November 5, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: Every year thousands go missing, but not every story makes the news. We explore why with Natalie and Derrica Wilson, founders of the Black and Missing Foundation, and Philip Lewis, president of the Washington Association of Black Journalists. Together, they reveal how race, bias, and systemic failures determine who gets attention and who doesn't. Through the cases of Relisha Rudd, missing from Washington, D.C. since 2014, and Ja’Niyah McMichael, missing from Gary, Indiana since 2024, we delve into the fight to change how missing-persons cases are handled.
If you have information about Relisha Rudd, contact the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C. at 202-727-9099 or the FBI Washington Field Office at 202-278-2000.
If you have information about Ja’Niyah McMichael, contact the Gary Police Department at 219-755-3855 or the FBI Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
Follow the Black and Missing Foundation on social media or visit BlackAndMissingInc.com
for access to the media guide, active cases and other resources. Watch their new docuseries The Vanishing of Relisha Rudd: A Cold Case Reexamined here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tok8hBJu24
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Hunting for Answers is expanding the conversation,
taking it on tour. We're bringing a powerful student centered
panel to college campuses, sparking dialogue about campus safety, relational awareness,
(00:21):
and dating literacy. It all begins December first at Clark
Atlanta University. Stay tuned, Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host, Hunter, and today we're
diving into the questions that don't just shape how cases
(00:41):
are handled. They shape who gets seen and who ultimately
gets justice. Every year, thousands of people go missing in America,
but not every story makes the news. So what determines
which cases get tracks, in which cases go cold? How
(01:04):
do families keep pushing when police stop calling? And what
role can journalists, storytellers, and communities play in shifting that dynamic.
Today we're speaking with two sisters who refuse to accept
the disparities in how missing person's cases are handled, founders
of the Black and Missing Foundation, Natalie and Dereka Wilson,
(01:27):
as well as Philip Lewis, President of the Washington Association
of Black Journalists. The Black and Missing Foundation was born
from a troubling reality. Some missing person stories capture the nation,
while others barely receive a mention.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
There was a young lady by the name of Tamika
Houston who went missing from Derreka's hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina,
and we read how her aunt, who's immedia relations like
I am, really struggled to get national media coverage around
her beautiful niece. And you know, a year later, when
Tamika disappeared, Natalie Holloway vanished and just saying her name alone,
(02:14):
everyone knows her story. And Rebecca reached out to those
same reporters, same network, same programs, and guess what she
was met with? Silence.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
That silence, that difference in urgency, became the spark Natalie
and Dereka decided they wanted to take action.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
We were really disheartened by that, so we, Dereka and
I did some research and at the time we found
that thirty percent of all persons missing were of color,
and we said, let's do something about this. Right, My
background is media relations, Dereka's law enforcement, and those are
the two critical professions needed to find and bring our
(02:56):
missing home.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
That action eight, nearly twenty years ago, has since helped
resolve over five hundred cases across the country, and yet,
as Natalie points out, the numbers have only grown.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
If you fast forward to today, forty percent of all
persons missing are of color, and what we want to
do is ensure that they are household names too.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
To understand why so many families never see their loved
ones again, you have to look at how cases are classified,
because the language used in those first twenty four hours
can determine everything that follows.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Oftentimes, when children disappear, they're classified as runaways. Runaways do
not receive an AMBER alert because it does not meet
the criteria and it doesn't seem as if there's an
urgency in trying to find and bring them home. When
it comes to our adult they like to, oftentime associate
(04:02):
their disappearance with some sort of criminal activity, so it
really dehumanized and desistitize the fact that these are valuable
members of our community.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
That lack of urgency can be fatal. In some states,
families are still told to wait twenty four hours before
filing a missing person's report, even though research shows those
first hours are the most critical.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
We have encounter families on countless times that have gone
to law enforcement, and sadly law enforcement didn't take the
police report, and so by them not taking the police report,
it's not going to even get to the media because
they were not taking the case seriously in the first place.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And when it comes to media coverage, Natalie says, the
barriers extend far beyond the newsroom.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
What we're also seeing is that race, you know, economic status,
and education, they play a role in the barriers to
law enforcement acting or media coverage. And when we started
the organization and even to today, we have conversations with reporters,
people that are reporting on the news and newsrooms in general,
(05:22):
and what we're finding is that there are no policies
or procedures in place when it comes to who gets
to coverage. So if all of us call who makes
that decision, it's a middle aged white man and his
focus is on sponsorship or advertising dollars and I get that, right,
we get that, but there's also a human element to
(05:42):
these individuals that are missing.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
For the Wilsons, changing the narrative means fighting stereotypes, especially
those that strip black victims of their innocence or their humanity.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
When a young African American girl is missing, she's not
seen as a victim. She's adultified, and it's the thought
that she's getting what she deserves or she's from that
sector of society. And again it's changing that narrative.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
And as debates over diversity in media and policing continue,
Natalie says, this isn't a political issue, it's a human one.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Diversity does matter. I know that there's an attack on DEI,
but this is not a DEI matter. This is a
human rights issue. Where forty percent of the missing population
are people of color and that's reported missing. We believe
the numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Are much higher for dereka. She says, what determines whether
someone is searched for or forgotten often comes down to discretion.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
We have to take away the discretion. Last year, we
released our best Practice guy for law enforcement for missing
persons investigations, and we need holistic policies and how these
cases are handled. It shouldn't be based on race, gender,
a zip code. It needs to be in black and
white the procedures so regardless of anyone's race, gender, and
(07:16):
zip code, the cases are handled in the same manner
with the same urgency and the same resources.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Every statistic hides a story. A mother who still searches
the neighborhood looking for a clue, a sibling who checks
their phone every morning hoping for an update. Natalie and
Dereka have gotten to know those families personally. They've helped
so many navigate the unthinkable.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
So we help them from a through the through c
It's a very holistic approach. We ensure that a police
report is on file, and once we have all of
the information, including a picture, we upload that information to
our database and we share it on social media. We
also share it with local and national media outlets and
(08:07):
our media partners, and we have boots on the ground too,
you know, distributing flyers because we believe that someone knows something.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
But in an age of online scams and misinformation, even
searching can be dangerous.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
We remove the onus from the families by putting our
information and law enforcements information on the flyer because we
have been finding that families are being scammed and being
taken advantage of.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
And just to add to what Natalie stated, the families
love that aspect as well as law enforcement because there
is a lack of trust when it comes to the
black and brown community. You know, there are many times
that we get information and we have to share with
law enforcement because community members just don't find the trust
(08:58):
in law enforcement. You know, we're constantly working with our
law enforcement partners. I know Nllie will talk about our
partners with the media, but we're constantly working with them
to strengthen that relationship because we know that there is
staffing issues and staffing shortages, and so for us to
be able to utilize our platform, our connection with the
(09:22):
community and the families that we're serving is helping them
in the long run with getting these cases, you know, resolved.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
March twenty fourteen, an eight year old girl named Relitia
Rudd vanishes from a DC shelter where her family had
been staying. Till this day, her disappearance remains one of
the most haunting child cases in recent memory.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
She was eight years old when she disappeared in March
twenty fourteen, and this month, in October twenty ninth, she
will be turning twenty years Can you believe that for.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
The Wilsons, relicious case embodies everything the Foundation fights against,
a truth they explore in their new docuseries The Vanishing
of Relisha Rudd, A cold case re Examined.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
We have created a short docuseries that we are releasing
on relicious birthday on our YouTube channel, with never before
seen interviews with law enforcement, with media who covered it,
and with some of her family members. So we're hoping
that you know, your viewers will subscribe to our YouTube channel,
(10:39):
which is b A m FI or RG to just
take a look at the new information that's out there
and they can hold the key to help find and
bring her home or at least get justice for what
happened to Relitia.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
You know, we look at Relicious case, she was very vulnerable.
Her and her family. They lived in a homeless shelter
and you know, just the day to day and sometime
we ask people we're planning our strategic plans for the
next six months, for the next year, and some are
just in survival mode, and sadly, those individuals are vulnerable
(11:18):
and they become targets of those that have ill will
against them. We also notice that in Relicious particular case,
there were so many systems that failed her. You know,
while are not showing up for school or even the
janitor who worked at the homeless shelter. He should not
have been around kids.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
That janitor, later identified as Khalil Tatum, took his own
life just days after Litia disappeared, leaving behind more questions
than answers. The search for Militia Rudd continues over a
decade later, more than ten years later, the same heartbreak
(12:00):
and the same failures would repeat themselves in another city.
In August twenty twenty four, another young girl goes missing,
thirteen year old Jania McMichael from Gary, Indiana, and again
a familiar pattern unfolds.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Jania was thirteen years old when she went missing from Gary, Indiana,
and she was initially classified as a runaway by law enforcement.
So again she didn't get that media coverage, and we
jumped right in and reached out to our media partners,
really just trying to pound a pavement to find out
(12:39):
what happened to her. Her grandmother indicated that she didn't
run away from home, and we believe that Jania is
critically missing.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
By the time law enforcement took her case seriously, critical
time had passed. The FBI is now involved, but Jania
remains missing. More than a year later.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
We have received a few tips. We have turned that
over to law enforcement to investigate. But sadly, Janaiya is
now fourteen years old and she's still missing. It has
been over a year now since she disappeared from her home.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Two girls, two different cities, ten years apart. Visibility can
save lives, but only if the media chooses to see you.
For the Wilsons, every platform is a potential lifeline.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Well, first, I want to commend the Black Press. I
mean they have been working with us hand in hand
to get these stories the visibility that they need. But
we also have some big names too, like Dateline. I
mean we have been on the View a couple of
times and because of that, you know the show being
(13:57):
aired within fourteen minutes, we were able to find a
missing young girl. So again that's the power of media.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Add another partner that we have, we have a segment
that comes on bi weekly on the Reels channel on
Patrol Live where we're able to take actual missing person
cases and share it with OP Nation as we call it,
to help us solve these cases. And we've had great
success in featuring missing person cases on the show, whether
(14:28):
it's fy reunions or providing answers to the family for
those that had an outcome that none of us expected.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
However, the goal isn't just to get a headline, is
to change the standard for how every missing person's case
is handled.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Our local DC chapter is working with us to help
us not only bring about change through the media guide,
but to spotlight these cases because time is of the essence.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
As Dereka mentioned at local partnership grew into something bigger,
a formal collaboration between the Black and Missing Foundation and
the Washington Association of Black Journalists. Together, they launched a
task force and a national media guide designed to teach
(15:17):
reporters how to cover missing persons of color with the
dignity and attention every case deserves.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Natalie is a member of the Washington Association Black Journalists,
of which I'm the president. We are the DC Maryland,
Virginia arm of the National Association of Black Journalists. This
is our fiftieth year as an organization. We are a
chapter of over four hundred and fifty journalists, students, teachers,
(15:51):
media related professionals, and when I became president January, I
wanted to make sure that we were more involved in
advocacy and being in the committee, and so Natalie had
reached out to me and said like, hey, you know,
because this this idea that that we have to sort
of join. Are our two organizations of the Black Missing
(16:13):
Foundation and the Washington Sociation Journalists.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
The task Force, made up of journalists, other media professionals,
and advocates from across the country, aims to dismantle old
patterns of bias from within newsrooms.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
There's like, I have a full of people on this
on this tas first committee and what it was pretty
much a collaborative effort. So everybody came together and as
we were putting, as we were meeting to put together
the guy, we went through decided on what would be
the most important pieces to add to the guy, what
should we take out, what should remove And we also
(16:53):
created committees. So there were some there were some committees
where after we you know, would leave them meeting, they
were like, Okay, this committee's going to focus on this
one thing. So maybe this committee's focused on how to
reach out to families. This committee is focused on how
newsrooms should ethically cover definal mud shots right, like should
(17:15):
there be much shots? So there were different there were
different committees that were broken down in that capacity too.
And as far as outreach, what's really great about the
Black and Missing Foundations that they've been doing this for
a long time, right, so that they have a lot
of they have a lot of connections personal fecations with
media outlets. And so the idea was to create this
(17:36):
task force that will help newsrooms and reporters better understand
how to cover missing persons of color.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
For decades, the mainstream definition of newsworthy was shaped through
a narrow lens, and Philip says that's still the biggest barrier.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
At the beginning of what we what we considered to
be the news, the journalism, or journalism, it's predominantly been
stories practiced by white men, right like, that's that's how
it's that's how it's been for for as long as
you know, anybody I can't remember, right. And so what
that means is a lot of coverage is colored by
(18:20):
how white men when people view what is deemed to
be important, right And so when when we'recovering these when
missing persons are being covered, usually these stories are uh
missing white women, white people. That is, people in journalism
(18:43):
view themselves as the main people of the main characters,
right like in the stories.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
But this new media guide is changing that.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
There's a section in the in the Media Guy that
helps explain to people like here's how they connect with families,
Here's how to talk with families. Here's the best pathways
and best avenues to get these to get these stories told.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
The work of the Black and Missing Foundation and the
WABJ shows what's possible when the community refuses to look away.
Before social media, missing person posters were stable to street lights,
a desperate hope that the ripe pair of eyes might
pass by. Now those same eyes are scrolling, sharing, and
(19:35):
amplifying online. For the Black and Missing Foundation, that shift
has been nothing short of revolutionary. For every lead they post,
there's a chance someone recognizes a face, remembers a car,
or rethinks a story they saw once but didn't report.
(19:57):
Sometimes justice begins with a single repost. But awareness isn't
just about algorithms. It's also trust, and that's something Natalie
and Erica have learned must be rebuilt case by case.
Every hour without coverage means fewer eyes, fewer tips, and
(20:20):
fewer leads.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
That's another thing that we're finding is that the community
or law enforcement and the media believes that no one
is looking for these individuals. Well, yes, they're families that
love them and they're looking for.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Them every case. Natalie and Dereka take on Carrie's pain,
but it also carries purpose because every story they tell
there's a chance to bring someone home.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Well, like you said, we help thousands of families try
to get answers, and many times the answers isn't the
outcome that we expected, but at least they know what
happened to their life. Ones.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
We've seen miracles happen, and we don't want the families,
we don't want.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
The community to give up on hope.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
So we have to continue to shine us spotlight because
the moment that we don't, it gives the perception that
the person is no longer missing. So we want to
continue to amplify these stories as much as possible so
we can find and bring them home or bring answers
our justice to the families, because they deserve that.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
As we close out this episode, remember to follow the
Black and Missing Foundation on social media and visit the
Black and Missinginc. Dot com to access the media by
active cases and resources. Watch the Vanishing of Relicia Red,
a cold case re Examined on the Foundation's YouTube channel,
(21:51):
and most importantly, share Relicia Red and Jeniah McMichael's stories.
Your voice can help spread awareness and spark leads in
their cases. If you have any information about whre Litia Red,
contact the Metropolitan Police Department of DC or the FBI
Washington Field Office. If you have any information about Jenna McMichael,
(22:16):
call the Gary Police Department or the FBI tipline. You
can find all of that information in the description below.
Don't forget to follow Hunting for Answers for updates on
these cases and others like them. Subscribe on YouTube, and
follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more true crime
stories and case updates. Thank you so much for joining
(22:39):
us on another episode. Until next time. Hunting for Answers
is a production of the Black Black Effect Podcast Network.
(23:02):
For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Hunting for Answers is expanding the conversation,
taking it on tour. We're bringing a powerful student centered
panel to college campuses, sparking dialogue about campus safety, relational awareness,
(00:21):
and dating literacy. It all begins December first at Clark
Atlanta University. Stay tuned, Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host, Hunter, and today we're
diving into the questions that don't just shape how cases
(00:41):
are handled. They shape who gets seen and who ultimately
gets justice. Every year, thousands of people go missing in America,
but not every story makes the news. So what determines
which cases get tracks, in which cases go cold? How
(01:04):
do families keep pushing when police stop calling? And what
role can journalists, storytellers, and communities play in shifting that dynamic.
Today we're speaking with two sisters who refuse to accept
the disparities in how missing person's cases are handled, founders
of the Black and Missing Foundation, Natalie and Dereka Wilson,
(01:27):
as well as Philip Lewis, President of the Washington Association
of Black Journalists. The Black and Missing Foundation was born
from a troubling reality. Some missing person stories capture the nation,
while others barely receive a mention.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
There was a young lady by the name of Tamika
Houston who went missing from Derreka's hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina,
and we read how her aunt, who's immedia relations like
I am, really struggled to get national media coverage around
her beautiful niece. And you know, a year later, when
Tamika disappeared, Natalie Holloway vanished and just saying her name alone,
(02:14):
everyone knows her story. And Rebecca reached out to those
same reporters, same network, same programs, and guess what she
was met with? Silence.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
That silence, that difference in urgency, became the spark Natalie
and Dereka decided they wanted to take action.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
We were really disheartened by that, so we, Dereka and
I did some research and at the time we found
that thirty percent of all persons missing were of color,
and we said, let's do something about this. Right, My
background is media relations, Dereka's law enforcement, and those are
the two critical professions needed to find and bring our
(02:56):
missing home.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
That action eight, nearly twenty years ago, has since helped
resolve over five hundred cases across the country, and yet,
as Natalie points out, the numbers have only grown.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
If you fast forward to today, forty percent of all
persons missing are of color, and what we want to
do is ensure that they are household names too.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
To understand why so many families never see their loved
ones again, you have to look at how cases are classified,
because the language used in those first twenty four hours
can determine everything that follows.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Oftentimes, when children disappear, they're classified as runaways. Runaways do
not receive an AMBER alert because it does not meet
the criteria and it doesn't seem as if there's an
urgency in trying to find and bring them home. When
it comes to our adult they like to, oftentime associate
(04:02):
their disappearance with some sort of criminal activity, so it
really dehumanized and desistitize the fact that these are valuable
members of our community.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
That lack of urgency can be fatal. In some states,
families are still told to wait twenty four hours before
filing a missing person's report, even though research shows those
first hours are the most critical.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
We have encounter families on countless times that have gone
to law enforcement, and sadly law enforcement didn't take the
police report, and so by them not taking the police report,
it's not going to even get to the media because
they were not taking the case seriously in the first place.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And when it comes to media coverage, Natalie says, the
barriers extend far beyond the newsroom.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
What we're also seeing is that race, you know, economic status,
and education, they play a role in the barriers to
law enforcement acting or media coverage. And when we started
the organization and even to today, we have conversations with reporters,
people that are reporting on the news and newsrooms in general,
(05:22):
and what we're finding is that there are no policies
or procedures in place when it comes to who gets
to coverage. So if all of us call who makes
that decision, it's a middle aged white man and his
focus is on sponsorship or advertising dollars and I get that, right,
we get that, but there's also a human element to
(05:42):
these individuals that are missing.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
For the Wilsons, changing the narrative means fighting stereotypes, especially
those that strip black victims of their innocence or their humanity.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
When a young African American girl is missing, she's not
seen as a victim. She's adultified, and it's the thought
that she's getting what she deserves or she's from that
sector of society. And again it's changing that narrative.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
And as debates over diversity in media and policing continue,
Natalie says, this isn't a political issue, it's a human one.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Diversity does matter. I know that there's an attack on DEI,
but this is not a DEI matter. This is a
human rights issue. Where forty percent of the missing population
are people of color and that's reported missing. We believe
the numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Are much higher for dereka. She says, what determines whether
someone is searched for or forgotten often comes down to discretion.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
We have to take away the discretion. Last year, we
released our best Practice guy for law enforcement for missing
persons investigations, and we need holistic policies and how these
cases are handled. It shouldn't be based on race, gender,
a zip code. It needs to be in black and
white the procedures so regardless of anyone's race, gender, and
(07:16):
zip code, the cases are handled in the same manner
with the same urgency and the same resources.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Every statistic hides a story. A mother who still searches
the neighborhood looking for a clue, a sibling who checks
their phone every morning hoping for an update. Natalie and
Dereka have gotten to know those families personally. They've helped
so many navigate the unthinkable.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
So we help them from a through the through c
It's a very holistic approach. We ensure that a police
report is on file, and once we have all of
the information, including a picture, we upload that information to
our database and we share it on social media. We
also share it with local and national media outlets and
(08:07):
our media partners, and we have boots on the ground too,
you know, distributing flyers because we believe that someone knows something.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
But in an age of online scams and misinformation, even
searching can be dangerous.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
We remove the onus from the families by putting our
information and law enforcements information on the flyer because we
have been finding that families are being scammed and being
taken advantage of.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
And just to add to what Natalie stated, the families
love that aspect as well as law enforcement because there
is a lack of trust when it comes to the
black and brown community. You know, there are many times
that we get information and we have to share with
law enforcement because community members just don't find the trust
(08:58):
in law enforcement. You know, we're constantly working with our
law enforcement partners. I know Nllie will talk about our
partners with the media, but we're constantly working with them
to strengthen that relationship because we know that there is
staffing issues and staffing shortages, and so for us to
be able to utilize our platform, our connection with the
(09:22):
community and the families that we're serving is helping them
in the long run with getting these cases, you know, resolved.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
March twenty fourteen, an eight year old girl named Relitia
Rudd vanishes from a DC shelter where her family had
been staying. Till this day, her disappearance remains one of
the most haunting child cases in recent memory.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
She was eight years old when she disappeared in March
twenty fourteen, and this month, in October twenty ninth, she
will be turning twenty years Can you believe that for.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
The Wilsons, relicious case embodies everything the Foundation fights against,
a truth they explore in their new docuseries The Vanishing
of Relisha Rudd, A cold case re Examined.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
We have created a short docuseries that we are releasing
on relicious birthday on our YouTube channel, with never before
seen interviews with law enforcement, with media who covered it,
and with some of her family members. So we're hoping
that you know, your viewers will subscribe to our YouTube channel,
(10:39):
which is b A m FI or RG to just
take a look at the new information that's out there
and they can hold the key to help find and
bring her home or at least get justice for what
happened to Relitia.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
You know, we look at Relicious case, she was very vulnerable.
Her and her family. They lived in a homeless shelter
and you know, just the day to day and sometime
we ask people we're planning our strategic plans for the
next six months, for the next year, and some are
just in survival mode, and sadly, those individuals are vulnerable
(11:18):
and they become targets of those that have ill will
against them. We also notice that in Relicious particular case,
there were so many systems that failed her. You know,
while are not showing up for school or even the
janitor who worked at the homeless shelter. He should not
have been around kids.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
That janitor, later identified as Khalil Tatum, took his own
life just days after Litia disappeared, leaving behind more questions
than answers. The search for Militia Rudd continues over a
decade later, more than ten years later, the same heartbreak
(12:00):
and the same failures would repeat themselves in another city.
In August twenty twenty four, another young girl goes missing,
thirteen year old Jania McMichael from Gary, Indiana, and again
a familiar pattern unfolds.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Jania was thirteen years old when she went missing from Gary, Indiana,
and she was initially classified as a runaway by law enforcement.
So again she didn't get that media coverage, and we
jumped right in and reached out to our media partners,
really just trying to pound a pavement to find out
(12:39):
what happened to her. Her grandmother indicated that she didn't
run away from home, and we believe that Jania is
critically missing.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
By the time law enforcement took her case seriously, critical
time had passed. The FBI is now involved, but Jania
remains missing. More than a year later.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
We have received a few tips. We have turned that
over to law enforcement to investigate. But sadly, Janaiya is
now fourteen years old and she's still missing. It has
been over a year now since she disappeared from her home.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Two girls, two different cities, ten years apart. Visibility can
save lives, but only if the media chooses to see you.
For the Wilsons, every platform is a potential lifeline.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Well, first, I want to commend the Black Press. I
mean they have been working with us hand in hand
to get these stories the visibility that they need. But
we also have some big names too, like Dateline. I
mean we have been on the View a couple of
times and because of that, you know the show being
(13:57):
aired within fourteen minutes, we were able to find a
missing young girl. So again that's the power of media.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Add another partner that we have, we have a segment
that comes on bi weekly on the Reels channel on
Patrol Live where we're able to take actual missing person
cases and share it with OP Nation as we call it,
to help us solve these cases. And we've had great
success in featuring missing person cases on the show, whether
(14:28):
it's fy reunions or providing answers to the family for
those that had an outcome that none of us expected.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
However, the goal isn't just to get a headline, is
to change the standard for how every missing person's case
is handled.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Our local DC chapter is working with us to help
us not only bring about change through the media guide,
but to spotlight these cases because time is of the essence.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
As Dereka mentioned at local partnership grew into something bigger,
a formal collaboration between the Black and Missing Foundation and
the Washington Association of Black Journalists. Together, they launched a
task force and a national media guide designed to teach
(15:17):
reporters how to cover missing persons of color with the
dignity and attention every case deserves.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Natalie is a member of the Washington Association Black Journalists,
of which I'm the president. We are the DC Maryland,
Virginia arm of the National Association of Black Journalists. This
is our fiftieth year as an organization. We are a
chapter of over four hundred and fifty journalists, students, teachers,
(15:51):
media related professionals, and when I became president January, I
wanted to make sure that we were more involved in
advocacy and being in the committee, and so Natalie had
reached out to me and said like, hey, you know,
because this this idea that that we have to sort
of join. Are our two organizations of the Black Missing
(16:13):
Foundation and the Washington Sociation Journalists.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
The task Force, made up of journalists, other media professionals,
and advocates from across the country, aims to dismantle old
patterns of bias from within newsrooms.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
There's like, I have a full of people on this
on this tas first committee and what it was pretty
much a collaborative effort. So everybody came together and as
we were putting, as we were meeting to put together
the guy, we went through decided on what would be
the most important pieces to add to the guy, what
should we take out, what should remove And we also
(16:53):
created committees. So there were some there were some committees
where after we you know, would leave them meeting, they
were like, Okay, this committee's going to focus on this
one thing. So maybe this committee's focused on how to
reach out to families. This committee is focused on how
newsrooms should ethically cover definal mud shots right, like should
(17:15):
there be much shots? So there were different there were
different committees that were broken down in that capacity too.
And as far as outreach, what's really great about the
Black and Missing Foundations that they've been doing this for
a long time, right, so that they have a lot
of they have a lot of connections personal fecations with
media outlets. And so the idea was to create this
(17:36):
task force that will help newsrooms and reporters better understand
how to cover missing persons of color.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
For decades, the mainstream definition of newsworthy was shaped through
a narrow lens, and Philip says that's still the biggest barrier.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
At the beginning of what we what we considered to
be the news, the journalism, or journalism, it's predominantly been
stories practiced by white men, right like, that's that's how
it's that's how it's been for for as long as
you know, anybody I can't remember, right. And so what
that means is a lot of coverage is colored by
(18:20):
how white men when people view what is deemed to
be important, right And so when when we'recovering these when
missing persons are being covered, usually these stories are uh
missing white women, white people. That is, people in journalism
(18:43):
view themselves as the main people of the main characters,
right like in the stories.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
But this new media guide is changing that.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
There's a section in the in the Media Guy that
helps explain to people like here's how they connect with families,
Here's how to talk with families. Here's the best pathways
and best avenues to get these to get these stories told.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
The work of the Black and Missing Foundation and the
WABJ shows what's possible when the community refuses to look away.
Before social media, missing person posters were stable to street lights,
a desperate hope that the ripe pair of eyes might
pass by. Now those same eyes are scrolling, sharing, and
(19:35):
amplifying online. For the Black and Missing Foundation, that shift
has been nothing short of revolutionary. For every lead they post,
there's a chance someone recognizes a face, remembers a car,
or rethinks a story they saw once but didn't report.
(19:57):
Sometimes justice begins with a single repost. But awareness isn't
just about algorithms. It's also trust, and that's something Natalie
and Erica have learned must be rebuilt case by case.
Every hour without coverage means fewer eyes, fewer tips, and
(20:20):
fewer leads.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
That's another thing that we're finding is that the community
or law enforcement and the media believes that no one
is looking for these individuals. Well, yes, they're families that
love them and they're looking for.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Them every case. Natalie and Dereka take on Carrie's pain,
but it also carries purpose because every story they tell
there's a chance to bring someone home.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Well, like you said, we help thousands of families try
to get answers, and many times the answers isn't the
outcome that we expected, but at least they know what
happened to their life. Ones.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
We've seen miracles happen, and we don't want the families,
we don't want.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
The community to give up on hope.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
So we have to continue to shine us spotlight because
the moment that we don't, it gives the perception that
the person is no longer missing. So we want to
continue to amplify these stories as much as possible so
we can find and bring them home or bring answers
our justice to the families, because they deserve that.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
As we close out this episode, remember to follow the
Black and Missing Foundation on social media and visit the
Black and Missinginc. Dot com to access the media by
active cases and resources. Watch the Vanishing of Relicia Red,
a cold case re Examined on the Foundation's YouTube channel,
(21:51):
and most importantly, share Relicia Red and Jeniah McMichael's stories.
Your voice can help spread awareness and spark leads in
their cases. If you have any information about whre Litia Red,
contact the Metropolitan Police Department of DC or the FBI
Washington Field Office. If you have any information about Jenna McMichael,
(22:16):
call the Gary Police Department or the FBI tipline. You
can find all of that information in the description below.
Don't forget to follow Hunting for Answers for updates on
these cases and others like them. Subscribe on YouTube, and
follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more true crime
stories and case updates. Thank you so much for joining
(22:39):
us on another episode. Until next time. Hunting for Answers
is a production of the Black Black Effect Podcast Network.
(23:02):
For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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