Friday marks 10 years since the disappearance of Relisha Rudd in D.C. She was 8 years old when she was last seen in 2014.
“We’re certain that somebody out there knows something and they got that missing link, and so we’re working on people’s heart strings, hoping that they’ll come forward,” Henderson Long, who leads the group D.C.’s Missing Voice, said.
Rudd was last seen with the janitor of the D.C. General homeless shelter in Southeast, where Rudd lived with her family. The janitor later killed his wife then himself.
“Relisha Rudd’s case remains open, and the officers and detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department will never give up the search for her,” a D.C. police department spokesperson said in a statement.
A group of people come together every year at the corner of New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road Northeast to remember Rudd, support her family and release a time progression photo of what she might look like today.
Long said they also educate those who attend about tools to be prepared, should something like this happen in their family. Tips include reporting anyone who goes missing immediately to police and having fingerprints, photos and dental impressions on file.
“A lot of families don’t have this stuff on file for their children, and I really think this should be in all the public schools for families who want it,” Long said.
The FBI is still involved in Rudd’s case and continues to offer a reward of $25,000 for information that leads to her being found.
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