Family of Mitrice Richardson, missing girl, await drone photos of remote Malibu hillsides...

[zonkers]

http://malibusurfsidenews.com/stories/201004/201004150001.html

Family members of Mitrice Richardson, who went missing last September, are still awaiting the results of imagery analysis from drone aircraft reconnaissance of the general area of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and the residential location where she last was reported to have possibly been sighted....


The drone, a small unmanned aircraft with high resolution photographic equipment, was operated by engineers from San Diego State University who were brought in by the family. After repeated requests, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department agreed to pick up the cost of using the craft in a search effort last Thursday.

The drone was able to fly low into canyons that search teams have had difficulty accessing on foot or by helicopter. Even the most seasoned search and rescue experts acknowledge that the rugged terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains can swallow automobiles whole, and they can remain undiscovered for years until stumbled upon, usually by accident.

Richardson, a psychology major planning to substitute teach to fund graduate work, disappeared after she was released from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station shortly after midnight last Sept. 17. Richardson had been arrested the night before at a Malibu restaurant for not paying an $89.51 dinner bill. Restaurant staff told police she was acting strangely. She reportedly was speaking gibberish.