Relisha Rudd search turns up body of murder suspect
Relisha Rudd was last seen with Kahil Tatum, a janitor at the homeless shelter where she lived with her family. Tatum was charged with murder after his wife was found dead.
Washington Metro Police and cadets search in Kenilworth Park in Washington, Monday. Police have been searching the park in northeast Washington since last week for clues in the case of eight-year-old Relisha Rudd, last seen in the company of Kahlil Tatum, a janitor at the homeless shelter where she lived with her mother and brothers.
Alex Brandon/AP
WASHINGTON
Police in the nation's capital say they have identified the body of a man found in a park as that of a murder suspect who was the last person seen with a missing 8-year-old girl.
Police announced Tuesday morning that the man found dead Monday with an apparent gunshot wound was identified as 51-year-old Kahlil Tatum. Chief Cathy Lanier says his death appears to be a suicide.
Tatum was a janitor at the homeless shelter where Relisha Rudd lived with her family.
The search for Relisha continues. She was last seen March 1 with Tatum, and police say the next day he bought trash bags and was seen in the park. School absences sparked the search March 19. After Tatum's wife was found dead, he was charged with murder.