Missing 8-month-old found dead 'under a lot of debris' as parents, grandparents face charges

REYNOLDS STATION, Ky. (TCN) – Investigators have located and recovered human remains believed to be a missing 8-month-old girl who has not been seen for several months.

Kentucky State Police began their investigation into Miya Rudd’s disappearance on June 6 after they conducted a welfare check and executed a search warrant at her parents' home. Her mother, Tesla Tucker; her father, Cage Rudd; and paternal grandfather, Ricky Smith, were arrested on multiple drug-related charges, engaging in organized crime, child abuse, and abandonment of a minor.

Smith has been additionally charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and persistent felon offender. Billie Smith, Rudd’s mother, was arrested on an outstanding domestic violence warrant.

As the investigation progressed, troopers took other associates and family members into custody, including Tucker’s parents. Taletha Tucker was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Indiana and David Tucker for a nonpayment warrant out of another county in Kentucky. A roommate, Brodie Payne, was arrested for drug trafficking and wanton endangerment.

Timothy Roach was found at Billie and Ricky Smith’s house throwing unprescribed Suboxone under his car. He was taken into custody for possession of a controlled substance, prescription of a controlled substance not in proper container.

Investigators continued to search for Miya Rudd, but she remained missing. Troopers brought in cadaver dogs and looked at a cemetery and the surrounding area for her.

On June 14, Kentucky State Police detectives were conducting another search of Rudd and Tucker’s home and found the child’s decomposing remains "hidden in a concealed manner." Tucker, Rudd, Ricky Smith, and Payne are now facing additional charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and failure to report the death of a person.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Corey King told WFIE-TV that finding Miya Rudd’s body brings the investigation to a new stage.

He said, "Now we’re starting just as if we arrived at the scene and located this deceased baby."

King told the news station the home was cluttered, dirty, and dangerous due to the amount of residue and drugs inside. Miya Rudd’s body was reportedly found "under a lot of debris."

The medical examiner has taken custody of her remains and will conduct an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death.

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