Relisha Rudd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the PP that I always think of her while near Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. The guy who abducted her bought tape, trash bags, and lime. Then he killed his wife and himself. I think her remains were dumped in/near the gardens.

I feel that too.

[Anonymous]

In the beginning of the podcast it seems like the narrator is defending the family. They are talking about the idea that a child can go missing for 18 days- how can it happen? When parents are out of town, when there is a large connected family structure, you cannot keep track of where kids are. 18 days? 18 days? It felt way too much like defending them to me. This is only the first episode, so I am looking forward to what else is presented.

Those of you mentioning the aquatic gardens – was it searched thoroughly at the time? It looks like it is not that large of a space. I don’t live in DC anymore, I am one of those lurkers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the beginning of the podcast it seems like the narrator is defending the family. They are talking about the idea that a child can go missing for 18 days- how can it happen? When parents are out of town, when there is a large connected family structure, you cannot keep track of where kids are. 18 days? 18 days? It felt way too much like defending them to me. This is only the first episode, so I am looking forward to what else is presented.

Those of you mentioning the aquatic gardens – was it searched thoroughly at the time? It looks like it is not that large of a space. I don’t live in DC anymore, I am one of those lurkers.

It is quite large and it is basically a giant muddy swamp along a river that leads out to the Chesapeake Bay. It would be really hard to completely search it and a body could be washed out to sea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the PP that I always think of her while near Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. The guy who abducted her bought tape, trash bags, and lime. Then he killed his wife and himself. I think her remains were dumped in/near the gardens.

I’ve always thought she was there or the Arboretum. I think of her so often. Having grown up here during the 90s when things were much worse than they are today, she deserved so much more, there is so much more to experience that was taken from her . I hope we have closure one day.

[Anonymous]

Guess there is basically no way she’s alive and well, right? That story made me so sad when it happened. Not sure I can handle listening to the podcast.

[Anonymous]

The second episode of the podcast, through the cracks, is out today. I will probably write about it later.

I just don’t understand this situation. It seems like many think that she sold or gave her daughter to him. And then he went and killed his wife and himself very soon after?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Guess there is basically no way she’s alive and well, right? That story made me so sad when it happened. Not sure I can handle listening to the podcast.

I think the first episode of the podcast is not super emotional. They do play the only known recording of her voice in the beginning. It is more describing her family members and giving some background

[Anonymous]

I agree that the first
Episode of the podcast was way too sympathetic to her family!
Maybe she had to frame it that way to get the interviews.

[Anonymous]

Most people thought that the mom regularly let relisha go with the janitor in exchange for money. She missed a ton of school and the family would tell the school she was with the janitor. Janitors wife finds out and he kills her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most people thought that the mom regularly let relisha go with the janitor in exchange for money. She missed a ton of school and the family would tell the school she was with the janitor. Janitors wife finds out and he kills her.

Money exchanged for the ability to sexually abuse to be blunt. Culminating with speculation that she was sold to sex traders by him for money or simply murdered so she wouldn't tell on him.

The mother would tell the school that Relisha was under the care of a "Dr. Tatum" and couldn't come to.school. I think the janitor/Dr may have contacted the school too but regardless the entire excuse should have sounded fishy to the school.

Not certain why he killed his wife. Many years of on again off again relationship with both of them spending substantial time in prison for drugs and related offenses. Homelessness for both and general instability.

Maybe she did threaten to report and this situation was enough that he killed her, himself & Relisha? Child molesters don't do well in jail. There has been speculation that the sex traders killed them both but Tatum was seen purchasing the bags and other tools to potentially hide Relisha's body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the beginning of the podcast it seems like the narrator is defending the family. They are talking about the idea that a child can go missing for 18 days- how can it happen? When parents are out of town, when there is a large connected family structure, you cannot keep track of where kids are. 18 days? 18 days? It felt way too much like defending them to me. This is only the first episode, so I am looking forward to what else is presented.

Those of you mentioning the aquatic gardens – was it searched thoroughly at the time? It looks like it is not that large of a space. I don’t live in DC anymore, I am one of those lurkers.

They did search it b/c Tatum killed himself there.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/dc-police-positively-identify-body-found-in-park-as-suspected-child-abductor-kahlil-tatum/2014/04/01/fd2d76ee-b994-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people thought that the mom regularly let relisha go with the janitor in exchange for money. She missed a ton of school and the family would tell the school she was with the janitor. Janitors wife finds out and he kills her.

Money exchanged for the ability to sexually abuse to be blunt. Culminating with speculation that she was sold to sex traders by him for money or simply murdered so she wouldn't tell on him.

The mother would tell the school that Relisha was under the care of a "Dr. Tatum" and couldn't come to.school. I think the janitor/Dr may have contacted the school too but regardless the entire excuse should have sounded fishy to the school.

Not certain why he killed his wife. Many years of on again off again relationship with both of them spending substantial time in prison for drugs and related offenses. Homelessness for both and general instability.

Maybe she did threaten to report and this situation was enough that he killed her, himself & Relisha? Child molesters don't do well in jail. There has been speculation that the sex traders killed them both but Tatum was seen purchasing the bags and other tools to potentially hide Relisha's body.

I never understood how the mother wasn't charged with something.Everyone wanted to blame the school but she lied for weeks at a time, set in fake drs notes etc and sold her kid to the janitor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:look at the Post today, there is the story of a homeless woman with a two weeks old baby girl. the city provided shelter when it was cold. because now the temperature is above freezing, she was told she needs to find a place to stay on her own because shelters are full. she is a new mom, the baby is two weeks and on the streets. the reality is that a new mother on her own with a newborn cannot find a job (where is she going to leave the baby while she works?), so DC services should either take the baby away from her, or give the mother a shelter and help her get back on her feet (I think they should do the second, BTW). after the baby is dead that would be an outpouring of grief. what about doing something when she is still alive.

as for Relisha's mother, I pity her for the way she herself had to grow up, but cannot really have sympathy for her. she gave her daughter away to a stranger, lied for weeks to her family, lied to the school, provided the school with fake certificates excusing the absences. her child was with 50 yr old male stranger, missing school for weeks and that was OK for her? she lied to the social worker. she knew very well that what she had done was wrong, otherwise why lying to everybody including her family. clearly the guy prayed on very fragile and vulnerable people, but this does not excuse the mother for her outrageous behavior, which most likely cost that little girl her life.

No the reality is that one should not have a baby until they can provide for and take care of themself.

wrong. The city is required by law to provide some kind of shelter to all homeless families. They would be housed in a hotel most likely in MD. There are families living in motels for years. But go ahead, Ward 3 and fight, you showed yourself when you tried to litigate the family sheleter out of ward 3.

[Anonymous]

can you provide a link to the post story? this sounds like something dc would have done 5-10 years ago, but they've stopped having "hypothermia season" for family shelters, and they are doing way fewer shelter evictions now and have not ended anyone's rapid rehousing during the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

I’ll probably listen, even though it will kill me to listen.

We all have this case and the Banita Jacks case to thank for a lot of the strict attendance protocols in place now.

So sad.