Kenton was a member of the Imperial Marines, Synanon's internal security force. Richards was found dead on April 1, 1982, at her home in the Hollywood Hills and was ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles Police Department. Her estranged husband during that time (Bill Botts) found the body. Richards' death is still considered controversial. There was a bullet wound in Richards' right temple with a rifle lying close by in the room. A letter was also there seemingly written by Richards which discussed the singer's depression. The police read it as a suicide note, although according to her daughter, Dana Kenton, it voiced no clear motive for the death. When visiting the house after the body had been removed, Kenton found cocaine and marijuana that had been planted in the house. They were later revealed to be fake. Both Dana and Lance Kenton pushed for a further investigation with Los Angeles Police Department, but were unsuccessful. Due to connections with insurance policies on Richards' life, Botts has been suspected to be involved (though this claim is unsubstantiated). Later, Richards' close friend Ted Sitterley requested the police report but was turned down. The Los Angeles Police Department currently reports the police report as unavailable and perhaps destroyed. Botts later appeared to claim his share of Richards' estate; she had left no will. “We argued all the way down to a vacuum cleaner,” Dana Kenton says. “He took my mom for every penny she had.” Later in 1982, long time friend Donna Shore organized an all-day memorial at Carmelo's Jazz Club in Sherman Oaks, California, for Richards. Albert Marx, Jack Sheldon, Lou Levy, Bill Henderson and others paid tribute. With Stan Kenton