Relisha Rudd (Courtesy DC Police) WASHINGTON — New information led investigators to resume the search for 8-year-old Relisha Rudd Friday in the shadow of the D.C. homeless shelter where she lived before her disappearance almost four years ago. D.C. police said that they searched the Anacostia River for evidence related to Relisha, who was last seen in March 2014, based on the fresh information. They recovered no evidence however, police said NBC Washington’s Mark Segraves was the first to report the search along the river across from the shelter. He told WTOP that searchers used sonar, boats, divers and cadaver dogs to scour the shoreline and investigate a sewer outlet in the river plus another spot beneath a railroad bridge. Past searches have focused parks north of the shelter along the river. The search efforts began before dawn and wrapped up about lunchtime, Segraves said. Investigators have long believed Rudd to be dead but her remains have never been found. Police however found the remains of her suspected captor Kahlil Tatum, who worked as a janitor at the shelter, in Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens weeks after Relisha went missing. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced this week that the troubled shelter would close this fall. Short-term housing facilities spread across the city will replace the crumbling structure that once served as a hospital.
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Stay with WTOP for updates on this developing story.
The U.S. Secret Service wants those heading to the Freedom 250 Grand Prix what to expect when they go through the security checkpoints Sunday.
Tara McLeese, special agent in charge of the Secret Service Washington Field Office, told WTOP that they've been working for months on the plan to secure the venue for the event as a presidential site.
"Our mission is to ensure the safety of every Secret Service protectee while also ensuring a swift screening and access for thousands of ticketed attendees," she said.
She said they're expecting President Donald Trump, several members of his family, and several members of the cabinet at the Grand Prix.
