And the bungling continues.
The discovery of eight additional bones and bone fragments, believed to be those of Mitrice Richardson, were found by coroner’s investigators and others on Sunday, six months after the main part of Richardson’s remains were found.
According to a report in the LA Times, the new search was, in part, because of pressure from the family who has long felt that the sheriff’s department has handled the investigation badly. The coroner’s office was also furious at sheriff’s deputies and wanted to re-investigate too.
The coroner’s office blasted the Sheriff’s Department for moving the remains before coroner’s investigators could examine them, saying the actions may have violated the law and undermined the thoroughness of the coroner’s inquiry. Steve Whitmore, a sheriff’s spokesman, said the coroner’s office had granted permission to move the body.
Whitmore said Sunday that 99% of Richardson’s remains were collected shortly after their discovery but that the coroner’s office had long wanted to search the area again. Rainy conditions hampered previous efforts, but sunny, dry weather allowed investigators to visit the site by helicopter on Sunday, their fourth visit since Richardson’s remains were discovered.
“The coroner wants to go back there and make sure we’ve found everything,” he said.
Six coroner’s investigators, one sheriff’s homicide investigator, four sheriff’s search-and-rescue personnel, a human-remains detection dog and a sheriff’s liaison to the family were lowered from the chopper into the ravine about 9:30 a.m. and spent nearly five hours searching an area roughly as large as a typical living room.
Last week it seemed likely that the FBI would be coming in to investigate the case, according to the Malibu Times.
“We have received a request from the Sheriff’s office, and are evaluating the extent of the assistance we’ll be providing,” [FBI spokesman, Laura] Eimiller said, adding, “I think it’s safe to say we’ll provide assistance.”
What kind of assistance the FBI might provide is not yet clear.
I wonder why the FBI decided not to assist?
It is important that Mitrice Richardson’s story is told. Mitrice Richardson represents both that which can be good in this world and the perils of a lack of compassion. She worked hard and put a great deal of effort into all that she did. Above all else, Mitrice Richardson was, herself, a woman filled with compassion and a desire to help others, particularly children. Her dream of becoming a child psychologist was based on her feelings that children were innocent and needed advocates to protect them. The irony of her death is, that which she believed in was not afforded to her. Lost Compassion is the story of how a compassionate woman was failed by the lack of compassion of others. Please support the telling of her story.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lost-compassion
Five years ago today Mitrice Richardson was released from the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station in Agoura Hills, CA and was missing for 11 months. Tragically, her naked skeletal remains were discovered in a remote canyon not too far from the station. Through a series of intentional or unitentional mishaps, many things went wrong in her case. According to the detectives, her case remains a death investigation which is “clue driven”. It is our hope that the Mitrice Richardson documentary, “Lost Compassion” will compell someone to come forward with information that will aide n solving her case. http://youtu.be/paG5aKfVmRA