KSP finds body of missing baby

Kentucky State Police found human remains consistent with that of a missing Reynolds Station infant inside the home of her parents last week.

Investigators reported locating the decomposed remains believed to be Miya Rudd at approximately 1:15 p.m. June 14.

Investigators were doing another sweep of the home last Friday using specialized equipment from the medical examiner’s office and his forensic team as well as utilizing cadaver dogs at two different locations.

Kentucky State Police Public Affairs Officer Corey King said the lead investigator found the baby’s body while sorting through debris and clutter inside the house.

“The body was consistent with that of baby Miya and it had been deceased for some time,” King said. “We do not know a cause of death nor how long she had been there.”

DNA samples were taken from both parents in order to make a positive identification, King said. The body was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy. King said it was conducted but they did not have a report available as of Monday afternoon.

Also on Friday, the baby’s parents Tesla Tucker, 29, and Cage Rudd, 30, 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 same charges.

King said the ongoing investigation would attempt to provide prosecutors with the evidence they need to build a case. He said he anticipates additional charges will be filed at a later time.

“The manner in which she died, having that information is important in order to present the case to a grand jury,” King said. “There’s a lot more investigating to be done.”

Tucker, Rudd, Smith and Payne appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

A preliminary hearing was held for Tucker, Rudd and Smith on the original drug charges filed against them at the time of their initial arrests. Judge Gregory Vincent ruled probable cause was found against them and referred the case to an Ohio County Grand Jury. A charge of abandonment of a minor was dismissed.

King said, Kentucky State Police launched a search for Miya Rudd on June 5 after the Department of Community Based Services notified them that they had been attempting to remove the child and could not locate the parents.

According to information from KSP, the baby was last suspected to have been in the custody of her parents and has not been seen in over a month.

KSP tracked the parents down at a motel in Owensboro where drugs were found and later obtained a search warrant for their primary residence where additional drugs were located. The couple was arrested. The baby was not with them.

Tucker was charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (greater than two grams - Methamphetamine); trafficking of legend drugs; trafficking marijuana; first-degree child abuse; abandonment of a minor; engaging in organized crime and possession of paraphernalia.

Rudd was charged with first-degree trafficking in controlled substance, (greater than two grams - Methamphetamine); trafficking of legend drugs; trafficking marijuana; first-degree child abuse; abandonment of a minor; engaging in organized crime and possession of paraphernalia.

According to King, the only thing the parents would tell KSP is that social services removed that child along with other children in the home. King indicated those children had not been in the care of the parents for some time prior to the baby’s birth and that the infant was not in the state’s custody.

“They wouldn’t discuss it with us any further,” he said.

Smith was later arrested and charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, (greater than two grams - Methamphetamine); trafficking of legend drugs; first-degree child abuse; abandonment of a minor; engaging in organized crime; possession of a handgun by a convicted felon; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and being a persistent felony offender.

On June 9, troopers served and arrested the grandmother, Billie J. (Rudd) Smith, 49 of Reynolds Station, with a second-degree assault - domestic violence warrant. The warrant stems from an incident in Daviess County in October of 2023. Troopers were conducting a search/welfare check for the missing eight-month-old when they discovered Mrs. Smith had an active warrant.

As troopers were entering the driveway to the Smith residence, troopers reported observing Timothy L. Roach, 37, of Owensboro, throw unprescribed Suboxone under his vehicle. He was also arrested along with Billie J. Smith and taken to the Ohio County Detention Center in Hartford.

Roach was charged with second-degree possession of a controlled substance and first-degree prescription controlled substance not in the proper container

On June 13, Payne, was charged with first-degree trafficking in controlled substance (greater than two grams - Methamphetamine); trafficking of legend drugs; trafficking marijuana; engaging in organized crime and possession of paraphernalia and first-degree wanton endangerment.

Payne had been residing at the Rudd household for approximately six months prior to his arrest, according to KSP.

Payne was served by Kentucky State Police at the Daviess County Detention Center in Owensboro. Daviess County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit started a drug trafficking investigation on Payne months prior. The investigation revealed Payne was using USPS to facilitate his drug trafficking operation. Investigators coordinated with U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Kentucky State Police DE/SI and arrested Payne on May 20 with 1/2 lb of meth and approximately 3/4 lb of suspected fentanyl-laced pills.

King said there were a lot of components to this case.

“We did search (the house) first but there was so much to contend with with drug residue, drugs and animal feces. It was a danger to us as well as the canines,” King said. “These posed a lot of hazards and it had to be made safe for us to investigate. We needed to sterilize the environment in order to do a more thorough search. Underneath a lot of debris is where the remains were located.”