The murder suspect to last been be seen with a missing 8-year-old girl has been confirmed to have positively identified as the body of a man found dead in a park, the Associated Press reported.
In an apparent case of suicide, 51-year-old Kahlil Tatum was found dead on Monday with an apparent gunshot wound, police said on Tuesday.
In the city homeless shelter where Relisha lived with her family, Tatum worked as a janitor.
As the search for Relisha Rudd continued, police were shocked to have come across the dead body of Tatum, Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Monday.
"This discovery was a shock for us," Lanier said. "We were very focused on finding Relisha and that's what we came here for. ... We're not finished. That search is continuing."
Hundreds of people enlisted their help in finding Relisha in the 700-acre Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens last week. While the operation mainly consisted of recovering her body, Lanier said she remains hopeful of finding the missing girl alive, according to the AP.
"Relisha was last seen March 1 in the company of Tatum, a janitor at the homeless shelter where she lived with her mother and brothers," the AP reported. "Relisha's mother had allowed her to spend time with Tatum, and her family did not report her missing."
However, after the school noticed repeated absences from Relisha, they contacted the authorities. The search for the missing girl began on March 19.
Tatum's wife was found to be dead in a motel in nearby Oxon Hill, Md. the following day. She had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
Kahlil Tatum has been charged in a warrant with murder, the AP reported.
It was later revealed by the police that Tatum was seen buying 42-gallon trash bags on March 2 in the area of the park, in the northeastern sector of the capital.
