It has been claimed that Miya Rudd, an 8-month-old girl, went missing in west Kentucky and was later found dead in a home in Ohio County. Her grandmother is now facing new charges in connection with the case.
KSP says that Taletha Tucker, 50, of Owensboro, is being charged with criminal abuse in the first degree of a child under 12 years old, controlled substance endangerment to a child, and hindering prosecution or apprehension in the first degree after two of the children in her care tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana.
As of some time before the event, the Department of Community Based Services gave Tesla Tucker’s mother, Taletha, custody of her children. Each child’s hair follicle was tested during the study, and two of them showed signs of methamphetamine and cannabis use.
It’s thought that Taletha got involved with the drugs at home when she let the kids stay with their mother in Reynolds Station, which was against a court order. Officials say she also gave a lot of money to her daughter and the child’s father, Cage Rudd, 30, so she wouldn’t have to go to jail at the start of the investigation.
Where did Miya Rudd go? Parents were charged after their baby was found dead in the closet.
There were searches for Miya in June by KSP and other groups because her family hadn’t seen her “since the end of April,” according to an arrest warrant. While carrying out a welfare check and serving a search warrant at the Reynolds Station home owned by Miya’s grandmother, 49-year-old Billie Smith, police were unable to find the child. After a few days, Miya’s body was found hidden in Tesla and Rudd’s house.
In court, Tesla and Rudd had earlier pleaded not guilty to charges related to Miya’s case, including mistreatment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and failing to report a death.
A previous charge of abandoning a child was dropped against the two, but Ohio County District Court Judge Greg Vincent found probable cause for six other charges on Monday. These included drug-related charges, first-degree criminal abuse of a child 12 or younger, and participating in an organized crime-criminal syndicate.
According to a news release from KSP, Brodie C. Payne, 28, of Reynolds Station, and Ricky J. Smith, 56, who is Miya’s grandpa, were also charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and failing to report the death of a person because they knew about it.
According to the release, Timothy L. Roach of Owensboro was also arrested and is facing multiple drug charges after police say they saw him throw “unprescribed” opioids under his car while he was in the driveway of Billie Smith’s house. Several other people, including Miya’s grandparents, David Tucker, 53, and Taletha, have also been arrested on charges that are not connected to this case.
Source: Grandmother of 8-month-old west KY baby found dead faces new charges
