On March 1st, 2014, 8-year-old Relisha Rudd was caught on a hallway security camera at a Days Inn in Washington, D.C. With her is 51-year-old Kahlil Tatum. This is the last time Relisha Rudd is seen alive.
Rudd’s disappearance has many confusing details. She was missing for over 30 days before a missing person’s report was filed; the man she was last seen with had a habit of paying special attention to little girls; and her mother lied about who Tatum really was and wasn’t worried that her daughter had been gone for so long.
The 8-year-old’s vanishing begs countless questions. Why didn’t anyone speak up sooner? How could she be trusted with this man? Did no one take her as seriously because she’s a little black girl from an impoverished background? Most importantly, where is Relisha Rudd now?
Relisha Rudd’s Life
Relisha, her mother, Shamika Young, stepfather Antonio Wheeler, and her three brothers moved into the D.C. General Family Shelter in 2012 after an eviction from their previous apartment. She was described as helpful, cheerful, and affectionate and desired to be a cheerleader. Rudd hated living at the shelter.
She would stay overnight with relatives or ask to stay later at school so she wouldn’t have to deal with the bug and rodent infestations at the shelter. Before her disappearance, teachers reported that she would arrive at Payne Elementary School with dirty clothes and an empty stomach.
Her family dealt with visits by the Child and Family Services Agency after reports of unsafe living conditions and abuse, but Relisha Rudd and her siblings were never taken from their home. She wanted to spend as little time at the shelter as she could, and regrettably, Kahlil Tatum preyed on that.
The Disappearance
Kahlil Tatum was a janitor at the shelter. He had a criminal history, but while working there, he often spent time with and gave gifts to little girls staying there. He would take Relisha to the mall to get manicures and even buy her a tablet. Shamika Young had no problem letting her daughter go with Tatum, and Relisha called him her godfather.
On February 25th, 2014, Shamika Young let Kahlil Tatum take the little girl. No one knows where he was taking her. When Relisha had her 10th absence from school on March 13th, CFSA began to investigate. Her mother said she was with Dr. Tatum, and after failing to get in contact with him on March 19th, they discovered that he wasn’t a doctor at all.
CFSA notified the police and filed a missing person’s report after finding Tatum’s apartment empty. The entire time, Relisha’s mother insisted she was safe. On the 19th, Kahlil and his wife Andrea checked into a hotel in Maryland. The next day, she was discovered dead in their room. There was no trace of Relisha and her kidnapper.
Where Could She Be?
In Kenilworth Park in D.C., Kahlil Tatum was found dead on April 1st. Police determined that he committed suicide by shooting himself. Relisha was not in the area. A month earlier, Tatum was seen buying lime and trash bags. With this information and finding their only suspect dead, investigators feared that they wouldn’t find Relisha Rudd alive.
Ten years later, nobody knows where the now 18-year-old girl could be. Her family and D.C. citizens never give up hope that she is alive. July 11th has been declared Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day to ensure she will never be forgotten.
The scramble to locate her after disappearing for so long was unacceptable. The little concern shown by the adults in her life was alarming. Today, Relisha Rudd must be remembered so this never happens to another child.
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