REYNOLDS STATION, Ky. — The tragic case of 8-month-old Miya Rudd ended in partial sentencing this week, as two men connected to her death accepted plea deals and drew prison time. The baby’s decomposed body was discovered hidden inside a duffel bag in the family’s home, nearly a year after she was first reported missing.
On June 6, 2024, state troopers from Kentucky State Police (KSP) conducted a welfare check at the home in Reynolds Station, after concerns that Miya was missing. Her parents — Tesla Tucker, 29, and Cage Rudd, 30 — were arrested that day on drug-related charges including first-degree possession of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, and abandonment of a minor.
Later that same day, further investigation uncovered what authorities described as a methamphetamine trafficking operation out of the home. The girl’s grandfather — Ricky J. Smith — and others living in the house were also taken into custody.
Then, on June 14, 2024, troopers returned and made the heartbreaking discovery: Miya’s body, suffering from extensive decomposition, hidden in a duffel bag inside the residence. A later autopsy revealed methamphetamine in her bloodstream — though the official cause of death remains “undetermined,” due to the advanced state of decomposition.
This week, two of those arrested — Smith and family friend Brodie C. Payne — accepted plea deals. On November 25, Smith pleaded guilty to a single count of meth trafficking; all 17 other charges against him were dismissed. He received a five-year prison sentence to run concurrently with a previous state sentence. Payne was convicted of meth trafficking and first-degree wanton endangerment; he too got five years — served concurrently — and was denied probation.
Meanwhile, Miya’s parents remain jailed, facing multiple serious charges including murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, child abuse and abandonment, and drug offenses. Prosecutors have filed an aggravating-circumstance notice, paving the way for the harshest penalties under Kentucky law — including life in prison or possibly the death penalty.
For the community and the state, this case has ignited calls for greater accountability. Some are calling for what’s being dubbed “Miya’s Law” — legislation to toughen protections for infants in drug-afflicted households and to hold caregivers to higher standards.
As the trial for Tucker and Rudd looms, questions linger. How did an infant with methamphetamine in her system end up alone in a bag? Who else might face charges? For now, Miya’s death has exposed disturbing shadows of neglect, drug abuse and betrayal — and forced a small Kentucky community to confront a harsh tragedy no parent should ever know.
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