SHORT READ

The Vanishing of a Little Girl

The investigation into what happened to 8-year-old Relisha Rudd and where she might be today.

Relisha Rudd as a child (left) and age-progressed to age 15 (right) (Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

Relisha Rudd, age 8, lived with her mother, Shamika Young, and her siblings at the D.C. General homeless shelter located inside a Holiday Inn Express in Washington D.C. She was a little girl who was known to light up a room when she walked into it and was loved by all around her. While they were living at the shelter the family befriended the janitor Kahlil Tatum and they started spending time together.

Tatum started taking Relisha under his wing and spent more time with her as time went on. Relisha’s mother, Shamika, trusted Tatum to take good care of her daughter as she saw no signs to think otherwise. Relisha would often be seen walking the halls of the homeless shelter with Tatum without a care in the world.

Last Known Sightings

On March 1, 2014, Relisha was spotted at a motel on the northeast side of Washington with Tatum and all appeared to be normal. However, ten days later city officials heard about a little girl in Tatum’s possession and became concerned so they decided to check on Relisha. Tatum happily spoke to the city officials explaining he was a doctor and Relisha was suffering from a…