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Father of missing California woman searches downtown Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - A California father is holding out hope that his daughter will be found here in Las Vegas. He's taking the lead on the search, scouring the streets of downtown.

"I'm here from Los Angeles," says Michael Richardson to a business owner along Fremont Street. "This girl is missing. She's my daughter. Have you seen her?" He's getting the word out, stopping in as many storefronts as he can.

Mitrice Richardson's been missing since September 17th. She vanished without a trace, after being released from a sheriff's substation in Malibu.

The 25-year-old was arrested after not paying her bill at a restaurant. Her father says she suffers from a mental disorder.  "She was spiraling out of control five days before she was arrested," he says. That's why he's mad police would release her without a way of getting home, while she was mentally unstable. He's suing the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department for it.

His hunch is that she somehow ended up in Las Vegas. "A lot of people ask, 'Well, how did she get out here with no money and no purse?' he describes. "The last location she was spotted at, the search dogs picked up that scent, then all of a sudden when they went out near the road, that scent is gone." He believes she must have gotten in a car.

He also looked on her digital camera for clues. He found that shortly before getting arrested, she traveled to Las Vegas. There was a picture of her outside a hotel on Fremont Street. He thinks that proves that maybe she decided to go back.

And in January, during a visit to Vegas, he thought he saw Mitrice walking downtown. But, he was never able to catch up to her. Another family friend, said he spotted her inside the Rio six weeks ago.

Richardson will be in Las Vegas until Monday. He says he's already received calls and emails from people in the valley, offering to help him with the search.