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Where is Relisha Rudd?

Missing 8-years.

By Amanda SeatonPublished 2 years ago Updated about a year ago 3 min read
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It is estimated that nearly 800,000 children are reported missing in the United States every year. On March 1, 2014, Relisha Rudd walked away from the homeless shelter in downtown Washington, D.C. with 51-year-old Khalil Tatum, never to be seen again. In the absence of information, there was grave concern about what had happened to Relisha. Many people have accused Shamika Young of murder in connection with the disappearance of her daughter, but why?

Relisha Rudd, 8, has been missing for eight years now, and no progress has been made in her case as of this writing. Young's family of five, including Relisha's mother, Shamika, her two children, and her boyfriend Antonio Wheeler ended up at the homeless shelter when times got rough. Due to financial difficulties, the family was facing, they were evicted from their home.

It was at the shelter that 8-year-old Relisha met 51-year-old fugitive Khalil Tatum who was working as a part-time janitor for the shelter. Over a short amount of time, Tatum befriended the young girl. Relisha's mother allowed Tatum to spend time with her daughter, family, and friends, and the authorities never understood why. On March 1, Tatum approached Young, asking her if he could take Relisha on an outing. Without hesitation, Young consented to Tatum taking her daughter away from the shelter. It is believed by many that Young knew it would be her last time seeing her daughter alive, but is there any truth to that?

Even though Tatum never returned Relisha to the shelter, Young failed to report her daughter missing. In the time that Relisha was in the custody of Tatum, she missed quite a bit of school, prompting the Elementary School administrator to contact Relisha's mother, Shamika Young. Young informed the school administration that her daughter was ill and being treated by a doctor. In the past, Relisha's mother showed up to school with a doctor's note signed by Dr. Tatum. So what's the issue? Tatum wasn't a licensed doctor, he was a fugitive who should not be allowed to work at the shelter where children were present and living. If Tatum's background had been investigated before he was hired as the shelter's janitor, the shelter director would have been made aware that Tatum was a fugitive.

So what happened to Relisha after she left the shelter with Tatum? Using surveillance footage, authorities determined that Tatum had taken the young girl to at least two motels in the Washington D.C. area. Shortly before Tatum was found dead in a park from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Tatum was seen entering his wife's hotel room who was ultimately found dead of a gunshot wound to the head. Unfortunately, Relisha was not recovered from the hotel or the park and her body has never been recovered. Several theories have been tossed around regarding Relisha Rudd's disappearance, such as Relisha was sold to Tatum who then killed the young girl and buried her. Next, authorities believed Relisha may have been a victim of sex trafficking. Despite those claims, nothing solid came from them, so they can neither be supported nor denied due to a lack of evidence.

Relisha's mother, Shamika Young, is widely believed to be responsible for her daughter's disappearance. Young was previously charged with child neglect, but due to a broken system, she was able to keep her children in her custody. Young mysteriously came into a large sum of money following Relisha's disappearance, furthering the claims that Young sold Relisha for cash due to her financial difficulties.

No matter how many theories are thrown around, authorities have cleared Young of any wrongdoing in the disappearance of her daughter. Young, her ex-boyfriend Antonio Wheeler, and Young's mother, Melissa Young appeared on the Steve Wilkos Show to clear Shamika's name. However, Shakina Young was presented with the opportunity to take a polygraph test, which she declined, leaving her family and Steve Wilkos to believe she was guilty.

In the eight years since Relisha Rudd disappeared, authorities say they haven't received any updated information on the case. There are no suspects, other than Tatum, and despite Shamika Young's behavior since her daughter has been missing, no arrests have been made.

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About the Creator

Amanda Seaton

Amanda Seaton is a 38 year old Content Creator from Wisconsin. She obtained her BS in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security from Herzing University in 2013 and her MS in Criminal Justice and Forensics from Capella University in 2014.

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