Search continues to find missing 8-month-old baby

REYNOLDS STATION, Ky. — Cadaver dogs searched Tuesday for a missing western Kentucky baby whose parents and grandfather face child abandonment and drug charges, police said.

Kentucky State Police announced June 6 that troopers were searching for 8-month-old Miya Rudd. Trooper Corey King said the baby's three older siblings were removed from their home by state officials some time ago and were being cared for by family members, reported WFIE-TV. When Miya was born in October, her umbilical cord tested positive for methamphetamine and it had to be removed as well, King said. However, around May 30, relatives informed police that they had not seen the baby since late April.

While searching for the baby, police found his parents in a hotel, but not the baby, King said. The parents told investigators that state agents took the baby, but records don't prove that, he said.

Miya's parents, Tesla Tucker and Cage Rudd, as well as her grandfather, Ricky J. Smith, were arrested and charged with child abuse and abandonment as well as several drug offenses, police said in press releases. A public defender appointed to represent them did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment on their behalf.

Billie Smith, the baby's grandmother, was also arrested. The 49-year-old man had an active arrest warrant for domestic violence following an incident in October 2023. Officers became aware of the warrant and arrested Billie Smith during the search and investigation. of Miya Rudd's welfare.

King said cadaver dogs were used to search a church, cemetery and wooded area behind the family's Reynolds Station home. In an email sent Wednesday, King said there was no update on the search and police plan to bring in ground sonar equipment and a forensic team later in the week.

He said investigators had received valuable tips and were asking anyone with information to come forward.

“It really shocked us, as an agency looking for a missing child, that we were getting very little information from the family, from those who should love and care the most,” King said.

They have no evidence that the baby is dead, but they also have nothing to suggest she is alive, he said.

“No matter what, everyone is looking for closure,” King said. “I believe the community deserves it, the family deserves it and we, as the agency investigating this case, deserve to know what happened to baby Miya.”

Kentucky State Police are asking anyone with information about Miya to contact the station at 270-826-3312.