Missing 8-month-old’s maternal grandparents arrested, joining parents and other grandparents in custody

DAVIESS CO., Ky. (WFIE/Gray News) - The maternal grandparents of missing 8-month-old Miya Rudd, Taletha and David Tucker, who have been raising her three siblings, were arrested late Wednesday afternoon on warrants, Kentucky State Police said.

Kentucky State Police were at a scene in Daviess County on Wednesday in connection to the search for Miya, according to law enforcement officials. They left around 5 p.m.

Miya hasn’t been seen since late April. Authorities have been searching for her for about a week.

Troopers said they served a search warrant at the Tuckers’ home but didn’t find anything connected to Miya’s case.

The Tuckers are booked in the Daviess County Detention Center in Owensboro, Kentucky. The three other children are now with family services.

Seven people have been arrested since Miya’s disappearance was reported last week, including her parents, Tesla Tucker and Cage Rudd; her grandparents, Ricky Smith and Billie Smith; and Timothy Roach.

Kentucky State Police say family services removed three older siblings some time ago.

They said Miya was born in October, and her umbilical cord tested positive for meth.

Troopers said the intent was for her to join her siblings, but on May 30, other family members notified them they hadn’t seen Miya since late April.

During a search for her, state police say they found the parents with meth and fentanyl pills in plain view at an Owensboro hotel but no baby.

Troopers said the parents told them that family services took the baby. When double-checked against the records of family services, Kentucky State Police said that’s not true.

Kentucky State Police used cadaver dog teams to search the area near the family’s home. Neighbors said they saw troopers thoroughly searching the backyard.

“This is related to a missing kid and you know, that’s scary as hell because you never know who lives around here or what their intentions are or anything else,” said one neighbor.

Officials said they found no evidence of Miya at her grandparents’ home. Earlier this week, officials said there’s still little to go on as to the child’s whereabouts.

“We have no evidence that that’s the case that she’s deceased, but we also don’t have anything to suggest she’s alive either,” said Kentucky State Trooper Corey King. “We’ve gotten little to no information from those who should know the most.”

Wednesday in Daviess County Court Rudd and Ricky Smith made brief court appearances on video from the Daviess County Jail. Both are facing a list of charges including criminal abuse of a minor, abandonment of a minor and engaging in organized crime.

The only movement in their cases was to extend their preliminary hearings a week.

Kentucky State Police is still looking for baby Miya and are planning to bring specialized equipment out to the home she shared with her parents. There’s no word yet on when that’s going to happen.

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