Search continues for Relisha Rudd, disappeared from Washington D.C. in 2014
On July 11, in an ongoing effort to find a missing D.C. girl, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced the has creation of a new age progression image of Relisha Rudd, showing what she may look like today at age 16. Relisha was only eight years old when she disappeared from Northeast Washington D.C. on March 1, 2014.
Investigators say Relisha was last seen on surveillance footage at a motel with Kahlil Tatum, the man suspected of kidnapping her. After Relisha was reported missing, Tatum committed suicide. The search for Relisha remains active and ongoing.
When Relisha Rudd went missing in 2014, none of her family members were initially worried because they thought she was with family friend Kahlil Tatum.
‘Tatum was a janitor at D.C. General, the homeless shelter Relisha moved into with her family in 2013. After he became close with Relisha’s family, Relisha’s mother, Shamika, started calling Tatum her daughter’s godfather. But, he may have represented himself as more than that. More than once, Tatum was listed as Relisha’s doctor in notes that excused her from school for “neurological” treatment.’ ~ per WAMU.org
The search for Relisha remains active and ongoing.
“We know that age progression photos can work,” said Angeline Hartmann, Communications Director at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
“We have seen cases where missing children are found because someone recognized an image just like this. Today, on Relisha Rudd Day, we’re asking everyone to take a close look at this photo and share it. It just takes one person to bring home a missing child.”
When she was reported missing, Relisha was 4-foot-tall and weighed 80 pounds. She is described by the agency as a Black female with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on Relisha or her whereabouts is urged to please contact the Washington Metropolitan Police Dept. at 1-202-265-9100 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
For more on Relisha’s disappearance, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
