Police in Kentucky say they have found parts that are “consistent” with 8-month-old Miya Rudd. Since April, when she went missing, several family members have been arrested.
The Kentucky State Police went to Reynolds Station, Ky., on June 6 to check on Miya’s safety but could not find her, the department said in a statement earlier this month. The department used to call Miya Tucker, but in their follow-up comments, they say her name is now Miya Rudd.
As a result of the investigation, Tesla Tucker, 29, and Cage Rudd, 30, the baby’s parents, and her grandpa Ricky Smith were all charged with different crimes related to her disappearance.
According to an arrest statement used by the Courier-Journal, Miya’s family last saw her in April. News 14 and K 105 reported that when police first went to her house, her parents told them she had been taken by child services, which police reportedly found to be false.
During the welfare check, police reportedly found drug paraphernalia in the home, including methamphetamine. This made them even more worried about Miya’s possible drug exposure. According to News 14, Kentucky State Police said that when she was born in October 2023, methamphetamine was found in her spinal cord.
The police said in a statement that on June 14, they found a “decomposed body” in the Rudd home that had been “hidden in a concealed manner.” People think that the remains are Miya’s.
“The decomposing body was found inside the residence, concealed in a sneaky way,” the statement says.
The Ohio County Coroner’s Office told PEOPLE that the body parts were taken to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville. The coroner’s office wouldn’t say anything else because they were still investigating.
The day they found the body parts, Tucker, Rudd, and Smith were charged with more crimes, including abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and failure to report a death, according to the statement.
The statement also said that Brodie C. Payne, who is 28 years old, was charged with the same crimes. Before he was released, Payne had been living with Rudd for a few months and was caught on drug and organized crime charges, among other things.
Police said in their June 6 statement that Tucker and Rudd had been charged with child neglect and drug possession in the past. In a statement to PEOPLE, state police said Smith had been charged with child abuse, child abandonment, drug dealing, and having a gun while a felony.
During their investigation, police also arrested Miya’s other grandpa and both of her grandmothers. However, they were not charged with anything related to her disappearance. The three other children of Tesla were being cared for by her grandparents, Taletha D. Tucker (50) and David Tucker (53). The children have since been taken away from their care.
An account set up by a woman calling herself Miya’s aunt says that money is being raised for her funeral.
“We are absolutely devastated due to this tragedy and need your help in raising enough money to give her the proper burial and memorial she deserves,” the fundraiser says.
An update on the GoFundMe page says that family members are now beginning to get ready for the funeral. Police have not yet confirmed that the bodies are Miya’s.
It wasn’t clear right away if the four people who were arrested had made pleas or hired lawyers to speak for them.
In their statement, police said that they are still looking into the matter and that there may be more charges to come.
Source: PEOPLE
