Haleigh Cummings 5, Satsuma, Florida last seen 2/9/09 #1 2/10/09-2/20/09

[Anninflorida]

Even if a young child is afraid of the dark, I would think they would also be afraid of waking up alone in a house. If a door were open, wouldn't they assume that an adult was just outside and maybe go outside to be with them?  I'm thinking that maybe the girlfriend went outside, propped open the door so she could get back in and while she was out, little Haleigh woke up and wandered outside to look for her.

[fatcatlurker]

Thank you supersleuth!

[CynInOregon]

Anyone think this could maybe a fake...trying to make money off of an 'abduction' -  like the Anthony case??

---just a thought---       

Ok..thankfully someone else said it first. I hated myself for that thought even entering my head last night. I didnt entertain it for long, but I though...wow ..would they fake this so as to get money or attention on the heals of Caylee?
After watching more interviews I seriously doubt it... but I guess that will all the strange, weird and un comprehensible things people do now we start thinking these things.
In the end all that matters is that I pray Haleigh and Adji somehow come home alive..and that justice is served for Caylee.

[JuJu]

3 yrs old. I don't mind talking about it, frankly had I known what to look for, maybe it wouldn't have happened more than once...but, people are too afraid to talk about it and that just perpetuates the ability of these pervs trying to destroy our children.

I agree - looking back I could see all the signs that my SS was a child molester - and that my child had been molested. But at the time the parts did not seem to make a picture. It is too bad there is not a check list we could make of what to look for in both the molested and the molester. We could stop a lot of evil in the world.

there is a checklist and my son had almost every sign, but no one ever talks about it due to shame, and they shouldn't feel shame because they did NOTHING wrong.

morning monkeys
island could you share that list in mussings....tia

[kitkat53]

Even if a young child is afraid of the dark, I would think they would also be afraid of waking up alone in a house. If a door were open, wouldn't they assume that an adult was just outside and maybe go outside to be with them?  I'm thinking that maybe the girlfriend went outside, propped open the door so she could get back in and while she was out, little Haleigh woke up and wandered outside to look for her.

Wasn't it the screen door that was propped open? So there would have been another door to go through before you would open the screen door. She may have propped open the screen door but I am sure she would have shut the other door when she came back in.

[Dolce]

Even if a young child is afraid of the dark, I would think they would also be afraid of waking up alone in a house. If a door were open, wouldn't they assume that an adult was just outside and maybe go outside to be with them?  I'm thinking that maybe the girlfriend went outside, propped open the door so she could get back in and while she was out, little Haleigh woke up and wandered outside to look for her.

Wasn't it the screen door that was propped open? So there would have been another door to go through before you would open the screen door. She may have propped open the screen door but I am sure she would have shut the other door when she came back in.

That is where I am confused.  There have been 2 types of doors mentioned thus far and no clarification as to which was doing what.

[fatcatlurker]

Most recent article on search effort.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/crime/2009-02-13/story/day_4_leads_filter_in_evidence_lab_work_a_priority_in_haleighs_abd

[peanut]

Even if a young child is afraid of the dark, I would think they would also be afraid of waking up alone in a house. If a door were open, wouldn't they assume that an adult was just outside and maybe go outside to be with them?  I'm thinking that maybe the girlfriend went outside, propped open the door so she could get back in and while she was out, little Haleigh woke up and wandered outside to look for her.

i guess that would depend on the child. i have 2 boys and i can tell you what they would have done if they thought i was outside an open door late at night. theyd have stayed in the lit kitchen and started yelling for me. i guess since the dad has said shes shy and afraid of the dark, it makes me uncertain thats something shed do. but then of course i dont know her.

[Dolce]

Most recent article on search effort.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/crime/2009-02-13/story/day_4_leads_filter_in_evidence_lab_work_a_priority_in_haleighs_abd

FOR THOSE WORKING


SATSUMA — Investigators have received about 350 leads since little Haleigh Cummings disappeared four days ago from her Putnam County home.

Local, state and federal agencies are continuing to follow each one and today are doing more interviews and re-interviews in a case they're calling an abduction, Sheriff Jeff Hardy said this morning.

They've already talked with each of the sex offenders registered nearby, Hardy said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement registry lists 44 in the 5-mile radius from the Green Lane mobile home. Two live within a mile.

For the first time civilian volunteers are being allowed in the search as the grid has been expanded. They're being paired with law enforcement officers in case any evidence is found.

Searches by horseback also are now under way by Texas EquuSearch, a group specializing in such efforts.

Overall there are a little more than 100 people involved in the mission and Hardy said it'll continue until answers are found.

Dominick Pape, the special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Jacksonville office, emphasized that lab work on evidence has been moved to the front of the line. He and Hardy couldn't release further details about what they've found.


"At this time the world is a suspect and we really haven't excluded anybody," Hardy said as national media surrounded his morning briefing.

He also wouldn't comment on whether there were any inconsistencies or if 17-year-old Misty Croslin's story had changed. Croslin said she put 5-year-old Haleigh, her boyfriend's daughter, to bed Monday night about 8:15 while he was at work.


About two hours later Croslin said she went to sleep with Ronald Cummings' other child, 3-year-old Ronald Jr., in the same room. Haleigh was asleep in a separate bed by the television set, she later told media.


There's some discrepancy and confusion about what initially was reported that she was in the same bed as Haleigh. That information came from Cummings and was widely reported.


But it couldn't be confirmed if there was any misinterpretation of what was told to him and what was told to the media. Nobody questioned it until Croslin's interview Thursday, however.

Croslin said she did not hear anything or notice anything wrong until she got up about 3 a.m.

“When I went to sleep she was there,” she said. “When I woke up she was gone.”

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office took Croslin’s 911 call at 3:27 a.m., around the same time Cummings got home.

“I don’t care what people are saying about me because I didn’t do it,” Croslin told the Times-Union Thursday. She said she loves Haleigh, and Haleigh loves her. She just wants her back home.

“I was sleeping,” she said. “I don’t know what happened.”

She said she woke up  to notice a light on, the back door open and Haleigh gone. A brick or cinder block was propping the screen door open.

Thursday she said she had volunteered to take a polygraph test -- two of them.

“We have all offered to take lie detectors,” Cummings, 25, said of his family. He said there was no reason to believe he or his girlfriend failed them.

He said he is willing to do what is needed.

“If you need to draw blood, draw blood,” he said.

Hardy said he could not comment on the polygraph results, but that the family, friends and neighbors have been very cooperative.

George Anthony, whose granddaughter Caylee disappeared in Orlando in what became an internationally recognized case, showed up Thursday to offer support to the family.

“They do not need to be judged,” Anthony said. “They do not need to be scrutinized.”

Cummings has custody of Haleigh and Ronald Jr. and shared parental responsibility with Crystal Sheffield, 23, court records show. Sheffield has said the two get along and has been in Satsuma with family for the search.

Cummings said he has no idea who might try to take his daughter. He said he tends to stay to himself.

“I don’t make friends, I don’t make enemies,” he said.

Anyone with information about Haleigh’s whereabouts can contact the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at (386) 329-0808.

[islandmonkey]

3 yrs old. I don't mind talking about it, frankly had I known what to look for, maybe it wouldn't have happened more than once...but, people are too afraid to talk about it and that just perpetuates the ability of these pervs trying to destroy our children.

I agree - looking back I could see all the signs that my SS was a child molester - and that my child had been molested. But at the time the parts did not seem to make a picture. It is too bad there is not a check list we could make of what to look for in both the molested and the molester. We could stop a lot of evil in the world.

there is a checklist and my son had almost every sign, but no one ever talks about it due to shame, and they shouldn't feel shame because they did NOTHING wrong.

morning monkeys
island could you share that list in mussings....tia

Sure.......are they expecting it

[kitkat53]

Even if a young child is afraid of the dark, I would think they would also be afraid of waking up alone in a house. If a door were open, wouldn't they assume that an adult was just outside and maybe go outside to be with them?  I'm thinking that maybe the girlfriend went outside, propped open the door so she could get back in and while she was out, little Haleigh woke up and wandered outside to look for her.

Wasn't it the screen door that was propped open? So there would have been another door to go through before you would open the screen door. She may have propped open the screen door but I am sure she would have shut the other door when she came back in.

That is where I am confused.  There have been 2 types of doors mentioned thus far and no clarification as to which was doing what.

So the girlfriend said that the door was open when she woke up around 3:30. So if that was the case then that is how she noticed that the screen door was propped open. If the child wandered off I doubt she would have propped any door open, left the door open yes but you know how a screen door usually snaps back when it opened. If she was abducted maybe that is why the screen door was propped open do hide the noise it makes when closes behind you. IDK very confusing right now.

[Anninflorida]

I thought she said she got up to go to the bathroom, saw the kitchen light on and then saw the back door standing open.  I think I have heard it referred to as a screen door but most of the screen doors I have see have wooden frames with latches. I know mobile homes usually have storn doors...the ones with aluminum frames. The father referred to the lock as a plastic lock. On storm doors, I have seen these little latches that I wouldn't really consider much of a locking mechanism.

[leslee]

Even if a young child is afraid of the dark, I would think they would also be afraid of waking up alone in a house. If a door were open, wouldn't they assume that an adult was just outside and maybe go outside to be with them?  I'm thinking that maybe the girlfriend went outside, propped open the door so she could get back in and while she was out, little Haleigh woke up and wandered outside to look for her.

Wasn't it the screen door that was propped open? So there would have been another door to go through before you would open the screen door. She may have propped open the screen door but I am sure she would have shut the other door when she came back in.

That is where I am confused.  There have been 2 types of doors mentioned thus far and no clarification as to which was doing what.

Yes screen door was the one propped open.... so why was the other door "wide open" as well. I CAN see propping the screen, it may squeak and "perp" ( IF there is one) would want that out of his way as he manuvered picking the lock.

[Foggy Dew]

yikes.. I see big problems.. her affect is way off.. sometimes flat, sometimes defiant looking.. they better be looking at her REALLY good.. I am not feeling the love for her AT ALL 

I'm going back to what I said last night.  If it were me/my husband who'd "lost" our child,  we wouldn't be hanging out for interviews or lollygagging in a tent or otherwhere.  We would have gone nuts looking for her, and like a poster mentioned earlier re. the lost child on the beach, our screaming our childs name would have continued until our voices gave out and we collapsed from exhaustion.

Its too heartbreaking to even imagine...so that's why "affect" and these ridiculous interviews tick me off to no end...and certainly color my opinions. 

A picture does tell a thousand words (I think).

Foggy

I am not exaclty sure what you mean, Foggy, but my mentioning the 17 yr olds "affect" was mentioned purely from a psych point of view. I am a trained pysch nurse with experience in evaluating people as they present themselves. Notice I have said nothing about the dad. He presented as appropriate to the circumstance.. She DID NOT..why are you ticked off? If I ticked you off, I am certainly sorry, but it is moo 

Flamon, ita with you.  But what irks me (aka ticks me off ) is that the principals are standing around doing interviews when imo they should be out beating the bushes.  That's all. And as re. the 17 y/o, in the couple of interviews I have seen I also found her a bit "off"--whether one refers to her affect, demeanor, attitude etc. doesn't much matter to me.  In one of the interviews I saw a younger version of Susan Smith.  Another interview I saw didn't change that impression so I'm still wary of the 17 y/o.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Back to catching up...

I believe that law enforcement discourages the family from searching.  TES does also.  There are several reasons for this, but one important one is, if the family was involved then they could search the sight were they did something bad and distroy the evidence.  There are other reasons.

Having the media on your side and keeping your child's face before the public is very important.

Yes, I understand keeping attn on the story, and that people are routinely advised against searching because of possibly destroying evidence etc.  Not to sound like a broken record, but my husband and I wouldn't be in front of the cameras.  LE would have to arrest us to prevent us from searching.  A relative or friend could do face time w/the cameras.  I just find it unnatural for parents to sit by just waiting for something to happen. 

[Deenie]

I watched the videos of Dad, Girlfriend, Grandma, and then on NG last night the interview with Haleigh's Mother and maternal Grandmother.
 I understand that these people who are the Parents of this Baby are Young, *seemingly uneducated * that is my opinion.  No Hate please. (lack of education is a crime of society not a crime of these people)   
These are young people who have young children, trying to their best with what they have. The Dad is working and trying. The 17yr girlfriend I am not so sure of.

I can't understand HOW a 17yr old is to be responsible to raise and be a live in Babysitter and play Mother role ... why is she not in High School? Maybe she is, I do not know.
 Why is she to be held accountable  ? Where are her Parents? Why would they allow Misty to live in this Home of a 24, 25 yr old man and be responsible for his children.
It seems to be way too much for a 17 yr old child to be in that situation in the first place. It has to be overwhelming period for her. Irregardless of all that is happening around her with Haleigh being missing.

Misty is not an Adult - Legally on her own. Seems messed up to me.

My cousin was watching Misty on the News - Misty stating she didnt wake up. My Cousin Piped up and said - Why would she? She is 17 ! she is still growing... My daughters when they were teenagers could sleep all day if you let them. A freight train could come through and they would not wake up.

The DAD  - I have no opinion on. I just think he is a product of his own environment. He seems be trying and doing what he can. I don't know what to think of him. I do not understand the teenage girlfriend aspect - But ... who am I.

The Mother - I watched her on NG last night. She showed no emotions. None. No Fear, no anger, No frustration, No nothing. She seemed numb. No plight of Find MY DAUGHTER...the only time she showed any emotion was when she had to answer NG about " Custody". The Maternal Grandma - No emotion either. Was if they both were Scared to be on Camera. That's what I saw from the onset when NG's camera show their faces - FEAR of being on the Camera. I saw within the face of Mom a slight smirk being held back when NG announced her name Live is Mother of Haleleigh ..that the Mom was trying not to smile. Maybe it was her being nervous.

If My Baby was Missing - I would not be Nervous - I would be screaming for Help.

The other thing that I noticed was The Mother stating to NG that Dad's Mom was the first to contact her that Haleigh was missing - at 3:49 am. That she called her and said Haleleigh is Missing. NG questioned her What was your response.
She said at first I thought it was a prank.

Now Why would it not be LE to first contact the Mother. Nothing wrong with Grandma calling her don't get me wrong. The timing though is strange to me.

Was not the 911 call made at 3:30 am by Misty. I am thinking that the 911 call was of Misty and Dad (both talking to 911)for more than 15 mins ... I would think ... with Dad coming in and having Misty to explain to him - while Misty was on the phone with 911 .... something is not right.

Who Called Dad's Mom ? The Timing is Off. Who called Grandma to Explain the situation In order for Grandma to Get the Facts, Understand it and figure out what the Hell was going on ...  and then Call Crystal and say - Haleleigh is MISSING.

All of this transpired in 19 Mins - ummmmmm  -
 
Dad's Mom-Grandma Called " Crystal" MOM at 3:49 am. As Crystal said on NG and her Mother seemed to back up the information.

 

Something is NOT Right


I am praying for Haleigh




 

[Puzzler]

Has it been mentioned if finger prints were lifted from the door, the lock, the propping rock, the outside of the door...etc.?

I am thinking that they will only lift the prints of the father and the girlfriend (which they will write a side note stating that the 2 live there and touch it frequently)  It would be interesting to see if it was wiped clean.

The item propped against the door to hold it open was a cinder block.
The father said he wasn't aware on any cinder blocks around his home.
We find out that there's a pile of cinder blocks about fifty feet from the home.
I would think that a cinder block would be the perfect thing to hold the door open so that the child could be carried out with ease.
Unfortunately, hard to get fingerprints off cinder blocks - small possibility of some DNA though because cinder blocks are heavy and skin cells could come off on the block

There's something wrong here!  My instincts, intuition and red flags are all up on this one!

[ospainter]

http://www.wpbf.com/news/18709184/detail.html

No New Clues Found In Missing Girl Search
Family Holds Onto Hope At Vigils

POSTED: 12:43 pm EST February 13, 2009
UPDATED: 12:47 pm EST February 13, 2009

SATSUMA, Fla. -- Despite an intense search of a five-mile area around the home of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings using helicopters, boats and ground teams on Thursday, investigators found no new clues in the search for the Putnam County girl.

Haleigh's father, Johnny Sheffield, wears a button at a recent vigil. 

A news conference was held Friday morning, in which officials updated the public on the status of the search.

"We're now approaching the 80th hour that Haleigh and we're still extremely concerned about her safety and whereabouts," Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy said.

New ground crews will be brought into the search Friday, including Texas Equusearch. All-terrain vehicles will be used to get into thick brush and marshy areas.

"I had the opportunity to go up in the chopper to look. It's extremely thick and dense, tough search today," Hardy said.

Family members of Haleigh were offered polygraph examinations earlier this week as authorities interview everyone related to the child.

Misty Croslin, 17, was home when the girl disappeared. She is the girlfriend of Haleigh's father, and took the exam. She said she would never do anything to hurt Haleigh.

"I just want everyone to know that I didn't do anything with that little girl. I love her like she's my own, and I'll do anything to get her back," Croslin said.

Croslin said she woke up to find the girl gone and the back door of the home propped open with a brick.

Search crews are working around the clock to find the missing girl.

Investigators could talk with family members on both sides again Friday, but they're not going into specifics.

Hardy said all 44 sex offenders who live within the area around the home have been interviewed and the residents have been searched and cleared.

State, local and federal agencies have been working close together on the case and for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's crime lab, finding Haleigh is top priority.

"I will not get into items of evidence. There's a series of different types whether it's fingerprints or DNA analysis. We will use the full force leads we can and I don't have a time line," Dominic Pape of FDLE said.

"We have actively investigated over 350 leads to date. We're not going to limit to Putnam. We'll go wherever it takes us," Hardy said.

Haleigh's family is hanging onto their optimism.

Candles signified hope for Haleigh's loved ones. Her grandfather said he has no doubt he'll hold her in his arms again.

"That pastor over there, that man of God, he said God told him she was alive, nearby and safe, and he's never been wrong, and if he tells you something, you can take it to the bank," grandfather Johnny Sheffield said.

"We'll do it every night at 8:30 p.m. for as long as we can," grandmother Teresa Neves said.

A familiar face joined in the search for Haleigh. George Anthony, the grandfather of slain toddler Caylee Anthony, showed up at the command post to offer help and support.

"They do not need to be judged. They do not need to be scrutinized. They need your help," Anthony said. "The community needs to come together to help this family and bring this beautiful little girl home. I understand it. Some of you may not, but I understand it."

The Anthonys held a memorial service on Tuesday to say goodbye to Caylee.

 To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Todd Wilson

[islandmonkey]

Yet another version

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,492425,00.html

Police Finish Questioning 44 Sex Offenders in Missing Florida Girl Case, No Leads
Friday, February 13, 2009 


Print ShareThis
 AP


Haleigh Cummings, 5
Haleigh Cummings, 5
 Investigators have questioned 44 registered sex offenders living near the home of a missing Florida girl after hundreds of leads in the case have failed to turn up any sign of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings.

"All the sex offenders have been interviewed and their residences have been searched," said Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Putnam. "They're cleared as far as us contacting them and speaking to them."

Putnam said that more than 50 investigators and over 100 volunteers from Equusearch continued to look for Haleigh Friday, three days after she disappeared after she reportedly vanished from her bed before dawn Tuesday.

Click here for photos.

Detectives are now expanding their search into the "thick and marshy" area near her home after repeatedly covering closer properties, but did not sound a hopeful note Friday as they announced the "prudent" measure.

"It's extremely thick and very dense," said Putnam. "It's going to be very tough search."

Sheriffs haven't narrowed down their list of suspects in the case. They have gotten more than 350 leads.

"At this time, the world is a suspect and we really haven't excluded anybody," said Putnam as he announced that family members would again be interviewed Friday.

Haleigh's father Ronald Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, have been questioned by police.

They told FOX News' Greta Van Susteren that they had both submitted to polygraphs and "passed" the tests. Sheriff's officials would not release the results.

Croslin discovered Haleigh missing Tuesday morning. According to Ronald Cummings, Haleigh had gotten up to use the bathroom, and when she didn't return, Croslin went to look for her and noticed the back door of the mobile home they shared was open. THIS IS THE FIRST I HEARD THAT HALEIGH GOT UP TO USE THE BATHROOM


"I locked doors before I left for work. My child cannot unlock the deadbolt, you have to force the door shut all the way ... and she doesn’t open the door to strangers," Cummings said.


Investigators say Croslin told them she was sleeping in the same bed with Haleigh and her little brother Junior. She told media a slightly different version of events.

"I put her to bed around 8 o'clock and I woke up and she was gone and the back door was wide open," Croslin said. "The last time I seen her was when I put her to bed. She was in her bed in front of the TV, and me and Junior was in, were in, my bed."

Croslin and Cummings called 911 after discovering the girl was missing, according to the police report.

Police have ruled out the possibility that the girl ran away after house-to-house searches of the neighborhood turned up no evidence that Haleigh wandered off.

Cummings said Croslin was awake and frantic after she found Haleigh was gone. But in the police report, obtained by FOX News, Cummings reportedly told officers that his "dumb bitch girlfriend" told him Haleigh was gone when he got home from work.

Police had never been called to the home in the past, but there have been prior problems with Cummings, Croslin and Haleigh and her 3-year-old brother Junior, according to Putnam County Capt. Steve Rose.

"There have been some investigations done through the department of children and family," Rose told FOX News. He didn't elaborate.
John Harrell, spokesman for the northeast region of the Florida Department of Children and Families, said Thursday that his agency "was involved with the family." He wouldn't offer any details, citing state confidentiality laws.In addition to Croslin and Cummings, the child's mother, Crystal Sheffield, has been questioned in the case.

Sheriff's officials said they would continue to search for Haleigh wherever evidence leads them.

"We have actively investigated and pursued over 350 leads that have come in to date. We are not going to limit this search to Putnam County — we'll go wherever it takes us," Putnam said.

Haleigh is 3 feet tall with blond hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear.

Anyone with information about the girl is urged to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (386) 329-0800 or 911.

[peanut]

http://www.wpbf.com/news/18709184/detail.html

No New Clues Found In Missing Girl Search
Family Holds Onto Hope At Vigils

POSTED: 12:43 pm EST February 13, 2009
UPDATED: 12:47 pm EST February 13, 2009

SATSUMA, Fla. -- Despite an intense search of a five-mile area around the home of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings using helicopters, boats and ground teams on Thursday, investigators found no new clues in the search for the Putnam County girl.

Haleigh's father, Johnny Sheffield, wears a button at a recent vigil.

her dad is ronnie cummings isnt he? why are they all so sloppy in what they put out there, its so annoying.

[fatcatlurker]

if my baby was gone I would call my parents first, specifically my mom, she would be there as fast as she could.  But the timing sounded odd to me too, but again, i don't really like or believe bio mom.  she bothers me.

also did you notice the father does all interviews w/cell phone like it's attached to him, it's even rang in atleast one I can remember, typical younger generation has to stay connected at all times.