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- [00:02]
A
You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast. Well, the holidays have come and gone once again, but if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift, well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half off unlimited wireless. So here's the idea. You get it now. You call it an early present for next year. What do you have to lose? Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch limited time 50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for 12 month plan taxes and fees. Extra speeds may slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy see Terms hi True Crime listeners, Tenderfoot wants to hear from you. We just launched a survey and we want to know about your favorite shows, your merch requests and what you'd like to listen to in 2026. Share your feedback and you might be one of the winners. To receive free merch and a $100Amazon gift card. Head over to Tenorfoot TV Survey for more. Thanks again. Now here's the show. Hi friends. I am so excited to share this new episode of True Crime with you. If you want to listen ad free and get early access to all the episodes for this month's case, you can subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. It's also one of the best ways to support the show. Hi Friends. Today's bonus episode brings us back to a case we covered in season one of True Crime, the disappearance of eight year old Relisha Rudd. In 2014, Relisha vanished from a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter where she had been living with her family. Surveillance footage later showed her leaving with a janitor who worked there. She wasn't officially reported missing, though for 18 days and more than a decade later, she's still never been found. Recently, the Black and Missing foundation released a two part docuseries on YouTube titled the Vanishing of Relisha A Cold Case Re examined. The series revisits the case, including interviews with members of Relisha's family and relooking at what went wrong and what questions we still have. So today I'm speaking with Derica Wilson and Natalie Wilson, the co founders of the Black and Missing foundation. For nearly 20 years, they've worked to amplify cases involving missing people of color and to support families navigating a system that so often feels inconsistent and uneven. In this conversation we talk about media coverage, gaps, reporting delays, alert systems that don't always get activated and what it means to advocate inside a structure that doesn't respond equally to every child. I hope you enjoy it. Let's dive in. Hi, Derecka and Natalie. I am so excited to be able to have you on Truer Crime today to chat about your important work. And so I want to just jump in with both of you, maybe taking a moment to introduce yourselves and explain how you came together to found the Black and Missing Foundation.
- [03:13]
B
Hi, my name is Natalie Wilson, and I'm the co founder of the Black and Missing Foundation. And for close to 18 years now, Derek and I have been sounding the alarm that people of color are disappearing at an alarming rate. And typically their cases are under the radar. And when I say under the radar, I mean that they're not getting law enforcement resources or media attention, which definitely impacts the community engagement. And the inspiration behind the organization is a young lady by the name of Tameka Houston who went missing from Derecka's hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. And we read how her family, particularly her aunt Rebecca, really struggled to get media coverage and national media coverage surrounding her beautiful niece. Now, a year later, after Tameka disappeared, Natalee Holloway vanished. And we all know her name. We all know her story. So Derek and I were pretty upset by this, and we decided to do some research. And at the time, we found that 30% of all persons missing were men. And we said, why not do something about it, right? Derek's background is law enforcement. Mine is public relations or media relations. And those are the two critical professions that needed to help find and bring our missing home. And if you fast forward to today, 40% of all persons missing are of color.
- [04:46]
A
It's really important work that you're doing, especially to bring attention to these cases that often aren't getting the tension that they deserve. And one case that really has always stayed with me is Relishia Rudd's case. This is a case that we covered in season one of True or Crime. And it's a case that you recently released an update documentary about in this last last year. So I'm curious, Derek, could you remember the moment that Relicious case first came onto your radar and what sort of stood out to you about her story as someone with a law enforcement background?
- [05:20]
C
Relicious case came to us by at the time, the deputy police chief, DIANE groans. She reached out directly to us asking for our assistance and amplifying Relish's case. One of the things that really stood out for me, especially being in law enforcement, is the amount of time. Relisha had been missing from the time that it was actually reported to law enforcement. You know, we know that time is of the essence. And, you know, according to law enforcement as well as the surveillance, you know, she was last seen on March 1, and it took about 18 days before her case was even reported to law enforcement. And it was very telling for me that someone or something or some entities had literally dropped the ball.
- [06:18]
A
One of the things that we covered heavily in the truer crime telling of Relicia's case were just all of these systems that surrounded Relisha and failed to protect her. Derek, to your point, there were a lot of things that, you know, just kind of indicated like something went wrong here. But so what do you feel like from each of your perspectives? What were those key systems that failed to protect her? And how do those failures kind of shape the course of her case? And how is it impacting the case today?
- [06:45]
C
One of the failures was the actual shelter itself, which has since been shut down, allowing someone like Khalil Tatum to work there with his background and work around children and families who should have never been hired to work there. We also have to applaud the school, the elementary school that Relisha attended, because there was a vigilant staff member who recognized that something clearly was not right, that Relisha had been gone for an extensive period of time and felt the need to report it. And, you know, we all have that question in the back of our mind. What if that vigilant staff member never reported it? You know, we may not have ever known about Relisha, and quite frankly, how many other relishes are out there?
- [07:34]
B
And from my perspective, and to piggyback on what Derecka had said, how does a child, an 8 year old girl, go missing for more than 18 days and no one, no one recognized that at all. So I think it starts with her family and from interviewing them, there were so many inconsistencies in the responses. With grandma, you know, her mother, her stepfather, no one really kept up with this child. You know, if you listen to our podcast and our documentary, her mother and grandmother thought she was with her aunt or she was with this janitor, Tatum. So no one really knew where she was. And as Derek mentioned, you know, the systems that were in place, the shelter, and if you peel back the layers, why was she in the shelter in the first place? And she and her family, Right, and how many relishes are there from the D.C. general, which is no longer open, but across the country. And we're not keeping up with these kids and we believe because they are homeless, they're poor, they're not seen or valued as a community and we need to do a better job in protecting them.
- [08:57]
D
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- [09:53]
E
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- [10:52]
C
Par les tu francais habla espanol Parle italiano?
- [10:55]
D
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- [11:24]
A
I think in Relisha Rudd's case, one of the things that was sort of interesting to me, especially as I was diving into the story for truer crime, was just this tension between how Relisha's family was treated, particularly her mother, and this idea that, you know, some people have that maybe her mother was involved in it, or maybe there were family members who were involved in. How do you sort of balance those things, making sure that the family feels that you're there to help and support them, but also knowing that family members might be considered to be involved, especially in these cases where these issues are so sensitive.
- [12:01]
C
Well, these cases are very sensitive. But what we want to do is really bridge the gap with law enforcement and with the media. We're here to help these families find out what happened.
- [12:14]
B
And.
- [12:15]
C
And one of the things that has been beneficial for families as well as law enforcement, is the fact that there is a lack of trust when it comes to the black and brown community in law enforcement. Right. So there are times that we get information and tips, and we have to share that with law enforcement because the community chooses not to share that with law enforcement, if that makes sense.
- [12:38]
B
And from my perspective, as Derecka said, when you're dealing with a missing person, especially a missing child, it is very emotional, and our community is very invested in Relish case. Here it is, 12 years after she disappeared, people still ask us, what happened to her? What do you think happened? So we don't prescribe to anyone bullying person, but we understand the frustration in not getting information about Alicia, what happened to her. And the community feels as though that the mother is the person who would have those answers. So we understand the frustration, but we tend to tune out the noise and just focus on what we have to do, which is, again, bringing awareness, making sure that the resources are there to find this missing individual.
- [13:36]
A
I'd love to take a second to kind of zoom out a little bit beyond Relish's case, kind of talk about how cases of black folks, other folks of color, are handled, particularly in the media? So, Natalie, from your perspective, what patterns do you kind of see in how black children's cases are covered? Is that different than how other folks of color's cases are covered?
- [13:57]
B
Well, I will say, since we started the organization, we have made great strides. Only 7% of our missing received national media coverage. And now we're seeing more and more of our missing, getting that awareness, that media coverage. But again, we still have a lot more work to do. And that is, making sure that the individual is covered in a. In a way that shows them in the best light possible, and that includes imagery. Many times we would provide the reporter with pictures that the family provided, and the reporter will go on their social media platform and choose unflattering pictures. Right. Or images. And we want to do away with that. We want to ensure that there's coverage, timely coverage, because time is of the essence when someone goes missing, because this is a matter of life or death. We, you know, late last year published a media guide, and that was created by people that are actually in the newsroom. So we'll keep, you know, moving forward to make sure that our missing get the coverage that they deserve. And we're not naive in believing that everyone will get media coverage, but less is more, so less of the same individuals. And if you look at the impressions regarding Relisha and, let's say, JonBenet Ramsey, it's totally different. So we can just continue to pound the pavement and create these partnerships with media outlets, and that's on a local and national level.
- [15:41]
A
And if you guys could change just one policy or protocol tomorrow that you feel like would be most transformative in helping families of missing children of color or just people of color, what would it be?
- [15:53]
B
For me is the public communications alert system. We have so many of them. And I think that the public communication alert systems need to be consolidated because there's so many of them. And it depends on the state or the jurisdiction that you're in. And I'll give you an example. Most alert systems are for minors or seniors, but most people who go missing are somewhere in between. So we need to, again, consolidate them and ensure that law enforcement that's responsible for activating these alert systems that actually do. I'll give you an example. Again, in California, there's the EBONY Alert. That's primarily for children and young women and girls of color. And what we're hearing from families is that when their child or their loved one goes missing, that falls within that range. Law enforcement still isn't activating that alert system. So we're back to square one. And we're still at a disadvantage in amplifying this information to the community.
- [17:08]
C
And I agree with everything that Natalie said, because families, when they have to deal with this unimaginable tragedy of not knowing where their loved one is, there is no policy and procedure to this. I mean, this is not something that people walk around and shouldn't know what they have to do, because no one should ever have to experience this but we have to make sure that the holistic approach is there. For example, in some states, people can report their loved ones missing immediately, where in other states they must wait 24 to 48 hours when we all know the first 24 to 48 hours are the most critical moments.
- [17:55]
A
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- [18:25]
F
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- [19:03]
A
Hey Sal.
- [19:04]
D
Hank, what's going on? We haven't worked a case in years.
- [19:07]
A
I just bought my car at Carvana and it was so easy.
- [19:09]
D
Too easy. Think something's up? You tell me. They got thousands of options, found a great car at a great price, and
- [19:17]
A
it got delivered the next day.
- [19:19]
D
It sounds like Carvana just makes it easy to buy your car, Hank.
- [19:23]
A
Yeah, you're right. Case closed. Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply. I think one of the things that I'm constantly running into with truer crime is just case after case after case. It's emotionally heavy work. It's important work, but it's definitely emotionally heavy. What keeps the two of you grounded and motivated on difficult days? Especially having done this for so many years? How do you kind of keep going? What are your self care practices?
- [19:54]
C
That's a fully loaded question and it's a question we get asked a lot. I will say that this is so much bigger than us and yes it is heavy. It's very heavy and it's taken so many years for me to get to the point where I have to start showing myself grace. I am no good to anyone if I'M not good to myself, and it's okay to just pause for a second and just kind of reset and refresh. We have a wonderful team that is helping us on this journey, because this is a journey. This is revolutionary. Right. You know, Natalie and I started this organization from our living rooms, and we've sacrificed so much over the years. And so it is. It's hard, but I think just setting boundaries, just disconnecting for a second, that's been helpful for me.
- [20:56]
B
I agree with what Derecka said. We have to set boundaries. We get calls all times of the day and night, and if we are no good to ourselves, we can't help anyone else. So we are making sure that we put our mask on first, and we're helping families to the best of our abilities. Again, they become part of our family. So it's not, hey, we helped you, and we move on. We stay connected to many of these families, and we love them, and we want to see them shine and be rehabilitated. The person that goes missing, and we say this all the time, isn't the person that comes back. And it's not just a missing person that has to deal with that. It's the family. And we know this is our calling, and we can't step away from it because it calls us back all the time. You know, Derecka laughs at this sometimes, but sometimes I'm like, I need a break. And as soon as I say that, our caseload increases tremendously. So I've stopped saying that pretty much, you know, and we just. Just keep doing the work because we know that we are the last resort for families. And I know if I'm relying on someone for support, I don't really want to hear that. I'm tired, and, you know, I can't help you. They know that they can count on us. And, yes, we do take care of ourselves. Whether it's crying, I'm a crier. Derecka has become a crier now, but we cry it out. You know, we. We listen to our gospel or soc. We have a very supportive family. Our husbands, our kids, our external family members. They jump in and help. And as Derek mentioned, we have an amazing team that have their expertise, whether they worked at the White House as a Secret Service agent, whether they worked in corporate America as a communications vp they know what they're doing. So it gives us an opportunity to
- [23:10]
A
breathe for listeners who they want to support what you're doing. They're inspired by the work that you're doing. How can they support the work of the foundation. And how could they maybe honor Relish's story? What are the most meaningful ways that people can contribute right now?
- [23:26]
B
Well, people can contribute a number of ways. We need our community to be our digital milk carton. So go to our website@bamfi.org let's start with who's missing from your community and share that information with your network. We need dollars to keep going to help families. Again, our approach with them is holistic. So we help with flyers, creating flyers, printing flyers. Many times when someone is missing, they may be found deceased families, they don't have any money for burial. So we help with that and we just need our community to get more involved. If someone is missing from your community, let's get all of these boots on the ground there. That's what attracts the media, when you see a large number of people turning out to help find a missing individual. But we can all do something. If you are a teacher, a nurse, whatever your profession is. And I said those too, because many times you are on the front lines, you know when something is not right with one of your students or one of your clients and use your intuition to help save that child or that young person from being a victim of sex trafficking. So we all can do something. This is bigger than Derek and I and we cannot do this work by ourselves. So again, go to B a m f I.org and see how you can support.
- [25:03]
A
Thank you so much to the both of you.
- [25:05]
C
Thank you for having us.
- [25:07]
B
Thank you so much.
- [25:13]
A
That was my conversation with Derica and Natalie, the co founders of the Black and Missing Foundation. If you'd like to learn more about Relish Case, you can watch their two part YouTube docuseries, the Vanishing of Relisha Rudd A Cold Case Reexamined. They're also hosting their 10th annual Hope Without Boundaries 5K on May 30, 2026. Participation in the 5K helps fund their broader mission supporting families of the missing flyer distribution, recovery efforts, burial assistance and community education. With the help of supporters, they've assisted in closing over 500 cases. And there's still a lot more work ahead. If you'd like to register for the 5K, you can visit hwb5k.org and and if you're not able to participate but still want to support their work directly, you can donate@bamfi.org as always, you can keep up with True or Crime on Instagram, X Threads and blue sky at truerocrimepod and subscribe to our newsletter at truecrime.substack.com if you want to follow along with me personally, I'm on Instagram and TikTok at Alicia Stanton and I also write a newsletter, Sincerely Salisia, where I share recommendations, reflections, and the occasional long essay about politics and culture. You can read and subscribe@sincerely celicia.substack.com thanks for listening. True Crime is created, hosted and written by me, Celisia Stanton, and is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Additional writing, research and production production by Olivia Husenfeld Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay editing by Liam Luxon, artwork by Station 16, original music by Jay Ragsdale and makeup and vanity set mix by Dayton Cole. Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at uta, the Nord Group and the team at Odyssey. For more podcasts like True Or Crime, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of True or Crime. If you want an ad free version of the show, plus early access to every episode for this month's case and tons of other great Tenderfoot podcasts, you can subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. It's a small way to support the work and it makes a big difference. Hi True Crime listeners, Tenderfoot wants to hear from you. We just launched a survey and we want to know about your favorite shows, your merch requests, and what you'd like to listen to in 2026. Share your feedback and you might be one of the winners. To receive free merch and $100Amazon gift card, head over to Tennerfoot TV Survey for more. Thanks again. Now here's the show.