Relisha Rudd loved arts and crafts. The 8-year-old was a great big sister to her brothers before everyone in her world lost track of her. In 2014, she was living in the DC General homeless shelter with her mother, stepdad, and brothers. The former hospital in Washington, DC, has been described as a terrible place, infested with rodents and bugs, while housing up to 800 homeless people.

 

Families often sent their children to visit with friends or family just to get them out of the chaotic atmosphere.  Relisha spent time away from the shelter with her aunt, grandmother, and Kahlil Tatum, a trusted family friend who was a janitor at the shelter.  

 

On February 26, 2014, security camera video showed Relisha walking down a DC area hotel corridor with Tatum.  On March 1, 2014, the two were seen at another area hotel.  Relisha has not been seen since.  Tatum pretended to be a doctor to get Relisha’s absences from school excused.  Finally on March 19, 2014, a social worker from the school visited the shelter and learned “Dr. Tatum” was really Kahlil Tatum, a janitor at the shelter.  That is when the school reported Relisha as missing to DC Metro Police.  The search for Relisha Rudd continues to this day.