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Police Follow Tip Haleigh's Dad's Girlfriend Wasn't Home

Investigators Following More Than 1,000 Tips

POSTED: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
UPDATED: 11:44 pm EST February 17, 2009

PALATKA, Fla. -- Since an Amber Alert was issued for 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings one week ago, more than 1,000 tips have poured into a Crimestoppers hot line; and until Tuesday afternoon investigators have not released specific information about the leads they've received.

However, on Tuesday, new information was released that Haleigh's father's girlfriend, 17-year-old Misty Croslin, may not have been at home the night Haleigh disappeared.

Investigators in Putnam County said they are looking into the Croslin tip as a possibility.

Haleigh was reported missing just after 3 a.m. last Tuesday when Croslin told authorities she woke up and found the child missing. Within minutes, Croslin and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, placed frantic calls to 911.

A massive search was under way by first light and an Amber Alert was issued.

Since the investigation began, Croslin has told detectives and told Channel 4 that she put Haleigh and the girl's younger brother to bed at about 8 p.m., and that at 10 p.m. both children were still in bed. Misty Croslin tearfully describes waking up, finding the back door of their mobile home open and Haleigh gone.

Croslin said when she awoke at about 3 a.m. to use the bathroom she noticed Haleigh was missing.

"I didn't make it to the bathroom. I seen the kitchen light on and I walked in the kitchen and the back door is wide open," Croslin told Channel 4's Laura Mazzeo. "I go in the room and she's gone. And that's all I know. When I went to bed she was there and then when I got up and she was gone."

Croslin has been interviewed by detectives and volunteered to take a lie-detector test -- which she said she passed -- but had not spoken publicly until midday Thursday when she spoke to Mazzeo.

"I didn't hear anything at all. If I'd heard something, I would have got up and I wouldn't have let them take her," Croslin said.

Croslin said Haleigh and her 3-year-old brother "look at me like their mom."

"I love her like she's my own," she said. "I just want her to come home."

Croslin said she doesn't blame herself, but she's emotionally devastated and just want to know that Haleigh is safe.

"I wished they'd took me instead of her, because I could have fought," Croslin said. "She's only 5; she can't really do anything. What do they want with a little 5-year-old?"

Detectives said the lead that Croslin may not have been home when Haleigh went missing is just one of many tips they are looking into.

Investigators also revealed on Tuesday new information about Amber Alert that was issued last week, say they have the pink T-shirt Haleigh was originally thought to be wearing the night she disappeared.

"We obtained information through our investigation that young Haleigh was not, in fact, wearing the pink shirt at the time of her disappearance," Putnam County Chief Deputy Rick Ryan said. "What we need people to focus on (Haleigh's) face because we do not know at this time what the clothing was."

Tuesday afternoon, officials said they have received almost 1,200 leads -- double the number they had on Monday -- but there have been no confirmed sightings of Haleigh.

Still, officials said all tips are welcome and anyone with information about Haleigh's disappearance should call at 888-277-TIPS or the FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/18735417/detail.html

Satsuma girl wasn't wearing pink when she went missing, police say

Sarah Lundy |Sentinel Staff Writer February 18, 2009

Haleigh Cummings wasn't wearing the pink shirt she was initially described as wearing the night she disappeared, Putnam County Sheriff's officials said Tuesday.

Investigators say they don't know what she was wearing when she vanished late Feb. 9 or early the 10th from her home 80 miles north of Orlando.

"What we need to focus on is the face," Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Dominick Pape said as he held up a picture of Haleigh.

Authorities were originally told the 5-year-old was last seen wearing the pink shirt. That's the information they released to the public in the Amber Alert and on missing-person fliers about the girl, who lives in the small town of Satsuma.

On Tuesday, investigators wouldn't discuss details of the pink shirt in their possession -- how they found it, where it was and whether it will be tested for any forensic evidence.

"The investigation is not going to change because the clothing is different," Pape said.

Tuesday marked day 8 in the search for Haleigh, who was last seen by her father's girlfriend when the child went to bed Feb. 9. The girlfriend, Misty Croslin, 17, said she woke around 3 a.m. and found the girl gone.

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, 25, returned home from work about 5 minutes later and alerted authorities.

So far, officials have received nearly 1,200 tips on the case. One tip led investigators to the St. Johns River earlier in the day but nothing was found. The ground search for the child has ended.

On Monday night, authorities stopped more than 200 vehicles at a checkpoint and questioned motorists. Another neighborhood canvass was done and officers hit around 300 homes and interviewed residents.

Officials hoped to reach people who were returning to the area and weren't questioned last week.

Several people have taken polygraph tests, including Haleigh's father and Croslin. Investigators would not release information about what those tests showed or comment on whether they still think Croslin is telling the truth.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,2574631.story

Girlfriend Under Investigation In Missing Girl Case

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 – updated: 8:04 am EST February 18, 2009

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Eyewitness News discovered that the Putnam County Sheriff's Office is investigating Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, who claimed that she was at home and sleeping when Haleigh Cummings was taken. But a tip puts the spot light on the 17-year-old girlfriend.The most recent information investigators got was that Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, Misty Croslin, may not have been home when Haleigh disappeared from her Satusum house early last week.The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said its dealing with more than 1,200 tips in the case and plans to pursue each and every one of them."We will take any lead, any place, anytime," said Dominick Pape of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.On CNN, Tuesday night, Haleighs paternal grandmother, Terese Neves, spoke out in support of the 17-year-old's story."I believe someone went into the house and took her. I believe they either know my grandchildren and my family or Haleigh's mother's family," said Neves.Sheriff's deputies also said they have the pink shirt that Haleigh was thought to be wearing when she disappeared."What we now need people to focus on is this face because we do not know at this time what the clothing was at this point," said Pape.The massive search for Haleigh was scaled back this week. Deputies do not want to say too much in fear of jeopardizing the investigation, but confirmed they set up a road block this week and interviewed at least 300 neighbors in the area."We've got a life of a 5-year-old girl at stake," he said.Another prayer vigil was held Tuesday night, at the Dunns Creek Baptist Church in Putnam County.Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings and the little girl's mother, Crystal Sheffield sat side by side while the community came together to comfort them."I care for the people even though I don't know them," said one neighbor.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18738704/detail.html#-

(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/Blondeonahd/In%20the%20News/2s0mfjr.jpg)

www.myspace.com/chelsea_croslin

February 17, 2009
Florida Police Receive New Leads in Abduction of Haleigh Cummings

The search for Haleigh Ann Marie Cummings, a 5-year-old girl who vanished from her Putnam County, Fla., home on Feb. 10, has been significantly scaled back; however investigators say they are following up on new leads.

"We were able to come up with several good leads that we are following up on today," Capt. Steve Rose of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference today. "At this time we cannot discuss the nature of those leads."

Sources close to the investigation have told Investigation Discovery that the new leads revolve around the timeline the girl disappeared and the initial report given to law enforcement. This information reportedly changed the focus of the investigation, which in turn resulted in the search being scaled back. Due to the sensitive nature of the information obtained by ID no further details can be provided at this time.

Among those pulling out of the search for Haleigh is Texas EquuSearch, a search and recovery group from Dickinson, Texas, who was recently involved in the search for Casey Anthony's missing daughter, Caylee Anthony.

According to Mike Ray, a Texas EquuSearch search coordinator who was on the ground during the search effort, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office asked Texas EquuSearch to pull out of the search yesterday. Ray would not discuss the specifics of that request; however he did say they had conducted a thorough search of the area.

"We had 300 searchers at our disposal," Ray told investigation Discovery. "We went out multiple times and cleared all of the wooded areas around Haleigh's home. The terrain was some of the most difficult I've seen compared to other searches I have been on. There was a lot of saw brush and a lot of volunteers came out with cuts on their forearms and legs. No one can say we did not put forth our best effort. We went out of our way to clear every area. The scale of this search could only be matched by the one we conducted for Caylee."

Ray said that while volunteers searched the woods, law enforcement personnel focused much of their attention on a nearby waterway.

"They had about 30 boats in the water," Ray said. "They were conducting sonar searches and they were also dragging the bottom."

Celebrity bounty hunter Leonard Padilla was also present during the search effort; however Ray said he did not actively participate in the search and remained camped out with the media. Last week, Padilla offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who returned Haleigh by Feb. 14.

In related news, volunteers found one area of interest in the woods where someone had constructed a makeshift lean-to and furniture out of tree branches. A shovel and length of rope were found at the location; however it remains unclear if any of the items are of relevance.

Meanwhile, Haleigh's father, 24-year-old Ronald Cummings, reportedly told an ID source that he has a new theory on what might have happened to Haleigh.

Cummings allegedly said that it is possible that Haleigh's abduction was in retaliation for something he did in the past, but he did not clarify what that "something" could be. Cummings also allegedly said that he believes someone gained entry to his home using a "lock bumping" technique. It remains unclear if law enforcement is following up on that theory.

Regardless of how the abduction occurred, the fact remains that a beautiful 5-year-old girl is missing. It remains the hope of everyone involved that a break in the case will occur soon.

Keep checking back with Investigation Discovery for more details in the case.

Haleigh Cummings is described as three feet tall, weighing 39 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0808 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS.

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/02/florida-police-receive-new-leads-in-abduction-of-haleigh-cummings.html

Investigators In 2nd Week Of Hunt For Haleigh

Leads Pour In To Crime Stoppers Hot Line

updated 12:47 a.m. ET Feb. 18, 2009

PALATKA, Fla. - One week after an Amber Alert was issued for 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, leads are pouring into a Crime Stoppers hot line but the Putnam County Sheriff's Office doesn't know how or why she disappeared from her father's mobile home.
Haleigh was reported missing just after 3 a.m. last Tuesday after her father's girlfriend woke up and found the child missing. Within minutes, 17-year-old Misty Croslin and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, placed frantic calls to 911.
Almost from the beginning, the case was treated as an abduction.
Authorities said Tuesday they have modified the Amber Alert description to remove Haleigh's clothing.
"We obtained information through our investigation that young Haleigh was not, in fact, wearing the pink shirt at the time of her disappearance," Putnam County Chief Deputy Rick Ryan said, urging people to only focus on her face.
Tuesday afternoon, officials said they have received almost 1,200 leads -- double the number they had on Monday -- but there have been no confirmed sightings of Haleigh.
"I don't know where the investigation will take us and every lead is critical," said Dominick Pape, special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Officials Tight-Lipped, Determined
As the days have passed and the focus is less on the search and more the investigation, authorities will answer fewer questions at their daily briefings.
"We've got the life of a 5-year-old at stake," Ryan said Tuesday afternoon. "We're not going to do anything that will compromise that, period."

Monday afternoon and evening, officers contacted about 300 people in the neighborhood and other state officers make 210 contacts at checkpoint along Buffalo Bluff Road -- the only access to the home park. Ryan said one piece of information gathered in that effort resulted in a search on Tuesday, but nothing of significance was found.
Investigators said they have reinterviewed Croslin, Cummings, Haleigh's mother Crystal Sheffield, and extended family members and friends who had contact with Haleigh in the hours and days before she disappeared.
"We don't have all our questions answered and, obviously, we don't have Haleigh," Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy said. "We'll interview people as many times as we feel necessary."
Even though Hardy has praised the family for cooperating over the past week, lie detector tests were administered to most of them. The sheriff's office won't discuss the results of the polygraph tests.
Family Waits, Hopes, Prays
Haleigh's family continues to spend their days and nights in a tented area near where Haleigh disappeared. Surrounded with flowers, teddy bears, candles and well-wishes, the family can just watch, hope and pray.

"We just watch the TV and pray for something to break," Teresa Neves said in an interview Tuesday morning.
She then turned to the camera and addressed her granddaughter: "We love you, baby. We're doing everything we can to bring you home. Just hang in there, sweetheart."
While candlelight vigils have been held at the site every night for the past week, the Cummings family's pastor is holding a special service Tuesday night at Dunn's Creek Baptist Church. Family, friends, Haleigh's classmates, community members and law enforcement officials are expected to attend.
Authorities ask anyone with any information to call Crimes Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS or the FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29236594/

Haleigh Cummings has Turner Syndrome

Police have also found the pink t-shirt she was supposedly wearing

February 18, 2009 - 10:21 AM

During a news conference held Tuesday, investigators indicated that details about the clothes Haleigh Ann Marie Cummings was wearing when she vanished were different from what was originally reported. Police just aren't sure what Haleigh Cummings was wearing when she disappeared, after all. At first, she was reportedly wearing a pink shirt and underwear, but now police say they've found that pink t-shirt - but they won't say where.

Haleigh's status as a missing person has also been changed - she's considered endangered. She probably always was, but police in Putnam County have pointedly changed the flyer giving details about Haleigh to read "ENDANGERED."
It has also been revealed that Haleigh has Turner Syndrome, a chromosomal condition caused by complete or partial absence of the second sex chromosome. Characteristics of Turner Syndrome include a narrow, high-arched palate, low-set ears, a low hairline, webbed neck, slight droop to eyes, flat feet, small, narrow fingernails and toenails and swelling of the hands and feet. Children with Turner Syndrome have normal intelligence but sometimes have difficulty with math, sense of direction, manual dexterity and social skills.
Investigators have re-examined a number of places they'd already covered and they still don't feel any closer to solving the mystery behind this child's disappearance. Everyone is still a suspect.

http://www.cbs12.com/news/haleigh_47..._syndrome.html

Police probe teen's account in case of missing Florida girl
(CNN) -- Police searching for a missing 5-year-old girl are investigating whether the woman who reported her gone was at home at the time the girl vanished, an officer working on the case said Wednesday.

"It's a tip we're following up on," Capt. Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office in Florida said.
He was responding to a question about a report that Misty Croslin was not home after Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings was last seen on the night of February 9.
Croslin, 17, is the girlfriend of Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings.
The police officer rebuffed a question about whether Croslin had changed her story about where she was when the girl disappeared, though he called the tip "a very important one."
"I don't know that you can say her story is changing," Schauland said. "I don't know if it's a true tip or not. It may not be valid."
He said Haleigh's father's alibi, that he was at work, had been confirmed.
Authorities said earlier they believe girl was abducted.
Since opening the case a week ago, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office has received more than 1,200 tips about the missing girl.

Croslin told police she was watching Haleigh when she went missing sometime before dawn last Tuesday. Cummings shares his double-wide mobile home with Croslin, daughter Haleigh and 4-year-old son in the town of Satsuma, east of Gainesville. He has said that when he returned home at 3 a.m. ET, he was surprised to see his girlfriend awake and asked her why she was up.
She told him she awoke to find the trailer door open and discovered that Haleigh was missing.
Croslin waited until Cummings came home to phone 911 about the girl's disappearance, though it's unclear how long that wait was. Police said last week that Croslin had tucked the girl and her brother into bed at 8 p.m. before going to sleep at 10 p.m. The girl, boy and Croslin usually sleep in the same bed.
Officials originally thought Haleigh may have wandered outside on her own, but are now certain that she was abducted.
Investigators are looking into various angles of the case, including finding out the location of 44 registered sexual offenders who live within a five-mile radius of the Cummings home, said Lt. Johnny Greenwood of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
Late Tuesday police announced that they have changed the Amber Alert they originally put out for the girl.

They originally said she was wearing a pink shirt, but the shirt has since been found, Schauland said Wednesday.
"Now what we need people to focus on is the face because we do not know at this time what the clothing was at this point," said Dominick Pape, with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02....missing.girl/

Investigators question girlfriend's story in Haleigh case

12:31 PM EST, February 18, 2009

Investigators are now questioning whether Misty Croslin lied to law enforcement about her whereabouts the night 5-year old Haleigh Cummings disappeared. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office received a tip that Croslin, 17, left the double-wide trailer she shared with Haleigh's father and his 4-year old son, sometime late Feb. 9 or early Feb. 10. "We have received that tip, they are following up on it," Capt. Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said during a press conference this morning. Haleigh was last seen by Croslin when the child went to bed Feb. 9. Croslin said she woke around 3 a.m. and found the girl gone.

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, 25, returned home from work about 5 minutes later and alerted authorities On Tuesday, Putnam County Sheriff's officials announced that Haleigh wasn't wearing the pink shirt she was initially described as wearing the night she disappeared.

Investigators say they don't know what she was wearing when she vanished late Feb. 9 or early the 10th from her home 80 miles north of Orlando.

"What we need to focus on is the face," Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Dominick Pape said as he held up a picture of Haleigh.

Authorities were originally told the 5-year-old was last seen wearing the pink shirt. That's the information they released to the public in the Amber Alert and on missing-person fliers about the girl, who lives in the small town of Satsuma. On Tuesday, investigators wouldn't discuss details of the pink shirt in their possession -- how they found it, where it was and whether it will be tested for any forensic evidence.

"The investigation is not going to change because the clothing is different," Pape said.

So far, officials have received nearly 1,200 tips on the case. One tip led investigators to the St. Johns River earlier in the day but nothing was found. The ground search for the child has ended.

On Monday night, authorities stopped more than 200 vehicles at a checkpoint and questioned motorists. Another neighborhood canvass was done and officers hit around 300 homes and interviewed residents.

Officials hoped to reach people who were returning to the area and weren't questioned last week.

Several people have taken polygraph tests, including Haleigh's father and Croslin. Investigators would not release information about what those tests showed or comment on whether they still think Croslin is telling the truth.

Bianca Prieto of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Sarah Lundy can be reached at 407-420-6218 or slundy@orlandosentinel.com.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,1755884.story

Haleigh's Parents Taken to Sheriff's Office
Posted By: Gary Detman
Updated: 2/18/2009 2:34:47 PM

SATSUMA, FL -- The mother, father and grandmother of Haleigh Cummings are at the Putnam County Sheriff's Office right now.

Moments ago, Marie Griffis, Haleigh's grandmother, told First Coast News that deputies had told her to pick up Crystal Sheffield, Haleigh's mother, and take her to the Sheriff's Office.

Griffis left in a hurry, according to First Coast News Chief Investigative reporter Jackelyn Barnard.

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, was taken there by the lead detective in the case.

The flurry of activity came hours after a news conference where investigators announced little except the tip about Misty Croslin not being at the house when Haleigh vanished.

Capt. Dick Schauland said the tip is one of 1,200 under investigation.

Marie Griffis says the family is taking the tip with a grain of salt until detectives can say whether it's valid.

Haleigh Cummings disappeared a week ago from her home in rural Satsuma. Croslin put Haleigh to bed at 8 p.m. Croslin said she went to bed at 10 p.m. and when she woke up around 3 a.m. Haleigh vanished.

Investigators are pushing for tips in the case since they have no clothing description on Haleigh. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS if you have any information.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/b...31632&catid=17

Hard swallow case about to get harder?

Capt. Steve Rose, of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, declined to describe the information Tuesday in the case of Haleigh Cummings.

“”We were able to come up with several good leads that we are following up on today; at this time we cannot discuss the nature of those leads.”

Rose went on to say that police are focusing on the timeline Croslin has given them in the case.

“We’re still working on the timeline, but we’re not going to divulge (specifics) at this time,” he said. “We feel pretty confident about when the girlfriend last saw Haleigh. That’s the timeline we’re focusing on.”

Rose refused to comment on the updated events that preceded and followed Haleigh’s disappearance. Police have set up a mobile checkpoint in the area based on the revamped timeline; and the potential that they may have missed some possible witnesses on their first rounds based on it.

Sources close to the investigation are reporting a new impatience with Misty. In a conversation earlier today, it was expressed to me that they have treated her with kid gloves long enough and the strategy that she will lead them to Haleigh in her post-abduction behavior is not working. While they stop short of calling her complicit, the consensus is that she is lying about her whereabouts and her overall account of what contributed to the disappearance of 5 year old Haleigh Cummings.

UPDATE 02/18/09 3:31pm

Late this afternoon, sources inside Putnam County indicate that Ronald Cummings, father of Haleigh Cummings, 5, missing since February 10, 2009 and Haleigh’s Mother, Crystal Sheffield have been escorted seperately to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Cummings was transported by the lead detective in the case and Ms. Sheffield was alerted when deputies phoned her Mother, Marie Griffis and asked her to bring her to the Police Department.

Attempts to locate the family of 17 year old Misty Croslin, who police announced yesterday was going to be the focus of today’s efforts were not successful at press time. It is unclear if a suspect had been located, the child had been found, or whether Ms. Croslin’s account of the evening the child was abducted has pointed the investigation into a different direction.
http://blinkoncrime.com/2009/02/18/amber-alert-haleigh-anne-marie-cummings-5-missing-from-putnam-county-florida-police-have-new-leads/#more-88

Girlfriend Under Investigation In Haleigh Case

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 – updated: 12:34 pm EST February 18, 2009
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Eyewitness News discovered that the Putnam County Sheriff's Office is investigating Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, who claimed that she was at home and sleeping when Haleigh Cummings was taken. But a tip puts the spotlight on the 17-year-old girlfriend.

The most recent information investigators got was that Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, Misty Croslin, may not have been home when Haleigh disappeared from her Satusum house early last week.

NEWS CONFERENCE: Watch Feb. 18 News Conference

"Obviously that puts a spotlight on her now, if that's the case," said Captain Dick Schauland. "We have a team of detectives that are following up on this and yes they are questioning her about that."

In a news conference Wednesday (watch news conference), Schauland said the information is one of the 1,200 tips that investigators are looking into. He says he doesn't know if it panned out. He says detectives have interviewed family members and girlfriend Misty Croslin several times.

"We have received that tip and they are following up on it. As far as a conclusion on the follow up, I don't have that," said Schauland.

On CNN, Tuesday night, Haleighs paternal grandmother, Terese Neves, spoke out in support of the 17-year-old's story.

INTERVIEW: Haleigh's Grandmother On Nancy Grace

"I believe someone went into the house and took her. I believe they either know my grandchildren and my family or Haleigh's mother's family," said Neves.

Sheriff's deputies also said they have the pink shirt that Haleigh was thought to be wearing when she disappeared. Deputies wouldn't speculate or go into detail about where or when they found what could be key evidence in the case.

"What we now need people to focus on is this face because we do not know at this time what the clothing was at this point," said Dominick Pape of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The massive search for Haleigh was scaled back this week. Deputies do not want to say too much in fear of jeopardizing the investigation, but confirmed they set up a road block this week and interviewed at least 300 neighbors in the area.

"We will take any lead, any place, anytime," said Pape. "We've got a life of a 5-year-old girl at stake."

Another prayer vigil was held Tuesday night, at the Dunns Creek Baptist Church in Putnam County.

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings and the little girl's mother, Crystal Sheffield sat side by side while the community came together to comfort them.

"I care for the people even though I don't know them," said one neighbor.

The sheriff's office will hold the next briefing Wednesday afternoon.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18738704/detail.html#-

Marie Griffs speaks out

2/18/09

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/...ect=1039576192

Search For Haleigh : Grandmother Discouraged

Updated: 2/19/2009 12:30:49 AM

SATSUMA, FL -- As day nine of the search for Haleigh Cummings comes to a close, candles still burn, tips continue to come in, and family members say they are left with even more questions.

"Nobody can make up their mind on what she was wearing, who was at home with her, where anybody was that night. It's unbelievable!" says Marie Griffis, Haleigh's maternal grandmother.

Griffis says it's hard to know what to believe. She just wants the truth.

"There are just so many lies going around," says Griffis.

Investigators aren't saying much when answering questions about possible leads, including talk about examining a particular vehicle as evidence.

"It was processed for evidence, but we're not going to get into that, but it was processed by FDLE," says Detective Dominick Pape with FDLE.

One thing both detectives and family want to focus on is the five- year-old's face. They hope the more people see her, the better chance she has of coming home soon.

"She has a brown mark on the left side of her face, close to her ear and it's pretty big. You would notice it if you looked at her," says Griffis.

Haleigh's grandmother also says the girl has another birthmark on the right side of her face near her mouth. She also has asthma and Turner's Syndrome.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/n...storyid=131718

Ronald Cummings Makes Plea For Haleigh's Return

(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/Blondeonahd/In%20the%20News/genthumb.jpg)

SATSUMA, FL -- Speaking directly to the media for the first time, the father of the missing 5-year-old girl made several pleas for his daughter's return.

The first thing Ronald Cummings said into the microphone was, "Find my daughter."

Asked about the possibility that his girlfriend, Misty Croslin, was not home at the time of Haleigh's abduction as she has said she was, Cummings said, "I believe she's telling the truth."

Cummings was also asked about reports that he got into a fight with a relative shortly before Haleigh disappeared.

"There was no fight with a cousin over a gun," he replied, adding that he doesn't know how such rumors got started.

MORE: REPORT OF FIGHT INVOLVING RONALD CUMMINGS

Cummings then wanted to shift attention back to his daughter. "Don't focus on my life," he repeatedly said. "It's not about what's going on in my life; it's about my daughter missing."

He said he has no enemies, and held the news conference for one reason. "I'm here for a plea for my daughter to come home, and that's it."

Haleigh's grandmother, Teresa Nebes, said the little girl has a small, brown birthmark on the side of her face, and then said through tears, "Whoever has my baby, why don't you have a heart...bring her home."

Cummings added one more statement to his daughter Haleigh. "Baby I love you and we will find you...I love you."

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...131740&catid=3

Girlfriend's Cousin Under Investigation In Haleigh Case

Friday, February 20, 2009 – updated: 9:46 am EST February 20, 2009
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- The Putnam County Sherriff's Office says that the FBI is investigating Misty Croslin's cousin.

Eyewitness News learned Thursday, that Misty Croslin's cousin, known as "Joe" was in town the night Haleigh disappeared. There are questions about what role he may have played in the disappearance. After the little girl vanished, he took off to Tennessee.

WFTV reporter Mark Boyle briefly spoke with Misty Croslin about her cousin.

RAW VIDEO: Misty Croslin Talks To WFTV

"You said you don't trust him, why?" asked Boyle.

"I just don't trust him," she said. "He's gotten into a lot of trouble."

Eyewitness News has confirmed that a woman called 911 in Knoxville, Tennessee a few days ago to report a possible Haliegh sighting. The woman told police she saw a man shielding a little girl's face who looked like Haleigh while getting into an SUV.

There were also reports that Croslin's cousin and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings got into some type of argument hours before the 5-year-old disappeared.

Eyewitness News asked Cummings about the reported argument.

"There was no fight with a cousin over a gun. I don't know where people are getting their information from, but people say a lot of things and they don't always know what they are talking about," he said.

At noon Thursday, 17-year-old Misty was escorted to a car with two detectives. She had to put out her smoke before getting into the backseat, but didn't answer any questions.

Minutes later, her boyfriend, Ronald Cummings, spoke out about her (watch it).

"I don't have any suspicions of anybody," Ronald said of Misty. "Anybody could have done anything. Obviously, if I knew what was going on, I would have my daughter."

WFTV VIEWER DONATES CAMPER TO HALEIGH'S FATHER

An Eyewitness News viewer decided to donate a camper to Haleigh's father, who is presently living in a tent, while investigators search for the little girl.

The camper will be arriving Friday for Ronald Cummings to live in. Cummings moved into the tent when his home became a crime scene.

FAMILY MEMBERS LIVING IN TENT DURING SEARCH

Eyewitness News spoke with Haleigh's family Thursday about how they are coping. They are living in a tent, about 15-by-15 (see images). Coolers are full of water and drinks and inside is where the family is living, because their mobile home down the street is still a crime scene.

New information was released Thursday about the pink shirt Haleigh was last reported wearing. Ronald Cummings' grandmother, Annette Sykes, told Eyewitness News earlier this week deputies allowed Misty Croslin back inside the mobile home where Haleigh was abducted.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Ronald Cummings pleaded for his daughter's safe return.

NEWS CONFERENCE: Haleigh's Father Speaks
THE TENT: See Images Of Tent Family Is Living In
RAW INTERVIEWS: Haleigh's Mother | Great Grandmother

"Yes, I do have a message for whoever has taken Haleigh. I would ask that you please, please bring my daughter home. She's not yours, not your property. She's not something that you just take and say, 'It's mine.' This is my daughter, this is blood and I would like to have my daughter back please. Please bring my daughter home," he pleaded.

Sykes said the 17-year-old girlfriend found the pink shirt in the home, but the sheriff's office won't confirm where it was found. Meanwhile, the family is still camped out in the neighborhood.

"It's not home, but it's good. I mean it's dry, basically, it's out of the sun," Sykes said.

But on a rainy Thursday in Putnam County, water poured through the cracks of a tent donated by a funeral home. The fire department donated a propane tank to keep them warm on cool nights and the family is taking shifts sleeping on mattresses.

"Waiting on Haleigh to come home. This is as close to the house as we can get really and the gentleman here was nice enough to let us put this up in his yard," Sykes said.

That gentleman is also allowing Haleigh's family to run cable to the tent so they can watch a big, color, flat screen TV. There's also food, drinks, and chairs for guests.

As for the investigation into Haleigh's whereabouts, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office is still following up on more than 1,300leads. Haleigh's great grandmother said she'll be sleeping under the stars until the little girl comes home.

"We'll be right here waiting," she said.

Haleigh's little brother, Junior, is sleeping at a family home about six miles away.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18757844/detail.html#-

Teen girlfriend of Haleigh Cummings' father appears on 'Today Show'
Helen Eckinger | Sentinel Staff Writer
11:11 AM EST, February 20, 2009

Misty Croslin, the last person to see Haleigh Cummings before the 5-year old vanished 11 days ago, appeared on the Today Show this morning and answered some questions about her involvement in the case.

In recent days, rumors have circulated about a relative of Croslin's who was in Satsuma at the time of Haleigh's disappearance, but has since return to Tennessee, and officials with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office have confirmed that they have spoken with the man. Today Show host Matt Lauer asked Croslin, 17, if she thought the relative had anything to do with Haleigh's disappearance.

"I really don't know, I don't know if he did or not," Croslin said.

"That's an interesting way to answer the question," Lauer responded. "I think that a lot of people might say that, 'No I'm positive that person had nothing to do with Haleigh.'"

"I'm not quite sure at all. No . . . He's a criminal pretty much, he's been in trouble his whole life. I don't trust him," Croslin replied, adding that she hasn't spoken to the relative since he left Satsuma.

Lauer also asked Croslin about a pink shirt that Croslin initially told detectives Haleigh was wearing the night she vanished. Sheriff's officials now say that they have the shirt and don't know what Haleigh was wearing when she disappeared, but have not elaborated further.

Croslin told Lauer that she found the shirt when detectives took her back to the double-wide trailer she shared with Haleigh's father and his two children.

"I was looking by the dirty clothes for the clothes she was wearing earlier in the day for school, and I found that shirt and I showed the detectives," Croslin said. "If I was hiding something, why would I show the cops the shirt?

Croslin also denied that she left the trailer at some point during the night Haleigh disappeared. The Sherriff's Office has confirmed that it is investigating a tip claiming to that effect.

"I was home. I was home. I don't know where anyone come with I wasn't home. I was home," Croslin said.

Croslin, who is the girlfriend of Haleigh's father, has told investigators that she last saw Haleigh when the child went to bed Feb. 9. Croslin said she woke up about 3 a.m. and Haleigh was missing. Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, 25, returned from work about five minutes later and told Croslin to call 911.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-b...,7668823.story

Girlfriend's Cousin Under Investigation In Haleigh Case
updated: 11:12 am EST February 20, 2009

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- The Putnam County Sherriff's Office says that the FBI is investigating Misty Croslin's cousin. Eyewitness News learned Thursday that Misty Croslin's cousin, known as "Joe" was in town the night Haleigh disappeared.

There are now questions about what role Joe may have played in the disappearance. After the little girl vanished, he took off to Tennessee.

WFTV reporter Mark Boyle briefly spoke with Misty Croslin about her cousin (watch it | images).

"You said you don't trust him, why?" asked Boyle.

"I just don't trust him," she said. "He's gotten into a lot of trouble."

Eyewitness News has confirmed that a woman called 911 in Knoxville, Tennessee a few days ago to report a possible Haliegh sighting. The woman told police she saw a man shielding a little girl's face who looked like Haleigh while getting into an SUV.

There were also reports that Croslin's cousin and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, got into some type of argument hours before the 5-year-old disappeared.

Eyewitness News asked Cummings about the reported argument.

"There was no fight with a cousin over a gun. I don't know where people are getting their information from, but people say a lot of things and they don't always know what they are talking about," he said.

At noon Thursday, 17-year-old Misty Croslin was escorted to a car with two detectives. She had to put out her smoke before getting into the backseat, but didn't answer any questions.

Minutes later, her boyfriend, Ronald Cummings, spoke out about her (watch it).

"I don't have any suspicions of anybody," Ronald said of Misty. "Anybody could have done anything. Obviously, if I knew what was going on, I would have my daughter."

WFTV VIEWER DONATES CAMPER TO HALEIGH'S FATHER

An Eyewitness News viewer decided to donate a camper to Haleigh's father, who is presently living in a tent, while investigators search for the little girl.

The camper will be arriving Friday for Ronald Cummings to live in. Cummings moved into the tent when his home became a crime scene.

FAMILY MEMBERS LIVING IN TENT DURING SEARCH

Eyewitness News spoke with Haleigh's family Thursday about how they are coping. They are living in a tent, about 15-by-15 (see images). Coolers are full of water and drinks and inside is where the family is living, because their mobile home down the street is still a crime scene.

New information was released Thursday about the pink shirt Haleigh was last reported wearing. Ronald Cummings' grandmother, Annette Sykes, told Eyewitness News earlier this week deputies allowed Misty Croslin back inside the mobile home where Haleigh was abducted.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Ronald Cummings pleaded for his daughter's safe return.

"Yes, I do have a message for whoever has taken Haleigh. I would ask that you please, please bring my daughter home. She's not yours, not your property. She's not something that you just take and say, 'It's mine.' This is my daughter, this is blood and I would like to have my daughter back please. Please bring my daughter home," he pleaded.

Sykes said the 17-year-old girlfriend found the pink shirt in the home, but the sheriff's office won't confirm where it was found. Meanwhile, the family is still camped out in the neighborhood.

"It's not home, but it's good. I mean it's dry, basically, it's out of the sun," Sykes said.

But on a rainy Thursday in Putnam County, water poured through the cracks of a tent donated by a funeral home. The fire department donated a propane tank to keep them warm on cool nights and the family is taking shifts sleeping on mattresses.

"Waiting on Haleigh to come home. This is as close to the house as we can get really and the gentleman here was nice enough to let us put this up in his yard," Sykes said.

That gentleman is also allowing Haleigh's family to run cable to the tent so they can watch a big, color, flat screen TV. There's also food, drinks, and chairs for guests.

As for the investigation into Haleigh's whereabouts, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office is still following up on more than 1,300leads. Haleigh's great grandmother said she'll be sleeping under the stars until the little girl comes home.

"We'll be right here waiting," she said.

Haleigh's little brother, Junior, is sleeping at a family home about six miles away.

http://www.wftv.com/mostpopular/18757844/detail.html

Girlfriend's cousin Joe had visited Haleigh's home
Last Modified: Friday, February 20, 2009 at 1:41 p.m.

In a televised press conference Friday afternoon, the paternal grandmother of a missing 5-year-old Putnam County girl discussed a man from Tennessee named "Joe" - a cousin of her son's girlfriend - who had been at the mobile home where the girl lived.

However, Teresa Neves said she had not met the man and did not know anything about him.

Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy acknowledged Thursday that investigators have been in touch with this relative of Misty Croslin's out of Tennessee who apparently had been visiting her.

"You trust your friends and family to bring in people you can trust," Neves said.

Channel 4 WJXT news reported that family members said the cousin visited the home and on Monday and left hours before Haleigh disappeared.

On Friday morning, Croslin, the 17-year-old girlfriend who was watching over Haleigh Cummings before she went missing, denied reports of not being home at the time.

She told NBC's "Today Show" that she was home and called police when she realized the girl was not there. She said "it was not a long period of time" after she looked around the house and called out for Haleigh when she contacted authorities.

Croslin is the girlfriend of Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings.

Haleigh vanished from her father's mobile home in Satsuma during the night of Monday, Feb. 9.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/2...Haleigh-s-home

http://www.wftv.com/news/18759621/detail.html

Tip Leads To New Search For Haleigh Cummings
Friday, February 20, 2009 – updated: 12:33 pm EST February 20, 2009

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- A new tip led to a new ground search for missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings Friday and an army of deputies searched a wooded area just a few hundred yards from her home.

Putnam County sheriff's deputies stopped all physical ground searches for Haleigh Cummings last Monday, but Friday morning Eyewitness News found a search team in Satsuma in a parking lot and followed behind them.

The tip that led law enforcement to the wooded area came in overnight. Officers from all over, including Flagler County Fire Rescue, showed up early Friday morning to begin the search.

There were more than 70 searchers, some with walking sticks. Eyewitness News was the only TV news crew in the woods when the search began.

"We're going to move to the north, which will be to our right all the way down this road, double arms length apart. The go signal is going to be 'move,'" the search leader announced.

The group met briefly Friday morning and then lined up on a dirt road.

Haleigh Cummings has been missing for almost two weeks and, so far, no luck in tracking her down. There are new leads, though.

The FBI is investigating Misty Croslin's cousin in Tennessee about his possible role in the abduction. Croslin's cousin was in Satsuma the night Haleigh vanished and then went back to Tennessee.

MISTY CROSLIN TALKS
Watch WFTV Interview | Images

Misty Croslin is Haleigh's father's girlfriend and the last one to see the 5-year-old. Friday morning, she told Eyewitness News she doesn't trust her very own family member (watch it | images).

"Why don't you trust him?" WFTV reporter Mark Boyle asked Croslin.

"I just don't," she said.

"Is their a specific reason?" Boyle asked.

"I am not going to put that on TV," she said.

"You say he's a life-time criminal. Is that true?" Boyle asked.

"He has had a lot of trouble his whole life," she replied.

Eyewitness News has confirmed that a woman called 911 in Knoxville, Tennessee a few days ago to report a possible Haliegh sighting. The woman told police she saw a man shielding a little girl's face who looked like Haleigh while getting into an SUV.

There were also reports that Croslin's cousin and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, got into some type of argument hours before the 5-year-old disappeared.

Eyewitness News asked Cummings about the reported argument.

"There was no fight with a cousin over a gun. I don't know where people are getting their information from, but people say a lot of things and they don't always know what they are talking about," he said.

At noon Thursday, 17-year-old Misty Croslin was escorted to a car with two detectives. She had to put out her smoke before getting into the backseat, but didn't answer any questions.

Minutes later, her boyfriend, Ronald Cummings, spoke out about her (watch it).

"I don't have any suspicions of anybody," Ronald said of Misty. "Anybody could have done anything. Obviously, if I knew what was going on, I would have my daughter."

WFTV Viewer Donates Camper To Haleigh's Father

Friday, February 20, 2009 – updated: 7:04 am EST February 20, 2009

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- An Eyewitness News viewer decided to donate a camper to Haleigh's father, who is presently living in a tent, while investigators search for the little girl.The camper will be arriving Friday for Ronald Cummings to live in. Cummings moved into the tent when his home became a crime scene.
FAMILY MEMBERS LIVING IN TENT DURING SEARCHEyewitness News spoke with Haleigh's family Thursday about how they are coping. They are living in a tent, about 15-by-15. Coolers are full of water and drinks and inside is where the family is living, because their mobile home down the street is still a crime scene.New information was released Thursday about the pink shirt Haleigh was last reported wearing. Ronald Cummings' grandmother, Annette Sykes, told Eyewitness News earlier this week deputies allowed Misty Croslin back inside the mobile home where Haleigh was abducted.At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Ronald Cummings pleaded for his daughter's safe return. "Yes, I do have a message for whoever has taken Haleigh. I would ask that you please, please bring my daughter home. She's not yours, not your property. She's not something that you just take and say, 'It's mine.' This is my daughter, this is blood and I would like to have my daughter back please. Please bring my daughter home," he pleaded.Sykes said the 17-year-old girlfriend found the pink shirt in the home, but the sheriff's office won't confirm where it was found. Meanwhile, the family is still camped out in the neighborhood."It's not home, but it's good. I mean it's dry, basically, it's out of the sun," Sykes said.But on a rainy Thursday in Putnam County, water poured through the cracks of a tent donated by a funeral home. The fire department donated a propane tank to keep them warm on cool nights and the family is taking shifts sleeping on mattresses."Waiting on Haleigh to come home. This is as close to the house as we can get really and the gentleman here was nice enough to let us put this up in his yard," Sykes said.That gentleman is also allowing Haleigh's family to run cable to the tent so they can watch a big, color, flat screen TV. There's also food, drinks, and chairs for guests.As for the investigation into Haleigh's whereabouts, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office is still following up on more than 1,300leads. Haleigh's great grandmother said she'll be sleeping under the stars until the little girl comes home."We'll be right here waiting," she said.Haleigh's little brother, Junior, is sleeping at a family home about six miles away.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18757422/detail.html#-

Deputies question girlfriend of Haleigh's father

Friday, February 20, 2009

Haleigh Cummings has been missing since Feb. 9.

SATSUMA -- At an afternoon press conference Thursday, investigators revealed they've arrested a sexual predator who lives near the home of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings.

Timothy Loucakis was arrested for curfew violation.
Deputies said he was home last Monday night when Haleigh disappeared. They wanted to question him anyway, but said they have no reason to believe he may be involved in the case.
Deputies also said they are interviewing Misty Croslin, 17, the girlfriend of Haleigh's father Ronald Cummings.

They said, at this point, no one is being ruled out as a suspect.
As authorities continue their exhaustive search for the missing 5-year-old, deputies say reward money is pouring in to find the little girl.
Investigators say they've received over 1,200 tips in this case, including one saying Croslin was not home at the time of Haleigh's disappearance.
At a Wednesday press conference, investigators said they put a boat on the St. Johns River and have processed a vehicle, but they would not give details.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said $16,000 reward is being offered in the case, including $10,000 from an anonymous donor, $5,000 from a foundation and $1,000 from CrimeStoppers.
Capt. Dick Schauland from the sheriff's office said no ground searches are scheduled at this point. However, ground crews are ready should the need arise.
On Tuesday, investigators conducted spot searches Tuesday. So far, all of the leads have come up short.
That same day, deputies said they slightly changed the Amber Alert out for Haleigh, saying she wasn't wearing a pink shirt when she vanished as first thought.
Several people have taken polygraph tests, including Ronald Cummings and Croslin. Croslin was the last person to see Haleigh before she disappeared.
Ronald Cummings told deputies he left his daughter and son in bed in Croslin's care. Croslin said when she got out of bed, she could not find Haleigh.
Investigators would not release information about what the polygraph tests showed, or comment on whether they still believe Croslin is telling the truth.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2...20/439757.html

Girlfriend's Cousin Under Investigation In Haleigh Case

Friday, February 20, 2009 – updated: 10:02 am EST February 20, 2009

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- The Putnam County Sherriff's Office says that the FBI is investigating Misty Croslin's cousin. Eyewitness News learned Thursday that Misty Croslin's cousin, known as "Joe" was in town the night Haleigh disappeared.There are now questions about what role Joe may have played in the disappearance. After the little girl vanished, he took off to Tennessee.WFTV reporter Mark Boyle briefly spoke with Misty Croslin about her cousin (watch it)."You said you don't trust him, why?" asked Boyle.
RAW VIDEO: Misty Croslin Talks To WFTV
THE TENT: See Tent Family Is Living In
"I just don't trust him," she said. "He's gotten into a lot of trouble."Eyewitness News has confirmed that a woman called 911 in Knoxville, Tennessee a few days ago to report a possible Haliegh sighting. The woman told police she saw a man shielding a little girl's face who looked like Haleigh while getting into an SUV.There were also reports that Croslin's cousin and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, got into some type of argument hours before the 5-year-old disappeared.Eyewitness News asked Cummings about the reported argument."There was no fight with a cousin over a gun. I don't know where people are getting their information from, but people say a lot of things and they don't always know what they are talking about," he said.At noon Thursday, 17-year-old Misty Croslin was escorted to a car with two detectives. She had to put out her smoke before getting into the backseat, but didn't answer any questions.Minutes later, her boyfriend, Ronald Cummings, spoke out about her (watch it)."I don't have any suspicions of anybody," Ronald said of Misty. "Anybody could have done anything. Obviously, if I knew what was going on, I would have my daughter."

http://www.wftv.com/news/18757844/detail.html#-

Missing Florida Girl's Family: Pedophile Cousin Took Haleigh Cummings

The family of a little Florida girl who apparently vanished while she was sleeping is afraid she was taken by a pedophile cousin.

The mother and paternal grandmother of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings said Friday the man in question is a cousin of Misty Croslin, the teenaged girlfriend of Haleigh's father Ronald Cummings.

Police are questioning the cousin, who is from Tennessee and was visiting when Haleigh disappeared before dawn Feb. 10, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

"What we've been told is that he's a sexual pedophile," said Haleigh's mother Crystal Sheffield. The child's grandmother Teresa Neves said Croslin described him as a "jerk" and she was worried.

"I couldn't tell you anything about him," a distraught Neves told reporters Friday, adding that she only knew of the cousin by his first name Joe. "I can't tell you how they could have taken her from a family that absolutely adores her."

The family's plea for the child's return came as news emerged about a tip from Tennessee called in by a woman claiming to have seen a man in a restaurant with a little girl resembling Haleigh, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

The tipster, who reportedly phoned Knoxville detectives Sunday, said the man she saw was in a red Toyota RAV4 and appeared to be trying to shield the little girl with him.

Knoxville police said they didn't locate the car but turned the information over to Florida authorities on the case, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

Putnam County investigators said they impounded a car in the case, but they wouldn't give a description of the vehicle, the station reported.

On Thursday a sexual predator was arrested near the trailer home where Haleigh lives with 24-year-old Cummings, 17-year-old Croslin and her little brother Junior.

Police said Timothy R. Loucakis was brought in on charges unrelated to the missing child.

"Word is getting out that we have a sexual predator in custody, and we do, but we have no reason to link it to Haleigh," said Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy. He said Loucakis missed his curfew, but GPS tracking showed him "within his home zone" — and not near Haleigh when she reportedly vanished.

Detectives are still "not excluding anybody" as a suspect in the girl's disappearance, Hardy said.

Loucakis was convicted of "promoting a sexual performance by a child" in May of 2001 and is currently listed as a sexual predator, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site.

"What we're concerned about was he wasn't where he was supposed to be," Hardy said.

On Friday, police announced that the reward for information leading to Haleigh had risen to $20,000 but they offered no other details of their progress in solving the mystery.

Authorities have been investigating a tip that casts doubt on a story told by Croslin that she was home when she discovered the child missing. The source said the father's teenaged girlfriend wasn't in the trailer when Haleigh vanished last Tuesday. Investigators say they're looking into the report.

They're also studying inconsistencies in descriptions of what the girl was last seen wearing. Croslin told them Haleigh had a pink shirt on the night she vanished, but police said this week they have that item of clothing in their possession.

The girlfriend has also reportedly told different stories to cops and the media about the timing of her discovery that Haleigh was gone and where she and the child were that night.

Cummings and Croslin have both taken lie detector tests. They told FOX News they "passed" the polygraphs. Police haven't released the results.

The family has been at the center of investigations done by the state child welfare agency, but details of those cases haven't been disclosed because of confidentiality laws.

Neves said her son would never hurt Haleigh and pleaded Friday for her granddaughter's kidnapper to bring her home.

"I want to say to my baby, we love you sweetheart, and we will find you," she said through tears.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,497744,00.html

Haleigh Cummings is Missing: The Misty Croslin Connection

Speculation Runs Wild, but Everything Seems to Connect to Misty Croslin

February 20, 2009

There are always those moments in an investigation where something does not seem quite right. Often some tell-tale sign, something unobtrusive, begins to nag at one's thoughts. Such is the case with the Haleigh Cummings abduction. And the not-quite-right part seems to coalesce around the father's 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office has interviewed her multiple times. This, of course, is only normal since she was the last person to see Haleigh Cummings before the 5-year-old disappeared. But her stories are inconsistent. They have been from the start.

Misty Croslin claims to have last seen Haleigh Cummings at 10 p.m. February 9 when she herself went to bed. Croslin was watching the children for her boyfriend, Ronald Cummings, while he was at work. They all slept in the same room together.

Croslin also claims that early in the morning, around 3 a.m., she awoke to go to the bathroom, only to notice that Haleigh Cummings was no longer in her bed.

She then found the back door open. When boyfriend Ronald Cummings arrived home at 3:25 a.m., they called the police.

Misty Croslin originally told the police that she was asleep in the same bed with Haleigh. She later changed her story. She said that she was in the same bed as Haleigh's little brother, Ronald Cummings Jr., who is 4 years old, and that Haleigh was in the bed next to her.

Fox News and "America's Most Wanted" correspondent Michelle Sigona have reported that several people have told investigators that they saw Misty Croslin out in the neighborhood that night, that she was not at the mobile home the entire time that night.

What does any of this mean? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps something that might be damaging to Misty Croslin, but not especially helpful to the investigation. Or perhaps something not so damaging to Croslin but something she does not want to mention for an unknown reason. Or perhaps it is something both damning to Croslin and helpful to the investigation.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...sty.html?cat=8

New Pictures and Stories About Little Haleigh

SATSUMA, FL -- Pictures of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings are posted all over Putnam County. The are on "Missing Child" flyers. Haleigh disappeared from her Satsuma home February 9th.

Friday, Haleigh's family brought out more photographs of the little girl for the media.

And every photograph tells a story.

Like the one of Haleigh as a flower girl in her aunt's wedding in December.

The strawberry blond child in a royal blue dress is bent over, picking up the flower petals.

Haleigh's aunt, Crystal Cummings said, "As my daughter and Haleigh were dropping the flowers, Haleigh would pick the petals up! She thought she needed to pick them up. My daughter said 'No. You have to drop them.' It was really cute."

Then there's a photo of Haleigh with a smile from ear-to-ear. She's holding a brand new camera she received as a gift.

Haleigh's grandmother, Teresa Neves, remembered Haleigh found her own Christmas gift before Christmas. So Neves tricked her and told her it was for someone else.

Neves grinned and shook her head and said, "When she opened it up for Christmas, she started jumping ten feet high. Up and down and up and down. And then she came up to me and said, 'Grandma, you lied to me.' She was the most excited over this little camera!"

There is also a series of photos of Haleigh's first day of school.

Her father, Ronald Cummings is walking with Haleigh to the bus stop in the pictures.

Haleigh's aunt, Crystal Cummings said Haleigh was so excited to start school. A photo shows Haleigh walking ahead of her father.

But once the school bus arrived, Haleigh got nervous and started to push her father away from the bus because she didn't want to get on it.

Then there's her school portrait. It's the one on the flyers around the county. Haleigh dons a pink hair bow and a pink top with a butterfly embroidered on the front.

Neves said Misty Croslin, Haleigh's father's girlfriend dressed Haleigh that day.

Neves laughed and said, "Unfortunately Misty let her pick what she wanted to wear which meant there were 50 outfits on the floor every day!"

The laughter heard surrounding these stories Friday afternoon from Haleigh's family is rare. Much of the past two weeks has been filled with tears and worry over the missing little girl.

But the stories about the child do make people smile. Her family wants Haleigh back, and they want to take more pictures of her.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...131857&catid=3

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090221/ARTICLES/902210953/1002?Title=Cousin-in-Tennessee-not-a-suspect-in-Haleigh-s-disappearance

Cousin in Tennessee not a suspect in Haleigh's disappearance

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 5:26 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 5:26 p.m.

SATSUMA -- The search for Haleigh Cummings was scaled back Saturday, but investigators continued to run down leads in hoped that one will take them to the 5-year-old who family members say was last seen Feb. 9 in her home.

A few volunteers searched near the Satsuma home in which Haleigh lived with her father, Ronald Cummings, and his girlfriend, Misty Croslin. Putnam County Sheriff’s Capt. Dick Schauland said the department had no organized searches on Saturday.

Schauland added that a cousin of Croslin who lives in Tennessee but had recently visited the area is not a suspect or “person of interest” in the case.

“We got a lead about him early on and interviewed him. He is not a suspect,” Schauland said. “At the moment, we have no searches. We are following up on leads. The investigation is going on.”

Schauland added that no searches were planned for Sunday but added that could change depending on any leads that might come in.

A few individuals searched on their own, stopping by an area down the street from the Cummings home where members of Ronald Cummings’ family have gathered since the case began.

Members of the Christian Motorcycle Association based in Putnam County also stopped by to pray with family members for Haleigh’s return.

“We’re just here to lend support,” said member Barbara Rains. “We want to pray with them.”

Barbie Squires, Haleigh’s paternal great-grandmother, said the family plans to remain camped at the site as long as the property owner allows it or until Haleigh is found.

Squires said the ordeal is wearing on the family, including Haleigh’s 3-year-old brother Ronnie Jr., who was also in the house when family members say Haleigh disappeared.

“He’s not doing well at all. He realizes what’s going on,” Squires said. “Today he went

to his granny’s house and she gave him a soda. He was pouring it in a glass. She asked him why and he said he was pouring half of it for his sister.”

Cummings said he has not worked since Haleigh vanished. Squires said an account — the Haleigh Cummings Family Relief Fund — has been established at Bank of America.

A reward of up to $20,000 is being offered in the case. Anyone with information can call a tips line at 888-227-TIPS.

Croslin, 17, said she discovered Haleigh missing about 3 a.m. Feb. 9 when she awoke to use the bathroom. Haleigh had been sleeping on one of two beds in the master bedroom, Croslin said.

Schauland said in a press conference Saturday that 4,786 man hours have been spent by law enforcement on the ground, air and water searches, while sheriff’s investigators have spent 1,626 hours investigating leads. Volunteer search hours total more than 4,000. The number of leads is now up to 1,600.

“Some of the leads end up going nowhere, but you have to run them down,” Schauland said. “Somewhere along the line is going to be the tip that will lead us to her. Sooner or later we are going to find it.”

Contact Cindy Swirko at 374-5024 or at

2005 Documents Claim Haleigh Cummings Wandered Off    Reported by: Kristen Cosby
Email: kcosby@tvjaxfl.com
Last Update: 2/13 12:04 pm

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   Haleigh Cummings Court Documents 1 (1.4MB)
   Haleigh Cummings Court Documents 2 (366.0KB)

SATSUMA, Fla.-- A document filed by the mother of missing girl Haleigh Cummings claims she wandered off when she was in her father's care in 2005.

The document is a "Motion for Rehearing and Objection to Findings of Magistrate." It was filed by Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, in January 2006. Sheffield filed it after Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, was granted primary custody by a judge in December 2005.

The motion says "During or about the month of July 2005, Ronald failed to keep control of the toddler Haleigh while she was in his care, and allowed her to wander off. The child was found and rescued by the mother, floating face down in the canal behind the house. The mother rescued and revived the child."

CBS47/FOX30 asked Sheffield about the incident Wednesday. She said she was outside Ronald's mother's house putting Haleigh's younger brother, Ronald Cummings Jr., in his car seat. She claimed Ronald Cummings Sr. was responsible for Haleigh. Sheffield said she asked Ronald where Haleigh was and he didn't know. She claims she soon found Haleigh in the canal.

Sheffield never called police about this incident and there is no other record of it taking place. A judge has yet to change Ronald's primary custody status.

According to the "Report and Recommendation of the General Magistrate" obtained by CBS47/FOX30 at the Putnam County Courthouse, a judge granted primary custody to Ronald after Sheffield failed to appear at the custody hearing.

Ronald told the judge Haleigh has Turner Syndrome and needs hormone treatments by an endocrinologist. He said Sheffield frequently failed to take Haleigh to her doctors appointments.

Haleigh's father also told the judge Sheffield had a drug problem and was unemployed.

Sheffield was granted visitation rights with both of her children. She can see them every other weekend and on certain holidays. The judge also ordered her to pay child support to Ronald.

Haleigh's father returned home from work 3 a.m. Monday and discovered his daughter disappeared from her bed. Police issued an Amber Alert for her a few hours later. Investigators believe she was abducted.

Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.fox30online.com/content/topstories/story/2005-Documents-Claim-Haleigh-Cummings-Wandered-Off/ecfIOIQdpEyY0r9dGW3W-A.cspx

Quote from: klaasend on February 22, 2009, 10:52:55 AM

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,498127,00.html

(http://www.foxnews.com/images/510141/1_67_snap_geraldo_haleigh_320.jpg)

Missing Florida Girl's Dad: I 'Never' Hit My Child
Sunday , February 22, 2009

In a contentious, exclusive interview outside his Florida home, Ronald Cummings, the father of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, blasted new abuse allegations and told FOX News "never, ever have I ever hit my child."

"Me and my child have an agreement. Daddy, daughter. She has been spanked on her behind the way DCF says that you can take care of disciplining your children," Cummings told FOX News' Geraldo Rivera.

Cummings also condemned new allegations that he hit Haleigh's mom Crystal while she was pregnant, saying friends and family members making the accusations are 'absolutely lying' and threatening criminal charges against them.

Responding to sources that told Rivera Cummings had told them he was 75 percent sure who kidnapped Haleigh, the missing girl's father said, "There is no way — I do not know who took Haleigh. If I had — if I had, uh, five percent of where Haleigh was at, I would be there now and not here."

The family of Haleigh Cummings, who apparently vanished while she was sleeping, says they are afraid she was taken by a pedophile cousin.

The 5-year-old's mother and paternal grandmother said Friday the man in question is a cousin of Misty Croslin, the teenage girlfriend of Ronald Cummings.

Police are questioning the cousin, who is from Tennessee and was visiting when Haleigh disappeared before dawn Feb. 10, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

Click here for photos.

"What we've been told is that he's a sexual pedophile," said Haleigh's mother Crystal Sheffield. The child's grandmother, Teresa Neves, said Croslin described him as a "jerk" and she was worried.

"I couldn't tell you anything about him," a distraught Neves told reporters Friday, adding that she only knew of the cousin by his first name Joe. "I can't tell you how they could have taken her from a family that absolutely adores her."

The family's plea for the child's return came as news emerged about a tip from Tennessee called in by a woman claiming to have seen a man in a restaurant with a little girl resembling Haleigh, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

The tipster, who reportedly phoned Knoxville detectives Sunday, said the man she saw was in a red Toyota RAV4 and appeared to be trying to shield the little girl with him.

Knoxville police said they didn't locate the car but turned the information over to Florida authorities on the case, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

Putnam County investigators said they impounded a car in the case, but they wouldn't give a description of the vehicle, the station reported.

Sheffield told FOX News on Saturday that Ronald Cummings had been abusive to her when she first got pregnant.

"He punched me in the back of the head and before then, he was verbal," she said. "I mean he was just very abusive."

Sheffield also said she was told by her cousin of an incident where Cummings apparently hit Haleigh after the child bumped into him or smarted off to him.

"She said he just backhanded her. And she fell flat on her face on the porch," Sheffield said.

On Thursday a sexual predator was arrested near the trailer home where Haleigh lives with 24-year-old Cummings, 17-year-old Croslin and Haleigh's little brother Junior.

Police said Timothy R. Loucakis was brought in on charges unrelated to the missing child.

"Word is getting out that we have a sexual predator in custody, and we do, but we have no reason to link it to Haleigh," said Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy. He said Loucakis missed his curfew, but GPS tracking showed him "within his home zone" — and not near Haleigh — when she reportedly vanished.

Detectives are still "not excluding anybody" as a suspect in the girl's disappearance, Hardy said.

Loucakis was convicted of "promoting a sexual performance by a child" in May of 2001 and is currently listed as a sexual predator, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site.

"What we're concerned about was he wasn't where he was supposed to be," Hardy said.

On Friday, police announced that the reward for information leading to Haleigh had risen to $20,000 but they offered no other details of their progress in solving the mystery.

Authorities have been investigating a tip that casts doubt on a story told by Croslin that she was home when she discovered the child missing. The source said she wasn't in the trailer when Haleigh vanished last Tuesday. Investigators say they're looking into the report.

They're also studying inconsistencies in descriptions of what the girl was last seen wearing. Croslin told them Haleigh had a pink shirt on the night she vanished, but police said this week they have that item of clothing in their possession.

The girlfriend has also reportedly told different stories to cops and the media about the timing of her discovery that Haleigh was gone and where she and the child were that night.

Cummings and Croslin have both taken lie detector tests. They told FOX News they "passed" the polygraphs. Police haven't released the results.

The family has been at the center of investigations done by the state child welfare agency, but details of those cases haven't been disclosed because of confidentiality laws.

Neves said her son would never hurt Haleigh and pleaded Friday for her granddaughter's kidnapper to bring her home.

"I want to say to my baby, we love you sweetheart, and we will find you," she said through tears.[/b]

Haleigh's family life unstable from start
Father's girlfriend provides more details about Haleigh’s disappearance
By Dana Treen
Story updated at 6:44 PM on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009

Anyone who has information on Haleigh's whereabouts or what happened to her can call (888) 277-9477 (277-TIPS).

SATSUMA — Misty Croslin said the accusation that she left Haleigh Cummings the night the 5-year-old disappeared is untrue.

Croslin, the 17-year-old girlfriend of Haleigh’s father, said she doesn’t know where the rumor started.

“I was there the whole night,” she told the Times-Union in an interview Wednesday where she shared several details about Haleigh’s disappearance.

It was the third time Croslin has been publicly questioned in the nine days since she called 911 on Feb. 10 to report Haleigh was missing.

As the national attention grows, she and Haleigh’s family have found themselves under more and more scrutiny. Their backgrounds show many of them have been under scrutiny before, including a custody dispute, drug use and brushes with the law, according to court records and interviews.

In the interview Wednesday, Croslin said Haleigh watched “Madagascar” and “AirBud” with her brother, then snuggled beneath a blanket in a pink Hannah Montana top. She reported Haleigh was wearing that top when she disappeared.

However, Croslin said she found the shirt on Monday, when she was allowed back inside the doublewide mobile home for the first time since the disappearance. She was there to discuss the layout of the mobile home with investigators and was looking for the clothes Haleigh wore her last day at school.

She then saw the Hannah Montana shirt in a laundry pile by the back door. “When I put her blanket on she had that shirt on,” Croslin told the Times-Union on Wednesday.

She said she has no idea how the shirt wound up there.

Investigators changed a statewide Amber Alert to remove the shirt as a clothing description.

Croslin said the children’s great-grandmother, her brother and an air-conditioning repairman were the only ones to visit the mobile home that day.

After eating, Croslin said the children watched movies before Haleigh went to bed about 8:15 p.m.

The children’s father, 25-year-old Ronald Cummings, was on an evening shift at PDM Bridge in Palatka and arrived home about the time Croslin was making the 911 call.

Since then, a team of investigators sifting through 1,200 calls and tips over nine days have sent boats into the St. Johns River and searchers into the scrub miles from where Haleigh went missing about 3 a.m. Feb. 10.

So far none has produced significant results, but some tips are being considered solid, authorities said Wednesday. They said they remain optimistic.

A vehicle was seized and processed, said Dominick Pape, chief of the Jacksonville office of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Pape would not release other information about the vehicle other than to say it was taken early in the investigation.

Croslin also told the Times-Union that the day Haleigh disappeared, she told authorities a cousin who had been staying in Crescent City for about a month went back to Tennessee. She said the cousin had “messed with” her sexually when she was a child but not been deemed a sexual offender.

The cousin had visited the mobile home she shared with Cummings but was told not to come back when a gun in the house turned up missing around the same time, she said.

As the investigation stretched on, a look at the family’s background shows some of the instabilities and conflicts that add to an already murky case.

Court records and interviews details brushes with the law involving Cummings as well as clashes over child custody with Crystal Sheffield, the biological mother of Haleigh and Ronald Jr.

Sheffield and Cummings never married, but she said the two were together between the times she was 14 and 19.

“I was 17 when I got pregnant with Haleigh,” said Sheffield, now 23.

Now living in Baker County, Sheffield had visitation every two weeks while Cummings had custody. Since her daughter’s disappearance, she and family members have set up a tent and shelter down the road from Cummings’ Green Lane mobile home.

Cummings, Croslin and their families are camped closer to the mobile home that still has not been turned back over to them by the Sheriff’s Office.

Cummings has had custody since 2005 when a magistrate said the children should live with him. He was employed and better able to provide health insurance to the children, the court said.

Sheffield said in the court record she had used cocaine a year before, a reason Cummings cited for wanting custody. He also said Haleigh had missed a dozen doctor’s appointments in the year before coming to live with him.

Sheffield has said Cummings was violent with her and court records show she once sought a protective order but then later asked that it be dismissed.

Cummings has said the fact that he has primary custody of the children shows he is a good parent.
But Cummings has had brushes with the law, including minor drug arrests, though most charges were dropped. In 2001 he was arrested after a man said he was threatened with a beating, according to court records.

Croslin said she met Cummings about six months ago when she was baby-sitting for a woman who had a child with Cummings.

Croslin said she was concerned the baby boy was not being cared for properly.

“I told him you need to get your son before something bad happens to him,” she said. Croslin said the two started talking. She was 16 at the time.

Her father, Hank Croslin Sr., told the Times-Union that Cummings told him he was 19 and later that he was 21.

Though Hank Croslin said he was angry at first about the lie, he said it is no longer an issue.

It is against Florida law for a person 24 or older to have relations with anyone 17 or younger, but investigators said they are not looking into the issue during the search for Haleigh. Find the little girl is their priority, they said.

The policy of the state Department of Children and Families also is to look first to the welfare of the children.
“If the children are being properly cared for and are not being abused, neglected or abandoned, then no action will be taken,” said department spokesman John Harrell.

He said the department has had “involvement” with the family in the past but could not under state confidentiality laws describe that interaction. Court records do show a review of the case over the custody issue.

For now, animosities have mostly been buried. At a prayer service for Haleigh on Tuesday, Misty Croslin, Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield sat closely together at Dunns Creek Baptist Church, alternately holding Ronald Jr. as they hoped for the safe return of a brown-eyed, strawberry-blonde little girl.

dana.treen@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4091

Fox anchor banned from camp of missing girl's father
Geraldo Rivera was issued a trespass warning on Saturday
By Deirdre Conner Story updated at 6:44 PM on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009

No new information about Haleigh Cummings’ whereabouts materialized on Sunday.

But as the search for the missing Putnam County girl closed out its 13th day, the case took a surreal turn as her family’s conflict became fodder for national television.

It all started Saturday afternoon, when police responded to a disturbance at the trailer park where Haleigh’s mother’s family and father’s family are camped out at opposite ends of the road.

The disturbance began after Geraldo Rivera, anchor of the Fox News Channel’s “Geraldo at Large,” accosted Ronald Cummings, Haleigh’s father, at the camper where he has been living. It ended with a trespass warning for Rivera, and shortly thereafter, the broadcast of his contentious interview. Read the transcript here.

Geraldo asked him about allegations that he used illegal drugs, was physically and verbally abusive of Sheffield — most of them detailed in a Thursday story in the Times-Union — which he denied.

Cummings got even more upset when Rivera said he’d been told by members of Haleigh’s mother’s family that Cummings hit the child and has said he is 75 percent sure he knows who has her. Shortly thereafter, family members ran Rivera and his crew off the property.

Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene later, and issued Rivera the trespass warning at the request of the two property owners on whose land the Cummings family is camping while their trailer remains closed off as a crime scene. A trespass warning means Rivera would be arrested if he came back onto the property. Rivera told deputies he understood and stated he would not come back to the address, but declined to sign the trespass warning, according to a sheriff’s office report.

A Fox News spokeswoman provided partial transcripts of the interviews, but said she was unable to make anyone from the show available for comment on the run-in.

In Rivera’s later interview with Sheffield and her mother, she repeated those allegations, but said she still believes that Cummings loves Haleigh.

On Sunday, neither parent was speaking to the media. Haleigh’s paternal grandmother, Teresa Neves, issued yet another plea for people nationwide to keep an eye out for her granddaughter.

Official police searches of that area have stilled, but detectives from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office are still tracking down leads, said Capt. Dick Schauland.

Still, groups of volunteers from as far away as Brunswick, Ga. continued to look for the girl in the nearby area. And well-wishers still flowed into the two campgrounds to lend support, bringing everything from breakfast burritos to stuffed animals to hand-penned prayers for Haleigh’s safe return.

Haleigh disappeared on Feb. 10 from the home of Cummings, who had official custody, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, who has been questioned several times by detectives as the last person to see her. Croslin said she put Haleigh and her then-3-year-old brother to bed, and when she awoke about 3 a.m., the little girl was gone.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-02-22/story/fox_anchor_banned_from_camp_of_missing_girls_father

Brother: Man in black grabbed Haleigh
Authorities 'following up on that lead'
By Jessie-Lynne Kerr
Story updated at 6:14 AM on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009

Five-year-old Haleigh Cummings has been missing since Feb. 10.
Related coverage

Did a man dressed in black sneak into the room where 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings was sleeping two weeks ago and steal her from her bed? That’s what her brother, Ronald Cummings Jr., then 3, told investigators from a child protection team when they interviewed him in the first few days after his sister disappeared.

“The Sheriff’s Office is aware of what the little boy said and is following up on that lead,” Capt. Dick Schauland told the Times-Union Monday night, “but we are not commenting on any of the interviews.”

The dramatic information was the talk of cable news shows Monday.

When asked if the information about the man in black came first from the children’s mother, Crystal Sheffield, Schauland said, “I honestly do not know.”

The Sheriff’s Office suspended the daily 3 p.m. news conferences Monday concerning the search for Haleigh.

Sheriff Jeff Hardy has determined that all information that can be disclosed has been, he said a statement sent by e-mail to the media at noon.

But that doesn’t mean any decrease in the intensity of the investigation, Schauland said.

“Our forces have not scaled back,” he said. Of the county’s 17 detectives, five are solely assigned to the Haleigh investigation, he said, and the other dozen work on it as needed. There also are four investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and an undetermined number of FBI agents working the case, he said.

“They all are still running down the more than 1,600 leads we have received, but nothing has come up that justifies any type of massive ground or water search,” Schauland said.

Hardy said the return of Haleigh is the primary concern of all involved and when new information surfaces that can be disclosed, he will notify the media.

Schauland added, “The piece of information we need is out there somewhere and it is going to come in.”

Haleigh disappeared Feb. 10 from the home of her father, Ronald Cummings, 25, who had official custody, and his girlfriend, Misty Croslin, 17, who called 911 to report her missing. Croslin said she put Haleigh and her brother, then 3, to bed while Cummings was at work. When she awoke about 3 a.m., Haleigh was gone.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/crime/2009-02-23/story/brother_man_in_black_grabbed_haleigh
jessie-lynne.kerr@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4374

http://www.news4jax.com/news/18778590/detail.html

Investigator: We Are No Closer To Finding Haleigh

POSTED: Monday, February 23, 2009
UPDATED: 12:39 am EST February 24, 2009

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Two weeks after 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings vanished from her Satsuma home in the middle of the night, investigators were still searching for the kindergartner and following up on 1,600 leads.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said it has five detectives working on the case around the clock. On Monday, one investigator said they are no closer to finding Haleigh than they were when she first disappeared.

Haleigh was last seen at 10 p.m. Feb. 9, in bed at her home in the Hermet's Cove mobile home park where she lives with her father, his 17-year-old girlfriend and her younger brother.

Investigators were told the last person to see the 5-year-old was her father's girlfriend, Misty Croslin, who told investigators that she saw the girl in her bed at 10 p.m. She told police when she awoke at 3 a.m. on Tuesday to use the bathroom, Haleigh was missing and the back door of the home was open.

Over the past 14 days, detectives have questioned and re-questioned Haleigh's family members and anyone else who had contact with the child before she disappeared.

One person who was questioned on Monday was the fiancé of the missing child's mother. Police questioned Chad Griffis for about 30 minutes but would not say whether the man had been questioned in the past or why they questioned him on Monday.

Officials said they are not planning on scaling back their investigation.

However, as developments in the case have slowed, investigators opted on Monday not to hold a news conference. The daily news briefings by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office had been taking place nearly every day since Haleigh's disappearance.

The absence of the news briefing caused some concern for Haleigh's family members, who said they want the media attention on the missing 5-year-old.

"There is a concern that people will forget to pray or not remember what she looks like," said the Cummings' family pastor, Rev. Terry Wright.

One type of media coverage, however, did not sit well with some of the missing girl's loved ones. On Saturday evening, tensions boiled over during an interview between Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's father, and Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera.

At a time when the two sides of Haleigh's family remain united in a plea for the girl's safe return home, they couldn't be more divided about some things.

Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, and her family spoke out to Rivera last weekend, making several serious accusations against the missing girl's father.

"I felt fine with it. It bothers me that they're upset about it," Sheffield said.

Rivera confronted Cummings about allegations about drug use, physical abuse and claims that he was 75 percent sure he knew who took Haleigh.

When the controversial journalist brought up allegations of abuse, Cummings said he "never, ever have I ever hit my child."

"Me and my child have an agreement. Daddy-daughter. She has been spanked on her behind the way DCF (Florida Department of Children and Families) says that you can take care of disciplining your children," Cummings said in the Fox interview.

When Rivera continued pressing Cummings with allegations he hit Sheffield when she was pregnant with Haleigh, used illegal drugs and told someone he was "75 percent sure" he knew know took Haleigh, the property owners told Rivera to leave and Putnam County deputies were called.

"I'd have liked to punch him … It was disgusting. To say the least, it was disgusting -- any man to put a man with his child gone like that through what he put him through," said Haleigh's paternal great-grandmother, Annette Sykes after the interview.

Rivera was issued a warning that if he would be charged with trespassing if he returned, according to the Putnam County incident report.

While neither of Haleigh's parents would speak to the media after the incident, Haleigh's maternal grandmother wasn't surprised at the confrontation between the family and Rivera.

"It's our word against his. You know, he says no and we say yes," said Haleigh's maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis.

Haleigh's family members on both sides said the drama and accusations have taken away from their shared goal of finding Haleigh.

"All of the commotion it caused took away from the searching and leads for Haleigh. We just want Haleigh, and the media slows down more and more each day because it's getting longer and longer," Sykes said.

Anyone with information about Haleigh's disappearance should call 888-277-TIPS or the FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.

The reward for information regarding Haleigh's whereabouts and/or the conviction of the perpetrator of any crimes involving stands at $20,000.

Haleigh's brother: Man took her from bedroom

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 10:31 a.m.

Investigators are following up a lead provided by the brother of a missing 5-year-old Putnam County girl that a man came into the room where she was sleeping and took her.

Putnam County sheriff’s Capt. Dick Schauland confirmed that officers had received the lead but didn’t provide any details except that the boy gave the report to members of a child protection team. Ronald Cummings Jr., was 3 when he was interviewed the week Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings was reported missing from her Satsuma home.

“Everything they were able to find out from him they are following up on,” Schauland said.

According to news reports about the lead, the child said a man dressed in black entered the room.

Haleigh had been at her home with her younger brother and her father’s girlfriend on Feb. 9. She was discovered missing early the next day when the girlfriend got up to go to the restroom.

Investigators have received about 1,600 tips in the case of the missing girl.

Officers began the case with a search for the child from the air, on the ground and on the water. Search efforts were later scaled back. Investigators have described the case as a possible abduction but continue to stress they are searching for the child.

Anyone with information on Haleigh can contact authorities at 888-227-TIPS.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/2...r-from-bedroom

Investigators Speak With Haleigh's Father Again
WESH.com
updated 9:15 a.m. ET, Tues., Feb. 24, 2009
SATSUMA, Fla. - The Putnam County Sheriff's Office canceled its daily news conference on Monday in the search for Haleigh Cummings.

The sheriff's office said it canceled the news conference because it had no new information or leads to share.

Haleigh, 5, was reported missing from her Satsuma home early in the morning of Feb. 10 by her father's girlfriend, Misty Croslin, 17.

Despite the canceled news conference, investigators were still hard at work in Satsuma on Monday.

Investigators spoke with two people related to the case on Monday -- Haleigh's mother's fiancé, Chad Griffis, and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings.

Haleigh's maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis, said Chad Griffis has nothing to hide. Marie Griffis is also Chad Griffis' stepmother.

"No, no. I know his whereabouts. He lives 500 feet in front of me," Marie Griffis said.

Haleigh's paternal grandmother, Teresa Neves, said the focus should be on finding her granddaughter.

"And for people to be dragging up dirt, and trying to turn this into something that it's not…this is about Haleigh. It's all about Haleigh. All we want is for Haleigh to come home," Neves said.

Also on Monday, a donor added $25,000 to the Crime Stoppers reward for Haleigh, Crime Stoppers Executive Director Dr. Suzanne DeWees said. The total is now up to $41,000.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29350525/

Haleigh's Brother Says He Saw the Suspect
Posted By: Jackelyn Barnard Created: 2/24/2009 4:55:05 PM Updated: 2/24/2009 5:55:50 PM
Recommend (1)Print Article Email Article Larger Smaller

SATSUMA, FL -- It's those last moments before Haleigh Cummings disappeared that police want to know about.

They are relying on a four-year-old, Haleigh's little brother, Ronald Junior, for help.

"He was asleep. I got there 10 minutes after we noticed she was gone. I had Junior, he said he didn't know anything...said he was asleep," Haleigh's great grandmother, Annette Sykes, told First Coast News on Monday.

Detectives have talked to the child. Relatives on both sides say he told police he saw a man in a ski mask come in their trailer and leave with his big sister.

"They questioned Junior. I asked them (police) about it. They couldn't tell me anything other than he's a little child. He was questioned and the story went from one thing to another and another," says Sykes.

Child psychologist Dr. Lynn Wadelton says the average four-year-old can give an accurate account of what they witness. But there are factors that can sometimes cloud the story.

"The research on four-year-olds in general, says that the amount of time that elapses between when they first see something and the things they see in the interim can affect their memory and can be confused."

Wadelton says interviewing a child has to be done carefully, without suggesting details. "They will try to ask questions that don't lead in a particular way, like was it a car or truck. They might say 'how did they leave.'"

She says police look for key factors in a story, like consistency and is the child telling the same story to several different people.

"It's not just the words a child says, the non-verbals, the emotions that goes with the words they're telling."

Police won't comment about the interview. They say they are following up all information that comes in to investigators.

Haleigh's great grandmother says she doesn't believe Haleigh's little brother really knows what happened in the home.

"We ask him, he'll tell you one thing. You ask another way, he'll tell you something else. He's just a little child."

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...132095&catid=3

Mother Of Missing Girl Hints At New Lead

Haleigh Cummings' Mother Says Younger Brother May Have Information

updated 8:47 a.m. ET Feb. 25, 2009

PALATKA, Fla. - The younger brother of a missing Putnam County girl may have provided investigators with a new lead.
Haleigh Cummings, 5, was reported missing from her Palatka home during the early-morning hours of Feb. 10.
During an interview with CNN's Nancy Grace Monday evening, Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, hinted that her 4-year-old son gave authorities a new lead.
"When I’d see him on my visitation, all he said was, 'I wanna find my sissy.' He said something about somebody in black took her," Sheffield said.
Haleigh's paternal grandmother, Teresa Neves, said she questions Sheffield's decision to disclose this information.
"I don't feel like anybody should have said that," Neves said. "We don’t know who has my grandchild. And if that is somebody who would hurt my grandchild, or if you are that person and you feel like he could identify you, what would be your next move then? You know?"
A spokesman for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said at the beginning of the investigation that Haleigh's brother was interviewed by Child Protective Services.
Capt. Dick Shauland said any leads the brother provided cannot be discussed and are being checked out.
"We have detectives assigned to it. They have been, or are, following up on it," Shauland said. "Could be the piece of information that we need."
The Crimeline reward for Haleigh's safe return is now at $5,000. There is also a $25,500 reward for a tip leading to an arrest.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29371188/

Tip Leads Detectives To St. Johns Co. In Search For Haleigh

Search For Missing 5-Year-Old Continues

updated 12:45 p.m. ET Feb. 25, 2009

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. - A tip about a possible Haleigh Cummings sighting led investigators to St. Augustine on Tuesday -- day 15 in the search for the missing 5-year-old girl.
For more than two weeks, detectives have been pouring over the hundreds of leads they've received about Haleigh's disappearance.
On Tuesday morning, officers searched an area in St. Augustine near some railroad tracks around state Road 16 and U.S. Highway 1 after someone called to say he or she saw a man walking with a girl who fit Haleigh's description.
Police eventually located a man in the area who was walking his daughter to school. Still, there was no sign of Haleigh.
Other tips of possible sightings of the missing girl have led investigators on searches as far as Tennessee, where officers searched after receiving a lead that Haleigh was seen getting into a vehicle outside a restaurant. However, like many others, that turned out to be a false lead.
Nonetheless, the responses in both cases show how quickly authorities have been moving when they receive tips about Haleigh.
"They've all been checked, and we've been notified of them. So far, they've all been false sightings, but by all means if people see something they think might be it, they should call and it will be checked wherever they are by the local authorities. You never know when the right one is going to come in," said Capt. Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
"Nobody knows what that one is either, you know? They have to look at everything that comes in," said Haleigh's great-grandmother, Annett Sykes.
Haleigh's family said it believes police have been doing their best to find the missing 5-year-old, and they realize a simple tip from the public could be the key.
Another thing the family discussed on Tuesday was information released by Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, saying the girl's younger brother said he saw a man in black take his sister.
"All he said was, 'I want to find my sissy.' He said something about somebody in black took her. I don’t know if it's true," Sheffield said.
"I don’t know nothing about that. I think that those questions are questions that you should discuss with detectives," said Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings.
Cummings' mother said she feels the same way, and she also said Sheffield's comment will not help police and could hurt her other grandchild.
"Obviously, everybody talked to Junior when this happened. Police and law enforcement are doing their job. For somebody to go out and say that, to me you might have endangered the life of another one of my grandchildren," said Haleigh's grandmother, Teresa Neves.
Police said they would not comment on what was discussed with Haleigh's brother. However, they ask the public to continue to call in any tips because their main focus is finding Haleigh.
Haleigh is described as having blond hair and brown eyes, is 3 feet tall and weighs 39 pounds. She was last seen in the Hermit's Cove area of Satsuma on Feb. 9.
The reward for information regarding Haleigh's whereabouts and/or the conviction of the perpetrator of any crimes stands at $25,500.
Anyone with information about Haleigh's disappearance should call 888-277-TIPS or the FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29375089/

Family Shares Haleigh Photos, Home Video
Family Wants People To Remember Haleigh's Face, Keep Watch For Missing Girl

POSTED: Wednesday, February 25, 2009
UPDATED: 8:38 am EST February 26, 2009

An Amber Alert was issued February 10 for 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings VIDEO:
Family Prays, Wants To Minimize Distractions In Search For Haleigh
Police: Focus On Haleigh's Face
UNCUT 911 Calls

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- For the public, the family pictures and home video of Haleigh Cummings that her family shared on Wednesday are a new glimpse into the life of the 5-year-old, but for the missing girl's loved ones, the photos and video are memories of the young girl they've been praying for 16 days will come back home.

Haleigh's family allowed Channel 4 to show a home video of the child opening Christmas presents in hopes any new glimpse may trigger a new tip that might lead to their little girl.

For Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, the video filled with happy memories and the hope that Haleigh will soon be home are what get Sheffield through this difficult time.

Some of the Cummings' family photos were taken years and others were taken months ago. The family said it just wants people to take another close look in case they've seen Haleigh somewhere.

Despite 'Sightings,' Tips, Investigators No Closer To Finding Haleigh

An anonymous pledge of $5,000 on Tuesday boosted the reward for finding 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings to $25,500 as investigators said they are no closer to finding her on the 15th day than they were on the first.

A sighting Tuesday morning of a girl that fits Haleigh's description prompted a search near railroad tracks along U.S. Highway 1 in St. Augustine. Police eventually located a man in the area walking his daughter to school, but there was no sign of Haleigh.

Wednesday morning, there were reports of possible sightings at a mall in Grand Junction, Colo., and a truck stop in Fort Wayne, Ind., but detectives have ruled them out.

"So far, they've all been false sightings, but by all means if people see something they think might be it, they should call and it will be checked wherever they are by the local authorities. You never know when the right one is going to come in," said Capt. Dick Schauland, of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
SLIDESHOW:
Search For Haleigh Cummings

Schauland said eight detectives are spending full-time pouring through more than 2,000 tips that have been phoned in and agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI continue to work the case. More deputies are available if a credible lead needs investigation or prompts a new ground search.

The sheriff's office has suspended daily news briefings because there's basically nothing they can report.

"The thrust of the investigation is the return of Haleigh, so we have to be very careful about the information we release," Schauland said Tuesday. "If there is any new information, we will get it out."

While law enforcement has no ongoing search, family members and volunteers continue to comb the wooded area surrounding the mobile home park where the Haleigh lived with her younger brother, her father and his girlfriend.

Complete strangers that heard Haleigh's story continue to arrive and offer to help in any way they can.

"We heard about it over the news … as just about everybody else did. God just laid it on our hearts to come out here and do something," said Bill Kyne, who drove up Wednesday morning and offered to help search. "I have six kids of my own and eight grandkids, and I couldn't imagine if one of them went missing."

The family said they have also suspended daily searches, but they are organizing a search on Saturday and asking for volunteers to help.

The Cummings family continues to hold nightly vigils for Haleigh outside the separate makeshift camp sites in the Satsuma neighborhood where her mother and father have stayed since Feb. 10 when the girl disappeared from her bed.

Almost from the beginning, investigators said they believed she was abducted.

Anyone with information about Haleigh's disappearance should call 888-277-TIPS or the FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/18793662/detail.html#-

Search Moves Back to Haleigh's House
Created: 2/26/2009 9:22:37 AM
Investigators are back in the home where Haleigh Cummings was last seen. Her mother and father are watching as vehicles and search crews came back to the house.

It's not clear exactly what the crews are doing inside, but the search for evidence and DNA has been ramped up today.

Earlier Thursday, cadaver dogs were brought in to scour the woods and fields around the girl's home for any signs of the missing girl.

All morning, the dogs looked through and under a number of people's homes in Heleigh's neighborhood.

"They've been in my home," said neighbor James Batchelor. "They've torn it apart. All the buildings out there they've been in them twice."

The dogs are trained to specifically seek out human remains and are part of Canine South, a non-law-enforcement group specializing in canine searches.

Also, investigators want a DNA sample from Crystal Sheffield, the mother of Haleigh Cummings, the five-year-old who has been missing for over two weeks.

Thursday afternoon, detectives came looking for Sheffield, who had apparently gone to the doctor.

The detectives are trying to track her down after going to the wrong office. Investigators would not comment on what type of DNA sample they need, or whToday's search is not in response to leads received from the family or the public, but as a routine procedure that has proven itself in other missing child cases," said Captain Dick Schauland with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. "This search is being conducted to insure that no possibility is overlooked in the search for Haleigh."

Ron Wirth, a former FBI agent who's been doing general analysis on the investigation as a representative of First Coast Crime Stoppers, says the move to get the DNA from Haleigh's mother may be about evidence.

"They may be seeking the biological mother's DNA to establish a basis for test comparisons on items that they have found, or will find, to positively identify or eliminate those items as evidence in this matter," said Wirth.

Wirth says the new search with cadaver dogs is also not unusual at this stage in the investigation.

"If a body began to deteriorate you might get some gasses that the dogs could hit on," said Wirth.

Thursday's ground search is the first major organized effort in some time.

Investigators have been chasing false leads across the First Coast and in Tennessee since shifting the search for Haleigh to more of an investigative approach in the case last week.

The family spoke briefly to the media Thursday afternoon. Teresa Neves, Haleigh's grandmother, expressed concern over the dwindling crowds of media. She also said Ronald Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, are still together as a couple.

The reward for information leading to Haleigh is up to $26,500. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS if you have any information. You will remain anonymous and could recieve a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest.

©2009 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed..

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...132277&catid=3

Detectives Want DNA from Haleigh's Mother
Posted By: Gary Detman Posted By: Jackelyn Barnard Created: 2/26/2009 9:22:37 AM Updated: 2/26/2009 3:27:43 PM

SATSUMA, FL -- Investigators want a DNA sample from Crystal Sheffield, the mother of Haleigh Cummings, while cadaver dogs scour the woods and fields around the girl's home for any signs of the missing girl.

The five-year-old has been missing since she went to bed on the night of February 9th.

Late Thursday afternoon, detectives came looking for Sheffield, who had apparently gone to the doctor.

The detectives are trying to track her down after going to the wrong office. Investigators would not comment on what type of DNA sample they need, or why.

All morning, the cadaver dogs have been looking through and under a number of people's homes in Heleigh's neighborhood.

"They've been in my home," said neighbor James Batchelor. "They've torn it apart. All the buildings out there they've been in them twice."

The dogs are trained to specifically seek out human remains and are part of Canine South, a non-law-enforcement group specializing in canine searches.

"Today's search is not in response to leads received from the family or the public, but as a routine procedure that has proven itself in other missing child cases," said Captain Dick Schauland with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. "This search is being conducted to insure that no possibility is overlooked in the search for Haleigh."

Ron Wirth, a former FBI agent who's been doing general analysis on the investigation as a representative of First Coast Crime Stoppers, says the move to get the DNA from Haleigh's mother may be about evidence.

"They may be seeking the biological mother's DNA to establish a basis for test comparisons on items that they have found, or will find, to positively identify or eliminate those items as evidence in this matter," said Wirth.

Wirth says the new search with cadaver dogs is also not unusual at this stage in the investigation.

"If a body began to deteriorate you might get some gasses that the dogs could hit on," said Wirth.

Thursday's ground search is the first major organized effort in some time.

Investigators have been chasing false leads across the First Coast and in Tennessee since shifting the search for Haleigh to more of an investigative approach in the case last week.

The family spoke briefly to the media Thursday afternoon. Teresa Neves, Haleigh's grandmother, expressed concern over the dwindling crowds of media. She also said Ronald Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, are still together as a couple.

The reward for information leading to Haleigh is up to $26,500. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS if you have any information. You will remain anonymous and could recieve a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest.

<sdnipped> http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=132277&catid=3

Updated: 2/26/2009 7:03:10 PM

SATSUMA, FL -- Investigators spent an hour at the home where Haleigh Cummings was last seen around 4 p.m. Thursday. Her mother and father were watching as vehicles and search crews came back to the house.

It's not clear exactly what the crews were doing inside, but the search for evidence and DNA has been ramped up today.

Earlier Thursday, cadaver dogs were brought in to scour the woods and fields around the girl's home for any signs of the missing girl.

All morning, the dogs looked through and under a number of people's homes in Haleigh's neighborhood.

"They've been in my home," said neighbor James Batchelor. "They've torn it apart. All the buildings out there they've been in them twice."

The dogs are trained to specifically seek out human remains and are part of Canine South, a non-law-enforcement group specializing in canine searches.

Also, investigators want a DNA sample from Crystal Sheffield, the mother of Haleigh Cummings, the five-year-old who has been missing for over two weeks.

Thursday afternoon, detectives came looking for Sheffield, who had apparently gone to the doctor.

The detectives are trying to track her down after going to the wrong office. Investigators would not comment on what type of DNA sample they need, or why.

"Today's search is not in response to leads received from the family or the public, but as a routine procedure that has proven itself in other missing child cases," said Captain Dick Schauland with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. "This search is being conducted to insure that no possibility is overlooked in the search for Haleigh."

Ron Wirth, a former FBI agent who's been doing general analysis on the investigation as a representative of First Coast Crime Stoppers, says the move to get the DNA from Haleigh's mother may be about evidence.

"They may be seeking the biological mother's DNA to establish a basis for test comparisons on items that they have found, or will find, to positively identify or eliminate those items as evidence in this matter," said Wirth.

Wirth says the new search with cadaver dogs is also not unusual at this stage in the investigation.

"If a body began to deteriorate you might get some gasses that the dogs could hit on," said Wirth.

Thursday's ground search is the first major organized effort in some time.

Investigators have been chasing false leads across the First Coast and in Tennessee since shifting the search for Haleigh to more of an investigative approach in the case last week.

The family spoke briefly to the media Thursday afternoon. Teresa Neves, Haleigh's grandmother, expressed concern over the dwindling crowds of media. She also said Ronald Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, are still together as a couple.

The reward for information leading to Haleigh is up to $26,500. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS if you have any information. You will remain anonymous and could recieve a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...132277&catid=3

EquuSearch’s mission moves many to join search

Lonnie Broussard has never known the fear of having a loved one disappear.

“I can’t even imagine. Think about how you would feel; you’d want everyone to be looking for them,” said the 39-year-old father of three.

He was one of dozens who spent Saturday learning how to search for missing persons during training hosted by Texas EquuSearch.

Since its inception in 2000, the non-profit organization has performed more than 1,150 searches across the U.S., covering thousands of miles of forests, swamps, mountains and flat lands.

Though they’re sometimes tasked with recovering Alzheimer’s patients who have wandered off, the group most frequently finds human remains, said search coordinator and volunteer trainer Carol Moyers.

Dan Cummings knows first hand how the group works. In June 2007, they helped find the body of his 46-year-old nephew Kenneth Cummings Jr. buried at a 50-acre ranch near San Antonio. Terry Mark Mangum is serving a life sentence for the slaying.

“I saw what good work they’re doing, saw that it’s an organization that needs help,” said Cummings.

He recently went to Florida to search for 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, who is no relation. Last week he was in Clear Lake, helping search for kayaker Stephen Zella.

“I’m retired so when I get the call I go out,” Cummings said.

Miller founded Texas EquuSearch to provide volunteer horse riders to assist in search and recovery efforts in rural areas. His daughter Laura was abducted in Galveston County in 1984 and he experienced the frustration of not knowing where she was during the two years it took to find her remains.

The organization has expanded to include foot searchers, divers, boats, planes, helicopters, dog team and all terrain vehicles.

Community volunteers are led by trained Texas EquuSearch team members.

“Until you’ve searched for someone, you don’t realize how big the world is; how many cracks, crevices, and culverts there are,” said volunteer Melissa Southerland.

The 30-year-old is passionate about volunteering with the group, noting that they are funded entirely by donations.

“And we’ll keep going all over the country because other cities don’t have organizations like this. Tim’s been in the situation of not knowing and he’s not going to let anyone else go through that,” said Moyers.

For more information about Texas EquuSearch, visit http://texasequusearch.org/

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...o/6286413.html

BIKERS Help With Search For Haleigh

Updated: 3/2/2009 6:54:36 AM

PUTNAM COUNTY, FL -- Along with the talking about their rides out on the road, this year bikers passing through Putnam County on their way to bike week are also talking about Haleigh Cummings.

"If every biker keeps their eyes open and sees the pictures of her at stores and everything it can't hurt and if they catch the people that did it, I feel sorry for that man," says biker Mike Rizon.

Rizon is from Pittsburgh, and all the bikers he's riding with say they know Haleigh's story and are on the lookout.

"Everyone is well aware the girl is missing, we've all got our eyes open, we're all praying very hard for her safe return," says Mike "Hammer" Seager.

"We as people on motorcycles that are parents especially that don't want to see our children missing, we need to keep an eye out for the children nowadays and watch," says biker Bill Cook.

The signs along Highway 17 warn drivers to watch for the bikers and now family members like grandmother Teresa Neves are hoping the bikers watch for little Haleigh.

"I hope they'll carry that news far and wide and somebody might see my baby and bring her home," says Neves.

Almost all the bikers passing through make a stop at the landmark Cheyenne Saloon. The owners there are passing out flyers and promise to help any way they can.

And some bikers are getting together for a benefit dinner for Haleigh Sunday night.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...132543&catid=3

Haleigh: 21 days and counting

Published: Tuesday, March 3, 2009 12:59 AM EST
Palatka Daily News

Haleigh Cummings vanished from her Satsuma home three weeks ago.

Despite a massive search and criminal investigation, no sign of the 5-year-old kindergartner has been found.

Officials on Monday continued their practice of not discussing the results of the investigation by county, state and federal authorities.

"There is nothing new to report," Capt. Dick Shauland, a spokesman for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said Monday.

Haleigh was last seen the night of Feb. 9 and reported missing from her bed the next day at 3:27 a.m.

Bloodhounds reportedly tracked Haleigh to the St. Johns River near her home in South Putnam County. Extensive searches of the river and marshland around the Cummings home came up empty.

"It appears she disappeared," Teresa Neves, Haleigh's paternal grandmother, said Monday afternoon. "My baby was here and then she wasn't."

Misty Croslin, the 17-year-old girlfriend of Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, told authorities she last saw the girl sleeping. At different points in the investigation, investigators have described Haleigh as missing, abducted and endangered.

Late last week, search teams with dogs specially trained to find human remains canvassed the area around the Cummings home. Three of those dogs "alerted" at a trash container in a neighboring subdivision, but it was believed they were reacting to a personal hygiene item found inside.

Neves said she speaks with detectives every day.

"Police say they are following leads and doing the best they can," she said.

Meanwhile, there were signs the neighborhood is slowly returning to normal. It was noticeable what is no longer there.

For instance, the yellow and black crime scene tape that surrounded the Cummings home is gone, as are the nearly constant stationing of a patrol car and command post.

Even the number of television station trucks has diminished.

As relatives met with reporters, one neighbor was out walking a dog.

Haleigh's family, however, is maintaining its vigil on Tyler Street in tents and a camper parked in a home's front yard despite the chilly nights. Maternal-side relatives and friends man a second site near Buffalo Bluff Road.

"My mom and my cousin and grandpa stayed last night," Neves said.

Candlelight vigils have been held nightly.

"Ronald had a meltdown last night. I actually left him with a pastor last night," Neves said. "He broke down and it's hard."

Neves said she was unable to go back to her son's house after she saw Haleigh's bicycle parked outside.

"I went back and saw her bike and couldn't go inside," she said. "It's just too hard."

Putnam County authorities say they have received about 2,000 tips about the Haleigh Cummings case.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at (888) 277-8477. Tips also may be submitted online at westopcrime.com or by text message at tips231 and send to crimes.
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/Blondeonahd/In%20the%20News/Story.jpg)
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/arti...ews/news01.txt

Search For Haleigh Enters 4th Week
Family Shares Home Video Of Missing Girl

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - As the search for Haleigh Cummings entered its third week on Monday, the missing 5-year-old's family shared a home video of the girl with the public.

They said the video was recorded about six months ago. It shows the Haleigh happy and playing with her brother and a friend.

Investigators in Putnam County have followed thousands of leads, but the family told Channel 4 that authorities said they are no closer to finding Haleigh than they were the morning of Feb. 10 -- the day an Amber Alert was issued.

"What they tell me is they're working the leads that they have. I'm hoping that goes somewhere," said Haleigh's grandmother, Teresa Neves.

On Monday, a tip led investigator to a mobile home just down the road from the home from Haleigh was last seen. The homeowner there said detectives questioned him about a doorbell.

"It was just another tip they're following up on, which is good. They have to follow up on every tip. The only thing everybody cares about is this child that's missing, so it's not any inconvenience to me or my family. They're more than welcome to come any time they need to. A tip is a tip," said neighbor Marty Hubbard.

He said the investigators were looking specifically for a doorbell that chimed like a grandfather clock, and that some tip or lead led them to his house. Hubbard said he doesn't have a doorbell.

Investigators said they would continuing to do what they've done since Haleigh disappeared 21 days ago -- follow up on new tips.

Anyone who has any information that could help find Haleigh is asked to call Crimestoppers at 888-277-TIPS.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29473829/

Misty Croslin's Family Points Finger at Relative
Created: 3/4/2009 5:53:30 PM Updated: 3/4/2009 5:53:30 PM

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Twenty-three days into their investigation, law enforcement officers are still trying to find Haleigh Cummings.

The five-year-old was last seen when her father's girlfriend, Misty Croslin, says she put her to bed.

Investigators have not fingered a suspect, but today members of Croslin's family spoke out about the search.

Croslin's mom and dad, Lisa and Hank, spoke out about a 19-year-old cousin who lives in Tennessee. His name is Joe. We are not identifying his last name because police have not named him a suspect in the case.

Police confirm the FBI has talked to Joe. Croslin's father says he spoke to police about the teenager on Tuesday. "I was into the police station yesterday telling them everything. I hope I don't get in trouble for saying, but ya know. I don't know what else to do."

The First Coast News I-team has found Joe's myspace page. The last posting on his site is from February 22, 2009.

A friend by the name of Thomas told Joe, "Just go back down there and help find the lil girl it just might clear your name."

The Croslins say about two weeks before Haleigh disappeared, Joe and Haleigh's dad, Ronald Cummings, had an issue over a gun. "He stole Ronald's gun. One morning, on the porch, said, Ronald will get what's coming to him. It was dropped, he left and Haleigh was gone," says Lisa Croslin.

Police confirm they are investigating the information about the stolen gun.

A week and a half ago, when police were asked if Joe was a suspect police said, "The one in Tennessee? No, he is not at all."

But then later, police changed their comment to no one has been ruled in or out as a suspect.

"The way I understand it, they're not ruling them out. I don't want to get in trouble for things I say, I don't know. The police is doing their jobs," says Hank Croslin.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...132845&catid=3

Investigators Say Haleigh's Case Not 'Cold'

Family Releases Video To Help Identify Missing Girl

WJXT-TV
updated 1 hour, 45 minutes ago

SATSUMA, Fla. - Twenty-three days after the disappearance of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, Putnam County authorities assured the child's family the case is not cold.

"It's not a dead case or a cold case. There are all kinds of leads still coming in, and there's all kinds of information to follow up on. It will not be a cold case as long as there's investigative evidence to be followed," said Capt. Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

He said more than 2,300 tips have come in but unfortunately none have led to Haleigh.

"The piece of info that's going to come and lead us to her we haven't found it. That's all there is to it," Schauland said.

He said no one is considered a suspect or a person of interest in the case because "We don't know what the crime is. All we know is that Haleigh is missing. Let me assure you that no one is out of the mix."

On Wednesday, anyone who had been inside the Cummings' home was asked to give a DNA sample. Police called it a routine part of their investigation.

Also on Wednesday, the parents of Misty Croslin, the last person to see Haleigh before the child was reported missing, told Channel 4 they are still suspicious about a cousin in Tennessee who had been in Satsuma around the time Haleigh went missing.

When police were asked about those concerns they said again that no one is a suspect and no one has been ruled out.

Missing Girl's Mom Asked To Move Campsite

As the search for Haleigh Cummings entered its fourth week on Tuesday, her mother has been asked to move the tented compound where her family has lived while waiting for any news about the girl.

For 23 days, Crystal Sheffield's family has camped out along the road leading to the mobile home where the 5-year-old disappeared in the middle of the night. They are committed to being there so she can embrace Haleigh the moment police drive up with her daughter.

"I got really upset -- I cried -- because I just want to be close," Sheffield said Wednesday morning.

Her family is hoping to relocate her tent compound about one-quarter mile up the road where the group Texas Equusearch was set up two weeks earlier while there was an active search of the area.

The family of Haleigh's father -- the girl's parents were never married and have been separated for years -- remains camped in a different place and has the property owner's permission to stay.

Both family tents have become a makeshift tributes to Haleigh -- with dozens of photos, stuffed animals and messages left by friends and strangers who have come by to show their support.

Family Tries To Keep Haleigh In Public Eye

As the search for Haleigh continues into a fourth week and the number of new leads in the case dwindles, her family is doing what they can to keep the public thinking about and looking for the missing girl.

"Please look around at your neighbors because somebody out there is a neighbor who has a child that does not belong to them. She is our baby girl and if you could just see her, call it in. We would really appreciate any help," said Haleigh's grandmother, Teresa Neves.

Investigators with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI have followed thousands of leads, but the family told Channel 4 that authorities said they are no closer to finding Haleigh than they were on Feb. 10 -- the morning she was reported missing and an Amber Alert was issued.

"The piece of information that's going to lead us to her, we haven't found it," Schauland said on Wednesday.

Haleigh's family on Tuesday released more photos and home video of the kindergartner and set up a Facebook page to help get her story before more people.

While the sheriff's office released the mobile home where Haleigh disappeared back to the family earlier this week, most members of the family can't bring themselves to go inside. The missing girl's grandfather, Lester Cummings, said he went inside to get some clothes for his son, Ronald, but everybody else breaks down before they get to the porch.

Last weekend, the Hide Away Bar suspended its annual bike week events to raise money for Haleigh Cummings instead. Organizers at the Putnam County bar said that they hoped that their fundraiser would bring in more tips for investigators.

Anyone who has any information that could help find Haleigh is asked to call Crimestoppers at 888-277-TIPS. A reward of $25,500 was available for information leading to her recovery or the conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29509960/

Caylee Anthony, Haleigh Cummings: Cases' key similarities, differences

Helen Eckinger |Sentinel Staff Writer March 5, 2009

The day everyone said goodbye to Caylee Marie Anthony, the world learned about another missing little girl.

So TV trucks rolled from the 2-year-old's memorial in Orlando to a double-wide trailer about 80 miles away in Putnam County — the place where 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings was last seen alive.

"It was déjà vu all over again," said Bob Longo, news director for WESH-Channel 2.

During the following days, the pack of satellite trucks parked near Haleigh Cummings' home in tiny Satsuma rivaled the media turnout after Caylee's remains were found in December near her home in east Orange County.

But soon, reporters on the latest missing-little-girl story began leaving Satsuma.

It wasn't déjà vu after all.

Haleigh's story is fading after three weeks, but the Anthony saga has remained in the headlines for almost eight months.

The contrast between the tents and trailer in Satsuma where Haleigh's family pleaded for her return and the Anthonys' suburban home points to one of the reasons Haleigh's story is fading from the headlines, said Roy Peter Clark, senior scholar at the Poynter Institute.

"I think the greatest difference between the Caylee story and the Haleigh story is social class," said Clark, whose institute is a school for journalists in St. Petersburg. "I don't believe that working-class Americans get a very fair shake in the news media in general."

Only a handful of reporters remain in this isolated community north of the Ocala National Forest — even though investigators said Haleigh was abducted and they think she is alive.

Expect more coverage in the months leading up to October's trial for Caylee's 22-year-old mother, Casey Anthony, who is accused of killing her daughter.

"Any missing child is a tragedy and a cause for great alarm and concern," said Bob Jordan, news director for WFTV-Channel 9. "Every one of those kids is news, but that does not translate into equal news interest."

Strange twists stand out

The Anthony case has all the elements and more of the kind of stories guaranteed to draw an audience: sex, crime and general interest, said Paul Lachelier, an assistant professor of sociology at Stetson University.

Photos of a scantily clad Casey Anthony, reports about her romantic life and the stories she told about a nanny who abducted her daughter — a story investigators don't believe — are drawing readers.

So are other details, including the serious charges against the young mother, frequent courtroom battles and the behavior of her parents, George and Cindy Anthony.

The photos and videos of Caylee also captivate viewers.

The case also has provided bizarre twists and turns, beginning when Casey Anthony was arrested after claiming Caylee had been missing for 30days.

"When she was questioned about that, her effect was so flat and unemotional that it called our human experience into question," veteran Orlando defense attorney Cheney Mason said.

Then, Mason said, a "circus" ensued: California bounty hunter Leonard Padilla injected himself into the situation. Casey Anthony was in and out of jail. Protesters routinely amassed outside the Anthony home demanding justice.

"There is constant fuel for the fire," Mason said.

The Haleigh case hasn't offered as many twists and turns. News crews scrambled recently after cadaver dogs hit on a scent in a dumpster. But the container was searched and nothing was found.

Most media coverage of Haleigh's disappearance has revolved around her family's pleas for her safe return.

Fewer leaks, less to say

Law enforcement has released little information about its investigation into Haleigh's disappearance, unlike the Caylee case, which was marked by frequent news conferences and leaks from insiders.

"The return of Haleigh is the most important thing, but we also have a crime involved somewhere with her disappearance," Capt. Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said.

"We're trying not to jeopardize the criminal investigation or possible future prosecution."

For Orlando media, coverage also has been hampered because Satsuma is far away — a two-hour drive for some — and because Putnam County isn't considered part of its market.

Jordan, WFTV's news director, and Steve Hyvonen, news director for WKMG-Channel 6, had different opinions about the Anthony case: Hyvonen said that the story continues to generate strong ratings and that WKMG viewers are clamoring for more coverage, while Jordan said his station is no longer seeing the rating spikes that occurred early on in the case, and that he thinks viewers might be getting sick of the story.

The directors said their stations have received little viewer feedback about the Haleigh story.

"We have been up there just because it's such a significant story," Hyvonen said.

"But as each day goes by without a new development, it get a little lower as far as where it plays in the newscast."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,7504565.story

Father: 'Please Have A Heart, Let My Daughter Come Home'

Family Releases Video To Help Identify Missing Girl

WJXT-TV
updated 1:46 a.m. ET March 5, 2009

SATSUMA, Fla. - As the search for his daughter dragged on into a fourth week, Ronald Cummings said he has been pulling closer to his family as they hold onto hope.
Haleigh's father spoke out publicly Wednesday night for the first time in nearly a week. While the disappearance of the little girl has been unbelievably difficult for her entire family, it has been especially hard on her father, who said each passing day gets worse.
Cummings said dealing with the disappearance of Haleigh is too much to bear.
"I've been spending all of my time with my son and the people who care most about me," Cummings said.
He said he finds comfort in being with loved ones, especially those from his church.
On Wednesday, he said he was working on finding a new place to call home because the home where he lived with Haleigh is filled with too many happy memories.
"I have to find somewhere else to live. I don’t want to go back down there. I'm going to send someone from my family or pay somebody -- something is going to happen and they're going to move the stuff from there. I can't do it," Cummings said.
He also said he can't stand not knowing what happened to his 5-year-old daughter. The pain, he said, doesn't compare to anything else. All he wants is for Haleigh to come home.
"If I could say anything to the perpetrator or perpetrators -- please have a heart and let my daughter come home to her family. We do very much love her and miss her," Cummings said. "Baby, I love you and you'll always be with me. I pray for you every night and I believe you'll come home to me."
Investigators Say Haleigh's Case Not 'Cold'
Twenty-three days after the disappearance of Haleigh, Putnam County authorities assured the child's family the case is not cold.
"It's not a dead case or a cold case. There are all kinds of leads still coming in, and there's all kinds of information to follow up on. It will not be a cold case as long as there's investigative evidence to be followed," said Capt. Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
He said the case has generated more than 2,300 tips.
"The piece of info that's going to come and lead us to her we haven't found it. That's all there is to it," Schauland said.
He said no one is considered a suspect or a person of interest in the case because "We don't know what the crime is. All we know is that Haleigh is missing. Let me assure you that no one is out of the mix."
On Wednesday, anyone who had been inside the Cummings' home was asked to give a DNA sample. Police called it a routine part of their investigation.
Also on Wednesday, the parents of Misty Croslin, the last person to see Haleigh before the child was reported missing, told Channel 4 they are still suspicious about a cousin in Tennessee who had been in Satsuma around the time Haleigh went missing.
When police were asked about those concerns they said again that no one is a suspect and no one has been ruled out.
Missing Girl's Mom Asked To Move Campsite
As the search for Haleigh Cummings entered its fourth week on Tuesday, her mother has been asked to move the tented compound where her family has lived while waiting for any news about the girl.
For 23 days, Crystal Sheffield's family has camped out along the road leading to the mobile home where the 5-year-old disappeared in the middle of the night. They are committed to being there so she can embrace Haleigh the moment police drive up with her daughter.
"I got really upset -- I cried -- because I just want to be close," Sheffield said Wednesday morning.
Her family is hoping to relocate her tent compound about one-quarter mile up the road where the group Texas Equusearch was set up two weeks earlier while there was an active search of the area.
The family of Haleigh's father -- the girl's parents were never married and have been separated for years -- remains camped in a different place and has the property owner's permission to stay.
Both family tents have become a makeshift tributes to Haleigh -- with dozens of photos, stuffed animals and messages left by friends and strangers who have come by to show their support.
Family Tries To Keep Haleigh In Public Eye
As the search for Haleigh continues into a fourth week and the number of new leads in the case dwindles, her family is doing what they can to keep the public thinking about and looking for the missing girl.
"Please look around at your neighbors because somebody out there is a neighbor who has a child that does not belong to them. She is our baby girl and if you could just see her, call it in. We would really appreciate any help," said Haleigh's grandmother, Teresa Neves.
Investigators with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI have followed thousands of leads, but the family told Channel 4 that authorities said they are no closer to finding Haleigh than they were on Feb. 10 -- the morning she was reported missing and an Amber Alert was issued.
"The piece of information that's going to lead us to her, we haven't found it," Schauland said on Wednesday.
Haleigh's family on Tuesday released more photos and home video of the kindergartner and set up a
Facebook page
to help get her story before more people.
While the sheriff's office released the mobile home where Haleigh disappeared back to the family earlier this week, most members of the family can't bring themselves to go inside. The missing girl's grandfather, Lester Cummings, said he went inside to get some clothes for his son, Ronald, but everybody else breaks down before they get to the porch.
Last weekend, the Hide Away Bar suspended its annual bike week events to raise money for Haleigh Cummings instead. Organizers at the Putnam County bar said that they hoped that their fundraiser would bring in more tips for investigators.
Anyone who has any information that could help find Haleigh is asked to call Crimestoppers at 888-277-TIPS. A reward of $25,500 was available for information leading to her recovery or the conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29509960/

Developing Story: First Look Inside Haleigh's Home
Posted By: Jennifer Lindgren Created: 3/6/2009 12:05:26 PM Updated: 3/6/2009 1:53:03 PM

SATSUMA, FL -- News crews are now getting the first pictures from inside the home where Haleigh Cummings slept on the night she vanished almost four weeks ago.

The home at 202 Green Lane had been sealed since Haleigh disappeared up until February 26 when investigators released the home back to her family.

Now, we're seeing the bed where Misty Croslin said she put Haleigh down to sleep around 8 p.m. on February 9.
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/Blondeonahd/In%20the%20News/genthumb-1.jpg)
The tiny bed is just feet from where Croslin said she and Haleigh's younger brother slept.

Haleigh's Christmas stocking is still hanging on the wall, along with some of her baby pictures.

Last night, family members went back into the home for the first time to gather some personal belongings.

The family of Ronald Cummings wanted to show the house to keep the search for Haleigh alive.

Not far from Haleigh's home, the Spur Saloon is doing what it can to help the little girl's family.

The saloon is collecting money from patrons between Thursday and Saturday nights until Haleigh comes home.

The owners of the saloon set out several large, empty water jugs for people to drop money into. The saloon also won't charge people a cover. Several hundred people visited the saloon Thursday night and left plenty of donations.

The Spur Saloon is located at 101 10th street in Palatka, and it's open from Noon to 2 a.m.

©2009 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/breaking/news-article.aspx?storyid=133019&catid=17

Reminders of missing girl throughout home

By Chris DeVitto
Published: Saturday, March 7, 2009 1:30 AM EST
SATSUMA - Christmas toys that were never assembled still wait on the porch of the mobile home where Haleigh Cummings disappeared last month.

Inside the home Friday, the mess caused during the investigation was cleaned up. Annette Sykes, Haleigh's paternal great-grandmother, showed reporters photos of Haleigh and her father, Ronald, that were on the walls of the family room.

As she walked through Ronald Jr.'s room, she said Haleigh and her brother often played together.

"They played in both rooms depending on what they were going to play," she said. "If they were going to play girlie things they would play in Haleigh's room. If they were going to play with cars and trucks they would play in Junior's room."

In Haleigh's room, her favorite things - makeup and fingernail polish - remain on the 5-year-old girl's dresser.

"She loved Hannah Montana," she said.

Haleigh was reported missing on Feb. 10 at 3:27 a.m. Authorities say the child was last seen the night before.

A massive search and criminal investigation appear to have yielded few results. No arrests have been made, no suspects have been identified and Haleigh remains missing.

Haleigh was being cared for by Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, Misty Croslin.

A report by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office says Croslin last saw Haleigh about 10:30 p.m. Feb. 9 when she went to bed with the children.

"Neither of the children slept in their rooms," Sykes said Friday. "They wouldn't sleep by themselves."

In Cummings' and Croslin's room, where Haleigh slept on a small mattress next to her father's bed, her favorite DVD was still in a player next to a television above her bed.

Sykes said Croslin got up to use the bathroom about 3 a.m. Feb. 10 and Haleigh was missing. Sykes walked to a door that leads from the kitchen through a laundry room and to a side door.

"This is the door, the back door where they took her out," she said. "You have to push on the door really hard because that's the way they put it in there. A block had the screen door propped open and the back door was wide open."

The side door was rarely used by Cummings, Sykes said.

"The only time this door was open was when they washed and vacuumed the car, because this door was so hard to open," she said.

Meanwhile, the tent and camper set up in front of a home on Tyler Street where the Cummings family has maintained a vigil for Haleigh will be removed by order of the county, Teresa Neves, Haleigh's paternal grandmother, said.

"You can have a 14-day permit, but campers and tents are only allowed in campgrounds," she said Friday.

"Basically they said we are breaking the law because we are not in a campground."

She said she was hoping there would be enough parking at her mother's house in Welaka so the family could move the tent there.

"I think we will have the vigil Sunday at 5:30 p.m. then move Sunday night," she said.

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/arti...ews/news01.txt

Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Missing, Exploited and True Crime => Haleigh Marie Cummings - Florida => Topic started by: Blonde on February 18, 2009, 04:02:42 PM