice's booking photo and a 470 00:29:01,196 --> 00:29:04,636 Speaker 1: close-up of the tattoo of Chinese characters at the nape 471 00:29:04,736 --> 00:29:09,296 Speaker 1: of her neck. Hikers, trail bikers, horseback riders, and helpers wanted, 472 00:29:09,516 --> 00:29:12,476 Speaker 1: the flyer said. We will be searching the trails, hills, 473 00:29:12,536 --> 00:29:15,076 Speaker 1: and back roads in the Montanito region where she was 474 00:29:15,156 --> 00:29:15,896 Speaker 1: last seen. 475 00:29:17,596 --> 00:29:20,606 Speaker 4: I was never really guided, and I still am not 476 00:29:20,646 --> 00:29:24,766 Speaker 4: guided by my intuition on things. So even if I 477 00:29:24,826 --> 00:29:28,176 Speaker 4: say this is what I think, I'm always considering every possibility. 478 00:29:29,176 --> 00:29:31,836 Speaker 4: So I didn't mind doing searches wherever we needed to 479 00:29:31,856 --> 00:29:33,496 Speaker 4: do those searches. So if there was a tip, then 480 00:29:33,516 --> 00:29:36,076 Speaker 4: let's organize a party to go search. To me, if 481 00:29:36,116 --> 00:29:38,016 Speaker 4: there's like a half a percent that she's still alive, 482 00:29:38,036 --> 00:29:38,836 Speaker 4: I'm going to search everywhere. 483 00:29:41,406 --> 00:29:47,606 Speaker 1: Her brain became a repository for names, addresses, clues, and theories. Eventually, 484 00:29:47,806 --> 00:29:50,316 Speaker 1: she uploaded a lot of that information to the internet, 485 00:29:50,856 --> 00:29:53,906 Speaker 1: a public data dump that anyone interested in the case 486 00:29:53,946 --> 00:29:58,986 Speaker 1: can use. But while Mitrice was missing, Dr. Hampton became 487 00:29:59,046 --> 00:30:02,706 Speaker 1: invested in a rumor she heard about Mitrice being held 488 00:30:02,786 --> 00:30:05,466 Speaker 1: hostage somewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains. 489 00:30:07,496 --> 00:30:10,356 Speaker 4: So Guy says, you know, there's some white supremacists, that's 490 00:30:10,376 --> 00:30:13,766 Speaker 4: the word that they used, There's some white supremacist, and 491 00:30:14,666 --> 00:30:17,566 Speaker 4: word on the street is that they're holding her somewhere 492 00:30:18,306 --> 00:30:19,206 Speaker 4: in the canyon area. 493 00:30:20,206 --> 00:30:23,936 Speaker 1: According to law enforcement documents, Malibu Search and Rescue conducted 494 00:30:24,026 --> 00:30:27,556 Speaker 1: numerous searches, quote, in response to a claim that Ms. 495 00:30:27,596 --> 00:30:32,616 Speaker 1: Richardson was being held by white supremacists in Malibu, unquote. 496 00:30:33,756 --> 00:30:36,876 Speaker 1: During that time period, some of the volunteers working with Dr. 497 00:30:36,916 --> 00:30:41,976 Speaker 1: Hampton found what appeared to be corroborating evidence. They were 498 00:30:42,016 --> 00:30:45,256 Speaker 1: searching off Paiuma Road, the winding road that takes you 499 00:30:45,356 --> 00:30:49,516 Speaker 1: high up into the mountains over Montanito. They came across 500 00:30:49,576 --> 00:30:54,256 Speaker 1: a culvert. It was freshly tagged with a large graffiti-style mural. 501 00:30:55,416 --> 00:30:57,916 Speaker 1: If the footprints in the Smiths' yard had been just 502 00:30:57,956 --> 00:31:01,756 Speaker 1: the fragment of a story, this was a full-scale narrative, 503 00:31:02,596 --> 00:31:10,046 Speaker 1: and it seemed like a confession to a crime. Next 504 00:31:10,106 --> 00:31:11,146 Speaker 1: time on Lost Hills. 505 00:31:11,146 --> 00:31:19,346 Speaker 4: 13 African-American women with afros who were nude and in 506 00:31:19,446 --> 00:31:27,826 Speaker 4: very graphic, sexually provocative positions. One of the images was 507 00:31:27,866 --> 00:31:32,466 Speaker 4: of a woman who was painted blue, kneeling on all fours. 508 00:31:33,306 --> 00:31:37,306 Speaker 4: On her buttocks area, she had a symbol, the letters L, A, 509 00:31:38,346 --> 00:31:41,076 Speaker 4: and she had a marijuana joint out of her mouth. 510 00:31:41,126 --> 00:31:43,326 Speaker 4: That's what makes us think that it's possibly that the 511 00:31:43,366 --> 00:31:46,526 Speaker 4: person is trying to just talk about my trees in 512 00:31:46,546 --> 00:31:47,846 Speaker 4: terms of the fact that she was from L.A. 513 00:31:47,946 --> 00:31:56,526 Speaker 1: That's next in Episode 5, So Close. Lost Hills is 514 00:31:56,566 --> 00:32:00,166 Speaker 1: written and hosted by me, Dana Goodyear. It was reported 515 00:32:00,206 --> 00:32:03,976 Speaker 1: by me and Haley Fox, our senior producer. The show 516 00:32:04,016 --> 00:32:07,696 Speaker 1: was created by me and Ben Adair. Lost Hills is 517 00:32:07,736 --> 00:32:16,366 Speaker 1: a production of Western Sound, and Pushkin Industries. Subscribe to 518 00:32:16,406 --> 00:32:20,646 Speaker 1: Pushkin Plus and you can binge the whole season right now, ad-free. 519 00:32:21,286 --> 00:32:24,086 Speaker 1: Find Pushkin Plus on the Lost Hills show page in 520 00:32:24,226 --> 00:32:28,386 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm slash plus.