As the search for a missing 8-year-old girl enters its second week, officials are now acknowledging there were problems issuing her Amber Alert.
Relisha Rudd was reported missing last Wednesday by her school's administrators. An Amber Alert was issued the next day inside D.C. and to D.C. phones.
Officials with Maryland and Virginia state police have said they were not contacted by D.C. Police to request an Amber Alert in their states, though D.C.'s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Paul Quander disagrees.
"They did receive it," Quander said. "We verified that. One of the things that we are working on with each jurisdiction is once you receive it, what are the procedures to make sure it gets to the right authority?"
As of Wednesday afternoon, officials with Maryland and Virginia state police departments said they still had not received any requests from D.C. Police.
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They said they even contacted D.C. Police offering their assistance.
"I think it's an internal issue for other states," Quander said. "We are going to use this as a learning tool for everyone in the region. The responsibility of D.C. is to get it out -- and we did. We have documentation, we sent it out and it was received."
News4's Mark Segraves has requested that documentation.
Sources tell News4 Relisha's mother has refused to sign a missing persons report, further complicating the case.
Police say Relisha was last seen Feb. 26 at a homeless shelter in southeast D.C., and she may be with 51-year-old Kahlil Tatum -- who worked as a janitor at the shelter. Kahlil is also wanted in the shooting death of his wife Andrea Tatum, who was found in an Oxon Hill Red Roof Inn during the search for Relisha.
A $50,000 reward is being offered by the FBI and Prince George's County Police for information leading to Relisha and Tatum. Call 911 if you have seen either of them.
