WASHINGTON — It's been nine years since Relisha Rudd went missing in northeast D.C. when she was just 8 years old. The community isn't giving up their search.
Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day is held on July 11 every year to represent the 18 days she was unaccounted for before she was officially reported missing (7+11=18), according to missing persons advocate Henderson Long.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released a new age progression photo last year that shows Relisha at age 17.
Long and other community members will be holding an event to honor Relisha at Oohs and Aahs Restaurant on Georgia Ave. across from the 4D police station.
Relisha went missing on March 1, 2014, but she wasn’t officially reported missing until March 19.
She disappeared from the homeless shelter at DC General that her family was staying at in northeast D.C.
She was last seen on surveillance video at a hotel with Kahlil Tatum, who was a janitor at the homeless shelter.
Tatum’s wife was then found murdered shortly after Rudd went missing. Then, on April 1, Tatum was found dead by apparent suicide before police could ever question him.
Relisha has never been found.
Advocates like Henderson Long, who also founded D.C.'s Missing Voice, continue to search for her and keep her name alive.
“I think Relisha may be a year older than my daughter. And so it really put things in perspective. If this was my daughter, or anybody else's daughter, or me, or you or anybody missing this long, it still hurts," Long said. "And we want to prevent this from happening again, as you said before with other children, and it's all about education. It's all about mobilizing and getting the community to take action."
Relisha’s story has become a symbol in the District – a reminder to value the lives of little Black boys and girls.
Taking a look at missing persons statistics for this year, DC Police report 1,489 total cases to date, with 34 still open.
Tuesday night's event at Oohs and Aahs starts at 5 p.m.
It’s right across from the 4th District police station.
In addition to new flyers, they’ll have fingerprinting services and share MPD’s five preparation steps if your loved one goes missing.
There is still a $50,000 reward for information that helps police find Relisha, so if you know anything, please contact police.