Parents among those indicted in murder of 8-month-old in Ohio County

OHIO COUNTY, Ky. – Four people have been indicted in Ohio County for the murder of eight-month-old Miya Rudd in April 2024.

Miya Rudd’s parents, 30-year-old Tesla Tucker and 31-year-old Cage Rudd, along with her paternal grandfather, 57-year-old Ricky Smith and a family friend, 29-year-old Brodie Payne, all from Reynolds Station, Kentucky, were recently indicted by an Ohio County Grand Jury for murder and three counts of criminal abuse of a child.

Miya Rudd went missing in late April of 2024.

After an intensive investigation involving several law enforcement agencies, her decomposed body was found hidden in a duffel bag inside the residence where she lived with her parents, Smith and Payne, on June 14, 2024.

Miya Rudd’s grandmother, 50-year-old Taletha Tucker, had been granted custody of Tesla Tucker’s three children, however, it was determined she violated a court order by allowing the children to continue to live with their mother.

Miya Rudd’s parents, Smith and Payne, are currently incarcerated.