Relisha Rudd

Eight-year-old Relisha Rudd was last seen on March 1, 2014 in Washington, D.C. At the time of her disappearance, she was living at the D.C. General Shelter with her mom, Shamika Young and her three younger brothers.

Khalil Tatum, a 51 year-old janitor at the shelter befriended Relisha's family. He bought Relisha a tablet computer and took her to see Disney on Ice. The shelter had a strict no-fraternization rule for their employees and they were supposed to fire anybody who broke the rule, but Khalil was not disciplined for fraternizing with Relisha and her family.

In late February 2014, Shamika asked Khalil to take care of Relisha and later stated that she wanted her daughter to get away from the poor conditions of the shelter. Relisha was placed in Khalil's care on February 25, 2014. On March 5, 2014, the staff at Relisha's school scheduled a parent-teacher conference after she had her fifth unexecused absence from school. Shamika attended the conference and she was told about support services to ensure her attendance at school.

On March 19, 2014, social workers talked to Shamika at the shelter about Relisha's absences from school; she had missed over thirty days of school, but many of her absences had been excused because Shamika told the school that Relisha had health problems and she was under the care of "Dr. Tatum."

The school reported Relisha's family to the Children and Family Services Agency for educational neglect, but they didn't considered it to be a high priority and it wasn't until March 19, 2014 that a social worker called Khalil and arranged to see him later in the day; however, Khalil never made the meeting and he left the shelter that day before his shift ended. Authorities were notified after the social worker discovered that Khalil wasn't really a doctor.

When the police asked Shamika where Relisha was, she said that Relisha and "Dr. Tatum" were at a medical conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Shamika said that they left on March 8, 2014 and didn't know when they would return, but she talked to Relisha as recently as March 17, 2014.

Investigators discovered Relisha and Khalil were caught on camera walking down a hallway at a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Northeast, Washington, D.C. on February 26, 2014. Footage from March 1, 2014 showed Relisha walking with Khalil to a room at a Days Inn hotel in Washington, D.C.; the footage from March 1st was the last proof that Relisha was still alive.

On March 20, 2014 (the same day that Relisha was reported missing), Khalil's wife, Andrea Tatum was discovered shot to death in a motel in Prince George's County, Maryland. Surveillance tapes showed Khail and Andrea entering the hotel room the night before her death. Khalil was last seen on March 2, 2014 (the day after Relisha was last seen) buying a shovel, lime and 42-gallon trash bags.

The Washington, D.C. police got an arrest warrent for Khalil in connection with Andrea's death, but on March 31, 2014, Khalil was found dead in a shed in Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens from an apparent suicide by the same gun that was used to kill Andrea.

The public and lawmakers criticized the Children and Family Services Agency for failing to act sooner on Relisha's frequent absences from school, and failing to remove Relisha and her brothers from an abusive situation. The agency had been involved with her family since she was a baby.

After Relisha's disappearance, her brothers were removed from Shamika's custody and placed in foster care. Shamika was investigated by a grand jury for possible charges of obstruction of justice in Relisha's case due to making inconsistent statements about her daughter's whereabouts, but no indictments were issued against her.

In October of 2017, Shamika, Relisha's stepfather, Antonio Wheeler and Relisha's grandmother, Melissa Young appeared on "The Steve Wilkos Show." Although Antonio and Melissa passed a polygraph test, Shamika refused to take the exam. Relisha's case is classified as a non-family abduction.