Drugs were found next to baby items in an Ohio County home where the remains of a missing 8-month-old child 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 next to a playpen and crib in the home where remains believed to be Miya Rudd’s were found, WLKY reported.
Miya’s parents, Cage Rudd, 30, and Tesla Tucker, 29, along with another man who lived in the home, Brodie Payne, 28, were all indicted Monday on charges including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and failure to report the death of a person.
The three also face 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 they had not 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 on Friday, they found “the decomposing remains of a small child” in a black Adidas duffel bag in the front room of the home, according to a uniform citation filed in the Ohio District Court.
Ohio County Coroner Elvis Doolin said Tuesday he is still awaiting test results to confirm the remains are those of Miya.
A cause of death is also still unknown, he said.
The remains are “consistent” with those of Miya, state police said in a news release Friday.
Tucker was being held at the Ohio County Detention Center on Tuesday, while Rudd and Payne were being held at the Daviess County Detention Center, according to jail websites.
In addition to her parents and Payne, five other people were charged during the search for Miya, four of whom were her grandparents.
The baby’s grandfather, Ricky J. Smith, 56, is charged with first-degree child abuse, abandonment of a minor, participation 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, were caring for Miya’s three siblings after social services removed them from their parents.
When state police searched their home, they seized electronics and arrested both of them. David Tucker, 53, was wanted on a non-payment warrant 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 car at Billie Smith’s house when police went there during the search for Miya. He was charged with second-degree possession of a controlled substance and first-degree possession of a prescription controlled substance not in proper container, state police said.
