Search for missing 8-year-old abducted from homeless shelter continues

The search continues in the District of Columbia for an 8-year-old girl missing for almost a month. Relisha Tenau Rudd was last seen with a janitor at her homeless shelter suspected of murdering his estranged wife, according to WMAR.

The latest news, as CBS reports: D.C. police are now calling this a recovery operation, searching for any trace of the girl in a park near the homeless shelter. Though told WVEC Chief Cathy Lanier says there's still at least some chance of a happy ending.

"We are discouraged at times by the amount of time she's been missing and some of the things we've discovered, but we are hopeful that we may still find her alive."

One of those things police have discovered: the janitor, Kahlil Tatum, frequently took Rudd out of her homeless shelter with her mother's permission.

And authorities told Fox News Tatum might have had contact with as many as four other young girls, buying them or their families gifts to gain trust.

WUSA spoke to Rudd's grandmother, who said, "I know he took her to the Icecapades somewhere and went to play with this supposedly granddaughter. She was with him for a lot of times, and then he brought her back."

Rudd was last seen with Tatum March 1, according to WRIC. One day later, Tatum was spotted alone at a hardware store buying 43-gallon trash bags, a shovel and lime - a substance that can speed up the decomposition process.

The janitor hasn't been seen since March 20, the same day his estranged wife was found murdered in a Maryland motel. Local and federal authorities are offering a total reward of $70,000 for information leading to Rudd. Police have asked anyone who can provide tips to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.