Four people have been indicted and charged with murder on January 22, 2025, for the death of Miya Rudd, the 8-month-old whose remains were discovered inside an Ohio County home in June 2024, according to Kentucky State Police.
Tesla Tucker, Cage C. Rudd, Ricky J. Smith, and Brodie C. Payne, all of Reynolds Station, were each indicted for murder and three counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12 years of age.
According to Kentucky State Police Public Information Officer Trooper Corey King, KSP detectives, with the help of the KSP crime lab, presented to the Ohio County Grand Jury on Friday.
All four remain in jail.
On June 15, 2024, KSP confirmed an infant’s remains consistent with missing 8-month-old Miya Rudd were found at the Rudd residence in Reynolds Station. Reports show that investigators moved their search to the inside of the residence at approximately 1:15 p.m., and that’s when they discovered the decomposed body “hidden in a concealed manner.”
According to a citation obtained by Owensboro Times, the KSP investigator located the remains inside a duffle bag in the front room of the house.
It was not the first time KSP had searched the house, but King said in June 2024 there were so many drugs and drug residue inside that they had to make the residence safe for a more thorough search.
The Ohio County Coroner’s Office transported the remains to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville.
Miya’s parents Tesla Tucker and Cage Rudd, along with Ricky Smith and Brodie Payne, were each charged at the time with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and failure of a person to report the death of a person. Documents show KSP consulted with the Ohio County Commonwealth Attorney to determine those charges.
KSP waited several months for DNA results to come back before they could move forward with the additional charges including murder.
Read here for our detailed coverage about the investigation leading up to the discovery of the remains, including a timeline of arrests and charges.
