Drugs were next to playpen in house where remains thought to be missing baby were found
Drugs were found next to baby gear inside an Ohio County home where remains thought to be those of a missing 8-month-old were discovered last week.
A Kentucky State Police detective testified in court Monday that Narcan and a bag with methamphetamine residue on it were found alongside a playpen and bassinet in the house where the remains thought to belong to Miya Rudd were found, WLKY reported.
Miya’s parents, Cage Rudd, 30, and Tesla Tucker, 29, along with another man who had been living in the home, Brodie Payne, 28, were all arraigned Monday on charges including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and failure to report the death of a person.
The three are also facing a number of other charges related to drug trafficking, and the parents have been charged with first-degree child abuse and child abandonment.
The search for Miya began after family members reported that they hadn’t seen her since late April.
When state police and the medical examiner conducted a search of the home on Deanfield Church Road in Reynolds Station Friday, they found “the decomposing remains of a small child” inside a black Adidas duffel bag in the front room of the house, according to a uniform citation filed in Ohio District Court.
Ohio County Coroner Elvis Doolin said Tuesday that he is still awaiting test results to confirm the remains are those of Miya.
A cause of death is also still not known, he said.
The remains are “consistent” with Miya, state police said in a news release Friday.
Tucker was being held Tuesday in the Ohio County Detention Center, while Rudd and Payne were being held in the Daviess County Detention Center, according to the jails’ websites.
In addition to her parents and Payne, five other people were charged during the search for Miya, four of whom are her grandparents.
The baby’s grandfather, Ricky J. Smith, 56, is charged with first-degree child abuse, abandonment of a minor, engaging in organized crime and numerous drug-related charges.
Her grandmother, Billie Smith, 49, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for second-degree assault — domestic violence, when state police went to her home looking for Miya.
Miya’s other grandparents, David and Taletha Tucker, of Owensboro, had been caring for Miya’s three siblings because social services had removed them from the parents.
When state police searched their home, they seized electronics and arrested both of them. David Tucker, 53, was wanted on a warrant for non-payment in a previous case, and Taletha D. Tucker, 50, was charged with being a fugitive from Indiana.
Timothy Roach, 37, was seen throwing drugs under his vehicle at Billie Smith’s home when police went there during the search for Miya. He was charged with second-degree possession of a controlled substance and first-degree prescription controlled substance not in proper container, state police said.
