WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 12, 2025
Eleven years have passed since Relisha Rudd, an eight-year-old girl from Washington, D.C., vanished without a trace. Yet the question that continues to haunt the city remains the same: Where is Relisha Rudd?
On Friday evening, community members, advocates, and family gathered once again to honor her memory and renew their plea for answers on what has become one of the most heartbreaking unsolved cases in the District’s history.
The Disappearance That Shook D.C.
Relisha Rudd was living with her family at the D.C. General Family Shelter in early 2014 when she disappeared. The last confirmed sighting of her was captured on March 1, 2014, via surveillance video at a D.C. hotel. She was seen in the company of Kahlil Tatum, a 51-year-old janitor at the shelter, who would later become the prime suspect in her disappearance.
Despite the alarming nature of her absence, a missing persons report wasn’t filed until March 13, 2014, after a school counselor noticed Relisha had not been in class for weeks. When the school contacted the shelter, Tatum allegedly answered the phone pretending to be a doctor, raising even more red flags.
Tatum’s connection to the family was disturbingly close. Relisha’s mother told investigators that she had allowed her daughter to spend time alone with him, sometimes for extended periods. This deeply concerning relationship, combined with delayed reporting, complicated the search from the beginning.
A Tragic Trail and Unanswered Questions
The timeline following Relisha’s disappearance was riddled with ominous developments:
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Feb. 26, 2014: Relisha last seen at the shelter.
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March 1, 2014: Caught on hotel surveillance with Tatum.
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March 13, 2014: Missing person report filed by school staff.
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March 19, 2014: Tatum and his wife, Andrea, check into a Red Roof Inn in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
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March 20, 2014: A friend drops Tatum at Southern Avenue Metro after noticing Andrea unresponsive in the hotel room. That same day, police discover Andrea dead from a gunshot wound.
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March 21, 2014: Warrant issued for Tatum in Andrea’s murder.
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Late March 2014: Police and FBI conduct searches in Kenilworth Park, believed to be linked to Tatum.
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April 1, 2014: Tatum is found dead by suicide in Kenilworth Park.
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May 2014: Volunteers discover bones during a search, but they are later determined not to be human.
To this day, no one has been charged in Relisha’s disappearance, and her whereabouts remain unknown.
Honoring Her Legacy
Since her disappearance, July 11 has been designated Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day. On this day each year, the D.C. community gathers not only to honor the young girl’s memory but to demand continued attention to her case.
This year, the memorial included a prayer and press conference held at 6 p.m., where friends, activists, and city leaders spoke about Relisha’s lasting impact and the urgent need to keep her story alive.
“She may be gone from our sight, but not from our hearts or our mission,” said one community advocate during the vigil. “We owe it to her to never stop asking questions.”
In 2024, the Metropolitan Police Department released an age-progression photo imagining what Relisha might look like today in hopes it might spark a lead. The haunting side-by-side image with her 2014 photo was circulated again during this year’s memorial.
A Community Still Searching for Justice
For the residents of Washington, D.C., Relisha Rudd’s case is more than a headline — it’s a symbol of systemic failure, lost potential, and unanswered justice. Her story has led to greater scrutiny of child welfare practices, shelter conditions, and law enforcement response.
Anyone with information on Relisha Rudd’s disappearance is urged to contact the Metropolitan Police Department’s Command Information Center at (202) 727-6768 or text 50411 anonymously.
Eleven years later, the search for Relisha continues — and so does the hope.
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