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No one had seen 8-year-old Relisha Rudd for weeks before she was finally reported missing in March of 2014. So where was she? Why did it take so long for anyone to notice? And who was to blame? Today’s episode explores what can happen when the systems built to protect families just — *don’t*.
Please be aware that today’s story contains references to suicide, gun violence, child abuse, and housing insecurity.
A full transcript of this episode is available here .
“Relisha Rudd’s mom, Shamika Young, left, and her god aunt, Kinnicia Williams, hold up her photo on a previous anniversary of her disappearance.”
Age progressed photo of Relisha Rudd
Exterior of D.C. General Family Shelter
Bedroom in D.C. General Family Shelter
Front doors of the D.C. General Family Shelter
Action Items Related to Today’s Episode
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To learn more about Relisha’s story and hear from her family, listen to Through the Cracks by Jonquilyn Hill
Audio Used:
YouTube: Relisha Rudd Special, by WUSA9
YouTube: Relisha Rudd Investigation: Adult male body found near search location reported to be Tatum, by ABC 7 News
YouTube: The Disappearance of Relisha Rudd, by The Steve Wilkos Show
Key Research Mentioned
The Washington Post: Social worker’s nightmare: The day he discovered Relisha Rudd was missing, by Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post: Relisha Rudd radio: Hundreds of listeners believe they can find missing 8-year-old, by Theresa Vargas
The Washington Post: Before Relisha Rudd went missing, the 8-year-old longed to escape D.C.’s homeless shelter, Theresa Vargas, Emma Brown, Lyn Bui, and Peter Hermann
The Washington Post: Andrea Tatum’s muder remains as much a mystery as Relisha Rudd’s disappearance, by Theresa Vargas and Lynh Bui
Urban Institute: Reimagining Life for Relisha Rudd, by Sarah Gillespie, Mary K. Cunningham, and Lionel Foster
Inside Edition: Six Years On, Family of Relisha Rudd Still Has Many Unanswered Questions About 8-Year-Old’s Disappearance, by Johanna Li
Sources Used
WAMU: Before Relisha Rudd Disappeared, Her Family Survived Abuse, Trauma, by Jonquilyn Hill
WUSA9: The disappearance of Relisha Rudd: 3 years later, by Lesli Foster
WAMU: How Relisha Rudd’s Mother Became An Easy Target After Her Daughter’s Disappearance by Jonquilyn Hill
National Alliance to End Homelessness: The State of Homelessness in America
DCist: ‘Two Sides of the Same Coin’: Addressing the Link Between Racism And Homelessness, by Christian Zapata
BU School of Public Health: Homelessness, Its Consequences, and Its Causes
WAMU: TIMELINE: What Happened to Relisha Rudd? by Poncie Rutsch
FBI: Authorities Release Video Surveillance of Kahlil Malik Tatum and Relisha Tenau Rudd
NY Daily News: There’s still no answers in Relisha Rudd’s disappearance — but her relatives have theories about what happened, by Jessica Schladebeck
WAMU: Janitor, Doctor, Godfather… Who Was Kahlil Tatum?, by Jonquilyn Hill
WTOPnews: Report documents hazards at D.C. homeless shelter, by wtopstaff
The Washington Informer: Bowser Keeps Promise, Closes Doors of D.C. General
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments: Homelessness in Metropolitan Washington, by Hillary Chapman
