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Washington, DC– Relisha Rudd was just 8-years old when she went missing on March 1, 2014. Relisha’s mother Shamika Young had fallen on hard times and Relisha and her three younger brothers were all living at the D.C General Shelter (now closed) when a 51-year-old janitor that worked at the shelter -Khalil Tatum befriended Shamika and she allowed Tatum to spend time alone with her 8-year-old daughter away from the shelter. Tatum bought the young girl a tablet and clothing and Relisha even spent the night with Tatum at his grandmother’s home. Residents who lived at the shelter reported that Tatum would single out the young girls at the shelter and would often buy them gifts, but the same was not offered to the young boys who resided at the shelter.

This case would be turned upside down when school officials and social workers reported to DCFS that Relisha had missed upwards of 30 days of school, this set off alarms, and the authorities were contacted, an Amber Alert was issued for the 8-year- old little girl, but even the reporting of Relisha’s disappearance wouldn’t reach news outlets until it was far too late. Shamika claimed that she failed to report her daughter missing because she didn’t want to lose her other children to the foster care system. What would happen next would set off the biggest mishandling of the Amber Alert Missing Persons notification system and the miscarriage of justice in locating Relisha Rudd. As of today, 10 years later, Relisha is still missing.

This case includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988 lifeline.org.