Relisha Rudd: The Girl Who Disappeared for 18 Days Before Anyone Called Police

Clues with Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore

PAVE Studios

True Crime

4.4 • 945 Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2026

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

An eight-year-old girl stops going to school. No one reports her missing for nearly three weeks. Not the shelter.Not the school.Not even her own family. In 2014, Relisha Rudd vanished from a Washington, D.C. family shelter. The only adult who claimed to know where she was turned out not to be a doctor, but a shelter janitor. Days later, his wife was found murdered. Weeks later, he was found dead in a park. Relisha has never been found. In this episode of Clues, we examine the surveillance footage, the hotel sightings, the trash bag purchase, and the systemic failures that may have cost a little girl her life. Listener discretion advised. This episode discusses child abuse, child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, and suicide. Head over to our Clues YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@CluesPod If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Clues to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Clues is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. 🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to other Crime House Originals including Crime House 24/7, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Murder True Crime Stories and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow us on Social YouTube: @CluesPod | @crimehousestudios Instagram: @cluespodcast | @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia Clues is hosted by Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore Instagram: @morgsyabsher | @itskaelynmoore TikTok: @twohottakes | @heartstartspounding Episode Sponsors: A year from today isn’t that far away. Get started now at https://www.HelloAlma.com/clues Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at https://www.Shopify.com/clues Named #1 by Wirecutter, you can save on the gifts moms love by visiting https://www.AuraFrames.com. For a limited time, listeners can get $25 off their best-selling Carver Mat frame with code CLUES. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/clues10fm now to get 10 Free Meals + a Free breakfast for Life! One per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. Go to https://www.SolaceHealth.com to see if you qualify. It takes about two minutes, and it’s covered by insurance. Must be 18 or older. Advocates do not provide medical or legal advice. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Crime House.
0:09.7	An eight-year-old girl goes missing from a shelter in Washington, D.C. Nobody reports it for weeks, not even her own family.
0:17.2	By the time police realized Relisha Rudd has gone missing, her case is shrouded in lies.
0:23.1	From a mysterious doctor to a bizarre hotel sighting, investigators don't know who they can trust.
0:29.2	Who took Relisha Rudd and can they finally bring her home? Hi, welcome to clues where we sneak past the crime scene tape to explore the key evidence behind some of the most gripping true crime cases.
0:52.0	I'm Kayla Moore, and I'm going to be the one digging deeper into the timelines, the backstories, and the court files released on these cases. And I'm your internet detective, Morgan Absher. I'm the one who's diving into anything I can find online to talk about those lesser known details and pull up the threads that just aren't adding up. Don't forget to share your thoughts on social. Want ad-free listening and early access? Subscribe to Crimehouse Plus on Apple Podcasts. And make sure to go back and listen to our previous episodes
1:15.5	wherever you get your podcasts. Now let's get into Relisha Rudd's case and the clues that defined it.
1:25.1	Another one of this week's partners is solace. Navigating the health care system can be impossible.
1:32.0	Impossible to do it on your own. What if your claims denied? What if you're not feeling heard by your care team? What if you're dealing with caregiver burnout? That is where solace comes in.
1:42.3	Salas matches you with a dedicated advocate, experts who take on the hardest parts of your
1:47.6	health care.
1:48.2	They find doctors, get insurance to cover your care, keep your doctors on the same page,
1:52.5	and work with you one-on-one for as long as it takes to get the care you need.
1:56.1	There's studies that show that 98% of patients feel more in control of their care after working with an advocate.
2:02.8	And this is something that I'm seeing play out in real time right now. I have, you know, my
2:06.7	grandmother has Alzheimer's. It's so hard to watch her go through the medical system without an
2:11.4	advocate because she forgets everything her doctors tell her. Like, it's so amazing when you can
2:15.7	have someone who's actually paying attention
2:18.0	with you and helping you throughout this entire process. It's incredible. And some of
2:21.9	Solis advocates are registered nurses or other health care professionals with an average of
2:27.0	16 years of experience. Go to solacehealth.com to see if you qualify. It takes about two minutes
2:32.7	and it's covered by insurance. That's solacehealth.com must be 18 or qualify. It takes about two minutes and it's covered by insurance.
	...

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