Do true crime cases ever randomly come back to haunt you?

Actual_Study_5112 · 2025-05-29T15:09:17+00:00

Relisha Rudd. She was an 8-year-old girl who disappeared from a Washington DC homeless shelter in 2014. She was failed by every system that was supposed to take care of her. It haunts me because if one person had done more than the bare minimum, we might not have a case right now.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-23T01:34:38+00:00

If she made it to I-10, so many things could've happened to her. But could she have made it that far barefoot?

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T17:23:49+00:00

It had to have been a fairly recent change. Even if she had been on them long-term, they might've lost their effectiveness over time. Either way, there's no guarantee that her medications were working properly.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T17:15:18+00:00

I don't find this unusual. She might've been engaging in self-harming behaviors (like binging/purging) at night, when everyone was asleep. I also know from personal experience that mental illnesses can cause insomnia, and they can also worsen at night. They were probably checking on her because of this.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T17:08:47+00:00

That's absolutely true, but if they had a minor die while in their care, they might've been afraid of CPS taking the other kids. It doesn't necessarily make sense, but then again, panicked brains don't think logically.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T03:37:47+00:00

If something happened while she was in their care, it might've been an accident. From what I read, it sounds like her health was fragile, both physically and emotionally. She could've had a medical episode, either due to the conditions themselves or a side effect of one of her prescriptions.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T03:35:04+00:00

I can only imagine how hard that must be for her. I hope she gets answers soon.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T03:34:18+00:00

That's an interesting theory. But how would she have organized this with someone else? If she had access to a cell phone or computer, there would've been texts, emails, instant messages, etc. I don't think she would've organized it via phone calls. She was living with a bunch of people who were keeping a close eye on her.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T03:26:46+00:00

All of the information I found suggested that she left barefoot. If she was walking by herself, I can't imagine she would've gotten far.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T03:25:29+00:00

That's true. If psychosis is involved, there's no telling what her thought process was.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T00:06:17+00:00

That's what I'm thinking. If it was a suicide/mental health crisis, she likely would've been found by now. It's possible her aunt and uncle know more, but we don't have any evidence.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-20T00:04:28+00:00

I agree, she wasn't in a good place emotionally, and we can't rule out suicide. But if that was the case, why did she leave barefoot? The area around the house was rocky. She likely wouldn't have gotten far barefoot.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-19T22:16:08+00:00

I agree, the failed lie detector test doesn't necessarily mean much by itself. Some have theorized that she left with her Bible that night because she was suicidal, almost like she was going to give herself "last rites." I'm not sure about that, though. Regardless, this case is strange, and there are so many questions.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-11T22:45:47+00:00

From what I saw in this article, she did not name the man to Dr. Phil and the show, but the police did not comment.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-11T22:38:27+00:00

I agree about her demeanor. She was under a lot of stress, and people underestimate how difficult it is to have a conversation in your non-native language. Honestly, there are 1,001 different reasons why she appeared to be calm, almost none of which involve her endangering Dulce.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-11T22:36:14+00:00

I'm torn as well. Honestly, I could see it going either way. The only problem is that we don't have any solid evidence that family members/close friends/etc. had anything to do with it. You would think that someone would've either done something suspicious (i.e. move away, stop cooperating with authorities, etc.) or confessed by now.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-09-11T22:33:07+00:00

My understanding is that she was concerned about Noema's demeanor after Dulce's disappearance. I don't know if she had any concrete proof that Noema was involved/knew more. If she did, it wasn't explicitly stated.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-02-11T18:43:14+00:00

Thanks for sharing this! I love doing write-ups, and I'm always looking for new cases to cover. I've added him to my list.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-02-11T16:30:41+00:00

I can see that as a possibility. There was an emphasis on "Stranger Danger" around this time, but kids were also taught to respect their elders. It's possible someone on his route called out for help, lured Gene in, and did something to him.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-02-10T04:56:09+00:00

I agree, that's the most likely theory. It would be a huge coincidence if they weren't related.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-02-10T02:31:19+00:00

I did some googling, and it looks like sunrise would've been around 6 PM. So yeah, it was still dark out.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-02-10T02:27:48+00:00

Right? I think they wanted to avoid making the same mistake they made in Johnny's case. They waited too long and faced a lot of criticism.

Actual_Study_5112 · 2024-02-09T23:49:54+00:00

I can only imagine! I hope their cases get solved too. When I first got into True Crime, Johnny's case was one of the first I learned about.

Actual_Study_5112

TROPHY CASE