Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

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TRIGGER WARNING: Today’s case involves mentions of homelessness, child abuse, foster care, suicide, and murder. Reader discretion is advised.

About Relisha

Relisha Tenau Rudd was born on October 29, 2005, to her mother, Shamika Young. She would later become a big sister to three younger brothers. From early on, Relisha’s caretaking nature was evident. She loved playing with her brothers and taking care of children in general. Her loved ones described her as kindhearted, friendly, lovely, and sweet. According to Shamika, everyone fell in love with Relisha, and she was quick to make friends.

Shamika dealt with her own set of struggles before Relisha was born. She entered the foster care system when she was nine years old due to her mother’s drug addiction and her father’s absence.unfortunately, drug use, foster care, and homelessness dominated much of her childhood and adolescence. She later aged out of the system, became romantically involved with a man named Irving Rudd, became pregnant, and gave birth to Relisha about 18 months later. She would then give birth to a son two years after that.

After their son’s birth, the relationship between Irving and Shamika dissolved, and she raised the kids as a single mother. They bounced from home to home over the next few years until she met a man named Antonio Wheeler, who also grew up in foster care. They would later have two boys, bringing the total number of children to four, including Relisha.

Although Shamika and Antonio did their best to provide for their children, they became trapped in a cycle of poverty and homelessness. The family was evicted from their home at least three times. Shamika’s sister, Ashley Young, allowed the family to stay with her temporarily, but the arrangement didn’t work out.

By 2012, conditions for the family had worsened. Relisha, Shamika, Antonio, and her younger brothers moved into a homeless shelter, which was the former D.C. General Hospital. The shelter originally opened as a temporary shelter during the freezing winter months, but it quickly became long-term housing, even as it became plagued with problems and safety concerns. During its operation, the shelter experienced several issues, including:

• overcrowding and noisy conditions
• malfunctioning heating and cooling equipment, toilets, and plumbing
• broken elevators
• drug activity, guns, and other criminal activities
• fights and violence
• no safe places for children to play
• rat, cockroach, bed bug, and raccoon infestations
• a lack of privacy due to the layout of the shelter, such as communal bathrooms

Relisha reportedly hated the shelter and referred to it as a “trap house.” Because of the family’s move, she transferred to Payne Elementary School, the nearest school to the shelter. School staff noticed that she would often come to school dirty, and her hair would be unwashed. As a result, they provided her with clean clothes and the opportunity to freshen up before school.

She also got involved with The Playtime Project, a local nonprofit that provides playtime opportunities for children facing housing insecurity. School was one of her favorite places because she knew she could get proper meals, use a working bathroom, and experience stability. She often found any reason she could to stay at school or Project Playtime a little longer so she didn’t have to go back to the shelter. These opportunities granted her some reprieve and normalcy amidst the turmoil and trauma of the shelter.

When she couldn’t stay longer at school or Project Playtime, Relisha sometimes faked illnesses so she could stay with family and friends outside of the shelter. But even through the struggles, she never lost her positive demeanor. She was a bright, kind, bubbly, sassy, and sweet girl. Everyone who met her fell in love with her.

Disappearance

By 2014, Relisha and her family had lived at the D.C. General Hospital for over a year. A janitor named Kahlil Tatum had befriended her and her family. Even though the shelter had a strict no-fraternization policy for employees, he offered gifts to the young girl, such as a manicure and a tablet, and she even slept over at his home. It would later be determined that he offered money and gifts to other young girls at the shelter, but he never offered the same to the young boys.

During this time, Relisha was frequently absent from school. By February 25th, she had her fifth unexcused absence, so the staff at her school scheduled a parent-teacher conference with Shamika for March 5th. She attended this conference, and the staff informed her of the various supports available to ensure that Relisha consistently attended school. Shamika reportedly explained that her daughter had medical problems that were preventing her from attending school. As a result, she was under the care of Dr. Tatum.

Throughout this time, Shamika and Melissa (Shamika’s mother and Relisha’s grandmother) sent notes to the front office to excuse Relisha’s absences. One of these notes had Dr. Tatum’s contact information.

By March 10th, Relisha continued to be absent from school, so a social worker attempted to contact Dr. Tatum, and they ended up discussing her situation over the phone. The social worker told him he had to provide a reason and documentation for the young girl’s absences. Dr. Tatum allegedly replied that she was being treated for a neurological condition and headaches. He said he planned to discharge her by the end of the following week, allowing her to return to school. He even requested the specific dates in question so that he could provide proper documentation to get these absences excused. However, even though the social worker had several conversations with Dr. Tatum during the next week, the documentation never showed up.

By March 13th, she reached her 10th unexcused absence. The school reported it to the Children and Family Services Agency (CFSA), alleging educational neglect. Some sources state that she had more than ten absences by this point, but the school staff wanted to give Shamika a chance to hand in the proper documentation. Even though Relisha had at least ten unexcused absences by this point, CFSA didn’t consider it a high priority. As a result, the agency didn’t begin its investigation until March 19th, nearly a week later.

A social worker from the agency called Dr. Tatum and asked to meet him at the shelter, but he never showed up for the meeting. At that point, the social worker learned that there wasn’t a Dr. Tatum at the shelter, but there was a janitor named Kahlil Tatum who had an unusual relationship with the young girl. Shocked and horrified, the social worker called a child abuse hotline and the authorities and reported her as missing. She was last seen at school on February 25th, and she was finally reported missing on March 19th, nearly a month later. By this point, she had missed around 30 days of school, although it’s unknown whether or not these were consecutive. 

Investigation

Because Relisha had been missing for almost a month, the police immediately jumped into action and went to D.C. General to begin their investigation. From this point onwards, many details are unknown, and the timeline contains several contradictions, making it difficult to determine what happened.

Photo Courtesy of The Charley Project

They began to search for her and interview those closest to her. When they interviewed Shamika and asked where Relisha was, she maintained that her daughter and “Dr. Tatum” went to a medical conference in Atlanta, Georgia. According to her accounts, they left on March 8th. Although she didn’t know when they would return, she claimed she had talked to her as recently as March 17th. Despite the growing concern for the young girl’s safety, Shamika didn’t want to file a missing persons report, as she claimed her daughter was safe and didn’t want to lose her other children. Even with Shamika’s resistance, the authorities initiated a missing person’s investigation.

They also interviewed Antonio. He knew very little about Relisha’s activity in the days and weeks leading up to her disappearance, which he claimed was because he had to travel often for work. He further claimed that he didn’t even know she hadn’t been to school until he spoke with a liaison at Payne Elementary while he was picking up the younger boys. As a result, he couldn’t provide the authorities with much information.

Throughout the investigation, they dug into Kahlil’s past. Not only was he not a doctor, but he had an alarming criminal record, one that made police fear for Relisha’s safety. He was arrested several times in Washington, D.C., and Virginia for burglary charges, theft, and other criminal activities. Despite this, when police asked others about him, they had positive things to say, and he had gained the trust of the children and families in the shelter. They also had difficulty pinning down his movements during this time. Some sources claimed he continued working at D.C. General even after Relisha’s disappearance, but this information has never been confirmed.

His criminal background wasn’t flagged by D.C. General when he was hired because he never underwent certain background checks, ones that are required for employees who work directly with residents. It was assumed that he wouldn’t have had any reason to contact residents as a janitor. This loophole would later reveal larger, systemic issues within D.C. General.

When searches and interviews failed to turn up any sign of the young girl, the authorities attempted to retrace her last steps. Almost a month had passed, and they were playing catch up. Although sources vary, they determined that the following events happened between February 25 and March 19, the day she was reported missing:

• February 25, 2014: Relisha’s last confirmed day at school. There were reports that she was present on March 5 and 7, but most agree that her last day at school was February 25.
• February 26, 2014: Relisha was spotted with Kahlil on surveillance footage at a Holiday Inn Express in Northeast D.C.
• March 1, 2014: Relisha was seen at a Days Inn on New York Ave. This was her last confirmed location.
• March 2, 2014: Kahlil purchased 42-gallon trash bags, a shovel, and lime. He was later seen near Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens.
• March 13, 2014: Payne Elementary staff records Relisha’s 10th unexcused absence, and they contact CFSA
• March 19, 2014: Relisha was reported missing after “Dr. Tatum” was revealed to be a janitor at the shelter named Kahlil Tatum. At the same time, he and his wife, Andrea, check in to a Red Roof Inn in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

On March 20, officials held a press conference to alert the public about Relisha’s disappearance. The FBI and the police offered rewards for information about the young girl’s location, as well as information that led to Kahlil’s arrest. At the same time, the authorities issued an AMBER Alert for the young girl. However, there were problems when it was issued, as Maryland and Virginia state police said they never received the request to issue an alert in their respective states. As a result, her disappearance received little coverage outside of Washington D.C. Even if the alert had been sent out to the surrounding states, it was sent out weeks after her last confirmed sighting. As a result, many have debated the effectiveness of this alert.

Meanwhile, Kahlil’s wife Andrea was found dead at the Red Roof Inn, where the two of them checked in the previous day. After further investigation, it was determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound. For authorities, it began to sink in that the young girl was in real danger. The authorities issued an arrest warrant the next day for Andrea’s murder and Relisha’s abduction/disappearance.

The authorities then went to his house where they found an unusual collection of items: $87 in cash, five cell phones, two passports, children’s clothing and shoes, and a picture of Relisha. It’s unknown whose cell phones and passports these were.

Photo Courtesy of The Charley Project

By March 27, after finding no evidence of Relisha or Kahlil, the police’s efforts to locate her turned from a search-and-rescue operation to a recovery operation. However, they did not give up hope that she would be found alive. Because he was last seen at Kenilworth Park the day after her last known sighting, the authorities shut down the park and examined it thoroughly for evidence of the two of them. There were several agencies involved, along with search-and-rescue teams, dogs, dive teams, and helicopters.

Despite intensive searches, Kahlil was found dead in a building in Kenilworth Park on April 1, 2014. The investigation determined that his cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and it was the same gun used in Andrea’s death. Up to this point, the search was still going on, but upon this discovery, the authorities shut it down and dismissed the volunteers.

Once Kahlil was found dead, the case came to a screeching halt. For many, he held all of the answers, and, no one knew where to look next. Despite these obstacles, many of Relisha’s loved ones continue to search for her.

In the aftermath of her disappearance, the public questioned how she could’ve gone missing since there were systems that should’ve protected her.

In response to this outcry, Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray ordered an investigation into the city’s response to the young girl’s disappearance. The report was published in early September, and it determined that even if all of the outlined problems had been resolved, it still would not have prevented Relisha’s disappearance. It further stated that although the family was involved with several social service agencies, none of them communicated with one another. As a result, many agencies, such as Payne Elementary, were not given the information they needed about Relisha and her home life. Because of this lack of communication, these agencies couldn’t help the young girl to the extent that she needed it.

Since her disappearance, very little information has surfaced. D.C. General was disbanded, and the city opened multiple smaller shelters in its place.

To this day, Relisha’s case remains unsolved. Many of her loved ones still hold out hope that she will be found, brought home, and receive justice.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Relisha Rudd is haunting, infuriating, and disturbing. A young girl was entrusted to the care of a janitor at a homeless shelter. Once that happens, she seems to slip through the cracks, as it takes weeks for anyone to realize she’s missing.

This case is different from a lot of others that I cover. Some cases, like that of Jason Jolkowski, have so little evidence that any theory could fit. In Relisha’s case, we basically know what happened until Kahlil Tatum killed himself. Once that happened, the case stopped dead in its tracks. Ten years later, there haven’t been any breaks in the case.

This leads us to one question: what happened to Relisha Rudd? For many, it’s clear that Kahlil was the one that harmed her. But we don’t know what the motive was. If we knew, that would give us a clearer idea of what happened. Unfortunately, any information he had died with him back in 2014, so we’re left with guesses, theories, and the hope that she might still be alive.

For those who examine the case, two main theories arise about Relisha’s fate:

• Kahlil Tatum murdered Relisha and disposed of her body in an unknown location.
• Kahlil Tatum sold Relisha to a trafficking ring.

Unfortunately, it’s incredibly difficult to prove or disprove either theory because no one noticed that this little girl disappeared. Kahlil took her, and it wasn’t until weeks later that someone finally reported her as missing. We have circumstantial evidence, such as him purchasing trash bags and lime, as well as the passports and other questionable items in his residence. But as strange and alarming as it might be, it wouldn’t lead to a conviction, and so far, it hasn’t led to Relisha’s location.

As a society, we have to do better for these kids and for vulnerable people in general. We have to be willing to stand in the gap for these children and their families. We have to let go of this mentality of “your kids” and “my kids” and start seeing them as “our kids.” We all participate in society, and it’s our collective responsibility to invest in our children. We can create all of the social safety nets in the world, but they won’t mean anything unless caring adults are willing to step up.

Every child deserves to have an adult in their life who will fight for them. If you want to make the world a better place, start by investing in children’s lives. It doesn’t take much to support them. Consider donating money or other items, mentoring, tutoring, or even becoming a foster or adoptive family. The love you show to them will increase tenfold. Not only will you show these children how worthy they are, but you’ll help prevent more cases like Relisha’s.

Relisha Rudd disappeared from the D.C. General Homeless Shelter on or around March 1, 2014. Unfortunately, no one noticed this poor girl’s disappearance until weeks later. An investigation later uncovered cracks in the social systems that were entrusted with her care. Although answers are slow to come, we can honor her memory by sharing our time, energy, and love with children in need. May we all have the courage to advocate for the vulnerable, and may Relisha come home and receive justice soon.

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If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Relisha Rudd, there are news articles, podcasts, and YouTube videos. I highly recommend researching this case on your own, as I was unable to add every detail to this post. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

• The Charley Project
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• CNN: Body found in D.C. park is suspected abductor of Relisha Rudd, 8, police say
• NBC 4 Washington: Where’s Relisha Rudd?
• Washington Post: District says it did all it could in Relisha Rudd Case
• The Playtime Project: Memories of Relisha Rudd
• Uncovered: Relisha Rudd
• True Crime Daily: Where is Relisha Rudd?
• WTop News: Crowded D.C. homeless shelter to be replaced with new housing citywide
• Washington Post: She escaped the shelter just before Relisha disappeared. She’s back again.
• Washington Post: Everybody knew then (and they know now) that kids like Relisha need us
• Washinton Post: We needed an examination of Relisha Rudd’s life, not her disappearance
• True Crime Podcast: Relisha Rudd
• YouTube, Danelle Hallan: Relisha Rudd
• WAMU 88.5: TIMELINE: What Happened To Relisha Rudd?
• NBC 4 Washington: D.C. Scrutinized for Relisha Rudd Amber Alert Procedure

If you have any information about the disappearance of Relisha Rudd, please contact the Washington Metropolitan Police Department at 1-202-265-9100. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.