Remains of missing 8-month old found hidden in Kentucky home; parents arrested
Human remains consistent with that of a missing infant were found "concealed" inside an Ohio County, Kentucky, home last week, authorities said.
Investigators located Miya Rudd's remains at approximately 1:15 p.m. Friday at her parent's home in Reynolds Station, which is about 90 miles southwest of Louisville, according to WFIE and Evansville Courier & Press, part of USA TODAY Network.
Kentucky State Police investigators opened a missing child investigation regarding Rudd, who was 8 months old, on June 6, according to a press release. The investigation quickly led to the arrest of Rudd's mother, 29-year-old Tesla Tucker, and Rudd's father, 30-year-old Cage C. Rudd.
"After investigators process the scene the baby will be taken by the Ohio County Coroner's Office and transported to the Kentucky Medical Examiners Office in Louisville," the release stated. "The investigation is ongoing by Kentucky State Police, Ohio County Coroner's Officer and Kentucky Medical Examiners Office."
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Authorities launch death investigation
The state police and Ohio County law enforcement searched for Miya at the home with cadaver dogs and specialized equipment. By Friday afternoon, television news stations reported that the Ohio County Coroner's Office had arrived at the scene of search efforts.
"For investigators, this really, at this point, just kicks off the death investigation," KSP Trooper Corey King told WFIE-14 News on Friday. "Now we're starting just as if we had arrived at the scene and located this deceased baby ... We have our surveying equipment now starting to come out; we're processing it as a normal crime scene."
King said the ongoing investigation would attempt to provide prosecutors with the evidence they need to build a case.
Family members hadn't seen Miya since late April, authorities said
On Friday, Tucker and Rudd were charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and failure to report the death of a person, according to a Kentucky State Police news release. Two others who reportedly lived at the residence − Miya's grandfather, 56-year-old Ricky J. Smith, and 28-year-old Brodie Payne − were also charged with those counts.
According to an arrest report cited by the Louisville Courier-Journal, Miya had not been seen by her family "since the end of April." Miya's parents were initially booked into the Daviess County Detention Center in Owensboro, Kentucky, on drug possession, drug trafficking, and abandonment of a minor charges.
Since then, the investigation led to the arrests of additional family members and others, including Miya's grandparents.
Family members, and others were taken into custody in connection to this case
Miya's paternal grandmother, 49-year-old Billie J. Smith, was arrested Sunday on an outstanding domestic violence warrant, while her maternal grandparents, 50-year-old Taletha D. Tucker, and 53-year-old David Tucker, were arrested Tuesday after a search warrant was executed at their Owensboro home, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.
Tucker, Rudd, and Smith appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, according to WFIE. Payne, who was hit with drug-related charges, was also present in the courtroom and entered the same plea.