MALIBU—Mitrice Richardson, 24, went missing on September 16, 2009. Richardson had been detained after neglecting to pay her bill at an upscale Malibu restaurant. Officers from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department detained Richardson and reportedly released her in the early morning hours of September 17. She was not seen by relatives after that day. Presently she is still missing.

On Tuesday, March 16, Richardson’s father, Michael Richardson, has been named as a party pursuing a claim against the City of Malibu. According to reports, a lawyer acting on behalf of Richardson, Benjamon Schonbrun, spoke to reporters at Kenneth Hahn Hall, outlining the reasons behind the claim. Richardson has blamed the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for releasing his daughter in the early morning hours after her arrest. He alleges wrongdoing on the part of the sheriffs, as he says his daughter suffered “from mental issues” and thus should not have been able to leave the sheriff’s station alone. Richardson was believed to be suffering from a “mental crisis” at the time of her arrest.

On March 17, the Friends Group held an information session in Pasadena on police detention and compassion, framed by the story of Mitrice Richardson’s bizarre disappearance.

According to the BringMitriceHome Web site, on the night of her detention, Richardson was “released around 1:00 a.m. with no cell phone, no wallet, no money and no way home.”

Richardson blames “police negligence” in the search for his missing daughter, and the claim he filed was for $50 million, stated the Bring Mitrice Home Twitter page.

On March 28, a city-wide march will take place for the woman in the vicinities of Topanga, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Malibu, Venice, Skid Row and South Central Los Angeles.

There is a combined $25,000 award available for anyone with information leading to Mitrice Richardson or anyone who may have had anything to do with her disappearance. The City of Malibu is offering a $15,000 reward, while the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is offering a $10,000 reward.