WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- The FBI is asking people in the Atlanta, Ga. area to be on the lookout for an accused killer who is travelling with a missing 8-year-old girl, officials said.
An AMBER Alert was issued Thursday, March 20, for 8-year-old Relisha Rudd. Police believe she is with 51-year-old Kahlil Tatum. Tatum has been charged with murder in the death of his wife. He has also been charged by the United States Attorney's Office in Maryland for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
The reward for the safe return of a missing DC girl and the arrest of her alleged abductor has been increased to $70,000. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the location and return of Relisha Rudd, according to a news release. The FBI is offering a separate reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to Tatum's arrest. The Prince George's County, Maryland, Police Department is also offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to Tatum's arrest and indictment.
Reports Thursday say Rudd has been absent from school for a period of weeks. DC officials say Tatum posed as a doctor, telling her school she was sick.
Rudd's mother deflected attempts by social workers to locate the girl, repeatedly insisting she was okay. Relisha Rudd, her mother and her stepfather lived in a homeless shelter where Tatum worked as a janitor.
Police believe Tatum has had Relisha since the end of February. When police went searching for Tatum and Relisha, they instead found Tatum's wife beaten to death in Prince George's County. There was no sign of Tatum or Relisha.
On Tuesday, the FBI released surveillance video from a Holiday Inn Express located at 1917 Bladensburg Road N.E. In the video from Feb. 26, you can see Tatum and Relisha Rudd walking in the hallway. Rudd is wearing a pair of pink boots and a purple Helly Hansen brand jacket with white stripes.
VIDEO: FBI AMBER Alert Surveillance
