http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,492185,00.htmlThis is a rush transcript from "On the Record ," February 12, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Now we take you live to Florida, where the intense search for Haleigh Cummings continues. Haleigh's father Ronald and his girlfriend Misty are both here.
Here's what we know: At 3:00 a.m. Monday morning, Misty says she found Haleigh missing from the bed they were sharing. At about 3:25 Ronald returns home from work.
Two few minutes later, at 3:27 a.m., Misty calls 911 and reports Haleigh missing. Since then, nothing. The toddler is gone.
Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's father, joins us live, along with his girlfriend Misty Croslin. Welcome to both of you, and, Ronald, is there any update in the last 24 hours in the search for your daughter?
RONALD CUMMINGS, HALEIGH'S FATHER: No.
VAN SUSTEREN: Have there been any sightings and tips coming in, Ronald, anything at all like that?
CUMMINGS: Plenty of tips. Most of them are bogus. The law enforcement agencies are doing everything they can. I think they got approximately 50 horses coming in. They will start doing a ground search with horses and dogs.
They are doing everything they can. Federal agents, numerous different county sheriffs are out here. They're really trying to help us.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, what is Haleigh like?
MISTY CROSLIN, AT HOME WHEN HALEIGH DISAPPEARED: She is a real big girl. She is fun to be around. She is always happy. She's real smart, intelligent.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, is she the type that would walk off with a stranger?
CROSLIN: No.
VAN SUSTEREN: Ronald, is she the type that would wander off with a stranger at all, or is she a shy child?
CUMMINGS: Absolutely not. She is definitely shy. She would never walk off with a stranger for no reason. Besides, it was dark, and she is afraid of the dark.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, the other night, Monday night, you saw her about 10:00, Is that correct?
CROSLIN: What was that?
VAN SUSTEREN: You last saw Haleigh at about 10:00 Monday night when she was in bed? Is that right, Misty?
CROSLIN: Yes, ma'am.
VAN SUSTEREN: Was anything going on with her? Did she fall asleep easily? Was she at all anxious, getting up and leaving the bed?
CROSLIN: No. She had school, so I put her to bed about 8:00 because that is her bedtime so she can get up and go to school, so she's not tired.
VAN SUSTEREN: Were you in the same bed with Haleigh, Misty?
CROSLIN: No.
VAN SUSTEREN: Were you in the same room?
CROSLIN: Yes.VAN SUSTEREN: So, tell me what happened. Tell me, did you hear anything between the time you saw her it 10:00 and the time that you woke up and notice she was missing? Did you hear any noises?
CROSLIN: No, ma'am. I did not hear anything.
VAN SUSTEREN: Have you been drinking or anything so you would be in a heavy, deep sleep all that night?
CROSLIN: No.
VAN SUSTEREN: So, tell me what happened. You got up to use the bathroom, is that right?
CROSLIN: Yes. I got up to use the bathroom.
I did not make it to the bathroom. I walked into the living room and noticed the kitchen light was on. And I saw the back door open. And when I saw the back door open, I ran back into the bedroom, and that's when I noticed she was gone.VAN SUSTEREN: And so, Ronald, you came home about 3:25 a.m. from work?
CUMMINGS: Yes.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did you come in the front door or the back door of that double wide, Ronald?
CUMMINGS: I came in the front door. I pulled into the driveway. She was standing at the front door, and I wanted to know what she was doing up, first, at that time of night. Usually, she is in bed asleep.
And she told me that she just got up to use the bathroom, and that she saw that Haleigh was not in her bed. She went to find her, and the back door was wide open, and she was nowhere to be found. She was gone.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, had you been the one to block that back door?
CROSLIN: No, I did not lock the back door because the back door is always locked. We really do not use the back door.
CUMMINGS: Absolutely.
VAN SUSTEREN: What kind of lock is on that back door? Is it a deadbolt? Do you need a key, or is there a know on the inside? How do you work that back door lock?
CUMMINGS: There is a lock on the knob on the inside, and it has a deadbolt also. The deadbolt is very hard to get unlocked once you get it locked. You have to push in hard on the door, and a child would never get that unlocked.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty--go ahead. I'm sorry, Ronald.
CUMMINGS: I do keep it locked. I do check it every afternoon before I leave for work. It is always locked, always.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, do you ever use that doo yourself, go in and out that door?
CROSLIN: I mean, once in awhile I will take the garbage out through the back door, or leave through the back door and take a vacuum and vacuum the car out. But that is the only time we use the back door.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, did anyone come over to the house that evening while Ronald was at work? Any friends come over?
CROSLIN: No. My older brother had come over with my nephews, and the AC guy.
VAN SUSTEREN: What time did they leave?
CROSLIN: They got there about 5:00. And they stayed for about 30 minutes until about 5:30, 5:45.
VAN SUSTEREN: Ronald, I understand that there does not appear to be any forced entry into the home in that back door. So how do you think it got open?
CUMMINGS: I honestly don't have any clue. I don't have any clue. Somebody, maybe a locksmith, picklock artist, I do not know. But it was definitely locked, and somebody came in through it. So I cannot explain it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, let me ask you this same question. Misty, how do you think that door got open?
CROSLIN: Someone had either picked the lock, they would have had to pick the lock. That is the only way that anybody could have gotten in our back door is if they picked the lock.
VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of where you were sleeping, Misty, and Haleigh was sleeping, who was closer to the back door?
CROSLIN: Haleigh would have probably been closer to the back door. She was on the side of the wall closest to the kitchen.
VAN SUSTEREN: How far was Haleigh physically sleeping from you?
CUMMINGS: Probably not three or four inches away. She was in front of the TV, not that far away at all.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did you say three or four inches away?
CROSLIN: I mean, I am not sure. It was not that far away.
VAN SUSTEREN: Can you hold up your hands and show how far away she was sleeping?
CROSLIN: Probably from both of these chairs put together from my bed.
VAN SUSTEREN: About as far as Ronald is from you?
CROSLIN: Yes.
CUMMINGS: No.
CROSLIN: No?
CUMMINGS: I know where the beds were at. They are about four feet apart from the edge of the bed she was in to the edge of the bed Haleigh was in.
CROSLIN: I was not measuring or anything like that, so--
VAN SUSTEREN: I know you both took a polygraph today. Did they say you were deceptive or not on the polygraph. Did they tell you how your results were? How were yours, Ronald?
CUMMINGS: Absolutely, they did. And it was not today that we took a polygraph. We took the polygraph yesterday. And, yes, we both did pass.
VAN SUSTEREN: Misty, what did they say about your results?
CROSLIN: You mean that I passed?
VAN SUSTEREN: Did they use the word "pass," or did they say there was no sign of deception?
CUMMINGS: They told me that I passed.
CROSLIN: They really did not say much to me.
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, we are hopeful that putting the spotlight on this, people will call in tips if they know anything at all about this child, because I know that you both want her back very badly.
Ronald, Misty, thank you, and let's hope we get some good news soon. Thank you both very much.
CUMMINGS: Thank you.
CROSLIN: Thank you.
VAN SUSTEREN: We have more information about little Haleigh. George Anthony, the grandfather of murdered Caylee Anthony, has something to say about this new child's disappearance. Why is George Anthony speaking out? You're going to hear that next.
Plus, "The Best of the Rest." Britney Spears is back in the headlines. The headlines involve an angry ex-boyfriend, a car, and an alleged hit and run.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAN SUSTEREN: At this hour there remains grave concern about five-year-old Haleigh Cummings. George Anthony, the grandfather of murdered toddler Caylee Anthony, has some advice for the family of the missing girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ANTHONY: They need to be in support of each other. They need to be there no matter what. They need to reach out.
And things get tough. There are tough days and hours and minutes. To know that they can reach out to me, to Josh, to my wife Cindy, to my son, other families that understand.
This is not about me. This is about Haleigh Anne Marie Cummings, age five, that needs to be found and brought home to this beautiful family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us live is WOFL reporter Cheryl Getuiza. Cheryl, thank you for joining us.
And Cheryl, I want to just first get this lie-detector, polygraph thing settled. Do you know who has taken a polygraph and whether or not anyone has been found to be deceptive or not, with the understanding that they're not perfect tests?
CHERYL GETUIZA, REPORTER, WOFL: Greta, investigators told us so far two people have taken the lie-detector test, and that is the girl's father, Ronald Cummings, and his girlfriend, Misty Croslin. As to the results of the test, they would not let us know, Greta.
VAN SUSTEREN: What is the working theory of the police? Is it that someone invaded that home? Is there any sign that there is any forced entry, or not?
GETUIZA: Greta, they are now calling this an "abduction."
They are going by what Misty Croslin told them, is that she got to go pee, and when she went back into the bedroom to see the kids, Haleigh was missing and the back door was open. And it was propped open by a cinderblock. So they're testing that cinderblock right now. They also took a whole bunch of other evidence. As to what evidence they took, they won't tell us. They told us, though, it is now being analyzed at a lab.
VAN SUSTEREN: I understand there are a number of registered sex offenders in the area they are looking at.
GETUIZA: Greta, 44 registered sex offenders within a five mile radius in this family's neighborhood. They said they have talked to a majority of those sex offenders. So far, none of them are suspects.
And, really, right now they have no suspect information. They're just trying to gather some information from the family. They interviewed them day in and day out, and still nothing.
VAN SUSTEREN: What is that community like? Do the people tend to know each other in the immediate area of their home?
GETUIZA: Greta, this is a very small community. It is very tight knit.
They have been having vigils every night since Haleigh disappeared. This is the third night in a row. These are neighbors and strangers coming together to help this young family.
It is an older retirement community, but Haleigh's father and his girlfriend with the two kids have lived in the home for some time.
VAN SUSTEREN: And in terms of neighbors, has anybody seen anybody stalking or doing anything peculiar? Has the child been out in the yard in the weeks past and anyone has been hanging out? Anything weird like that?
GETUIZA: Nothing to note, Greta, but the investigators have gone door to door to every single home in this mobile park, talking to every single person who is staying in those homes.
And no one has any information. Nothing suspicious has come onto the radar for investigators. But, again, they will continue talking to these neighbors to see if anything has come up.
VAN SUSTEREN: We only have 20 seconds left. There's a body of water close by, right--a pond or something?
GETUIZA: Yes, it is the St. Johns River.
Near the family's home, there is one mobile home next to them. And on the other side of the family's home is a very extensive wooded area. And just past that, 500 yards, is the St. Johns River. For the past three days, divers have gone into that river and done grid searches, and so far, they have found nothing, Greta.
VAN SUSTEREN: How about relatives of Misty who were over there that afternoon? Have they looked at them?
GETUIZA: Relatives--Misty's parents have not come out and said anything. Ronald's parents were here this afternoon, and they are here supporting Ronald and Misty.
But we did hear from Misty, and you talked to her earlier.
VAN SUSTEREN: I am sorry. I have got to go, Cheryl. Thank you.
Compare to previous statements from NG transcripts:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0902/11/ng.01.htmlGRACE: How could this little girl just vanish into thin air out of her own bed? The father, working the night shift, comes home to find his baby girl is gone.
I want to go straight to him, everyone. The tip line, 386-329-0808 -- 386-329-386-329-0808. Let me remind you that every minute counts. Every minute that she has been gone counts. One minute could save her life.
With me right now, the father of little Haleigh, Ronald Cummings, is with us. Mr. Cummings, you and your family are in so many prayers across the country right now. Please tell us what happened when you got home from work that night. I believe it was around 3:00 AM.
CUMMINGS: Actually, it was about 3:25, 3:27.
GRACE: OK.
CUMMINGS: And I pulled into the yard, and my girlfriend opened the front door, and I already knew something was wrong because she`s not up at this time. She told me -- I said, What are you doing up at this time? She said, Your back door`s wide open and your daughter`s gone.
GRACE: What is her description -- what scenario took place?
CUMMINGS: She got out of bed and went to use the restroom and came back to find that my daughter was not in bed with her.GRACE: OK, what time did...
CUMMINGS: And the back door was wide open and she was -- and she was gone.
GRACE: Ronald, what time did she put Haleigh to bed?
CUMMINGS: She puts them to bed every night at 8:00 o`clock.
GRACE: At 8:00 o`clock. When she put...
CUMMINGS: And...
GRACE: When she put her to bed at 8:00 o`clock, did she also put to bed the little 4-year-old boy?
CUMMINGS: Yes, she did.
GRACE: OK. What time did she go to bed?
CUMMINGS: Approximately 10:30, 11:00.
GRACE: At 10:30, 11:00. At that time, was little Haleigh in the bed asleep with the brother?
CUMMINGS: Yes.
GRACE: And they all slept together in the same bed, correct?
CASAREZ: Yes.
GRACE: So sometime between 11:00 PM and 3:30 AM, Haleigh goes missing. Now, did she call 911?
CUMMINGS: No, she did not, not until after I was there. She tried to call me, but I was pulling in the driveway. So I asked her how come she was trying to call me, she needed to call 911. So she immediately called them then.
GRACE: And where does the biological mother live, Ronald? Ronald, where does the mom live? OK, I think somehow -- I think I`ve lost his connection. Liz, see if you can bring Ronald back up. Ronald, where does the mother...
CUMMINGS: I got you. I got you.
GRACE: OK. Good. Everyone, Ronald Cummings is joining us there at the command center in Satsuma, Florida. Mr. Cummings, where does Haleigh`s mother live?
CUMMINGS: In Baker County, in Glenn St. Mary (ph).
GRACE: What is that, about 150 miles away?
CUMMINGS: I would say approximately 90 to 100.
GRACE: Now, have you and your girlfriend both taken a polygraph, right?
CUMMINGS: Yes, I have. Passed it with flying colors. Yes, she has. Passed hers.
GRACE: And you volunteered to do that and you`ve been cooperating with police, right?
CUMMINGS: Yes. Why not? I don`t have anything to hide. I just want my daughter back. Anything that`s going to help them eliminate more people, that`s the best thing.
GRACE: Exactly. Mr. Cummings, you said the door was propped open. Describe to me what you saw when you got home.
CUMMINGS: I came in the house and immediately checked all the bedrooms, the bathroom, everywhere, just to be sure, and walked to the back door, it was wide open. As I walked out the back door, the screen door was propped open with a cinderblock.
GRACE: Everyone, joining me from Satsuma, Florida, is Mr. Ronald Cummings. He was at work as usual when his daughter goes missing. Take a listen to this 911 call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: What does she look like? How tall is she? Give me some description of her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has, like -- like, long hair, curly, like, curls.
911 OPERATOR: Long curled. What color?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s white.
911 OPERATOR: OK. What color hair?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s got brown hair.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Brown hair?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Oh, my God! (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: OK. How tall is she, about? Or how much does she weigh? Do you know that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huh?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if anybody around here that knows me has got my granddaughter, bring her home. Just bring her to my house and drop her off. You know where I live. Just bring her home. Just bring her back to us. She`s my sixth generation grandchild, grandbaby, and we want her back. Just bring her back to us. She`s our heart. She`s my first baby from my first baby. I want her back. Please bring her home. Bring her to somebody. Drop her off somewhere and call 911. Somebody`ll pick her up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: OK, listen to me. I`m getting this information. I`m not the officer driving out there, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
911 OPERATOR: They`re coming out there to handle that situation. I need to gather all her information from you over the phone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
911 OPERATOR: It has nothing to do with me driving out there. The officers are taking care of that, OK? They`re coming out there, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
911 OPERATOR: OK. I`m going to stay on the phone with you, OK...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
911 OPERATOR: ... until they get there, all right? Tell him we`ve got them coming. He needs to try to calm down a little bit, OK? The officers are going to come out there and do what they can. We can`t have him screaming and yelling at the officers whenever they get there, OK?
911 OPERATOR: OK, was your back door locked do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. The back door always stays locked.
FATHER: I need somebody (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: OK, let me speak to her (INAUDIBLE)
CUMMINGS: I just got home from work, my 5-year-old daughter is gone. I need somebody to be here now, I`m telling you.
911 OPERATOR: Listen to me. Listen to me. We`ve got two officers...
CUMMINGS: If I find whoever has my daughter before y`all do, I`m killing him. I don`t care. I`ll spend the rest of my life in prison, I`m telling you. You can put it on the report, and I don`t care.
911 OPERATOR: OK. It`s OK, sir. We`ve got them on the way. OK, can you give me any -- what kind of description of her pajamas that she was wearing?
CUMMINGS: I don`t (DELETED) know! I was at work!
911 OPERATOR: OK, sir, we`ve got them coming, OK?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRACE: A 5-year-old Satsuma, Florida, girl vanishes out of the bed she was sharing with her baby-sitter and her 4-year-old brother. Tonight, the father is with us -- he has just passed a polygraph test -- begging for your help. We are taking your calls live.
Back to Ronald Cummings, the father of 5-year-old Haleigh. Mr. Cummings, was the bedroom door open when they went to sleep?
CUMMINGS: Yes, it was.
GRACE: And what kind of a...
CUMMINGS: Yes, it was.
GRACE: OK. And what kind of a lock do you have on your door, the one that was propped open with a cinder block?
CUMMINGS: It`s just a little plastic lock on a -- just a regular screen door plastic lock.
GRACE: Do you know where the cinderblock came from that was propping the door open?
CUMMINGS: Don`t have a clue. I don`t mess with none of that, so I don`t know. I very rarely am in the back yard at all unless I`m washing my car. So it could have came from around my shed. I`m renting. I don`t know if the previous renters had it or what, but I`ve never seen it, I don`t believe.
GRACE: So to your knowledge, you`ve never seen it.
CUMMINGS: Not that I believe. I mean, I may be mistaken and have seen it before, but I know it wasn`t where it`s at now.
GRACE: Joining me right now, Natisha Lance. She`s standing by there at the Satsuma command center. Natisha, what can you tell me?
NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, just as you said, this started late Monday morning. At 3:00 o`clock in the morning, this little girl goes missing. Now, law enforcement has been very heavily involved from the very beginning since the time this little girl went missing. They`ve had helicopters up in the air. They`ve had boats in the water using sonar equipment to look for her. There was a scent that was found that was at the edge of this waterway, which is not too far away from the home.
Now, police have been looking in that waterway. They also have had helicopters up in the air. Eight agencies are involved. A hundred and fifty law enforcement officers were out there the first day. Fifty law enforcement officers are out there today. And these officers are saying that they are pledged to finding this little girl and bringing her home.
GRACE: Back to the father of 5-year-old Haleigh, Ronald Cummings, joining us from the command center. Ronald, the dogs picked up some sort of scent near the water. How far away is that from your home?
CUMMINGS: I don`t know, five or six, eight blocks, somewhere in there. Between five and eight blocks.
GRACE: And has Haleigh ever sleepwalked or left the home in the night before?
CUMMINGS: No way, never. She`s afraid of the dark.
GRACE: And Ronald, I don`t see a 5-year-old little girl picking up a cinderblock and propping the door open. That`s just not going to happen.
CUMMINGS: No.
GRACE: To Joy Purdy standing by there at the command center, reporter with WTLV. Joy, what more can you tell me about her disappearance? I`ve confirmed with Ronald Cummings that he has volunteered and passed a polygraph. What about the girlfriend that was in the bed with the little girl when she goes missing?
JOY PURDY, WTLV: It`s very interesting, Nancy. We have not seen the girlfriend at all today. Police tell us they did interview her thoroughly and that she`s now with family and friends recovering. Look, she`s 17 years old and has been through this traumatic experience. They say that she`s doing fine, under the circumstances.
There are a couple of other interesting points that came out today from the police. One is that -- and you`ll be interested to hear this -- in this five-mile radius of the home, there are 44 registered sex offenders in the area. There`s only 5,300 people in this town of Satsuma, 44 registered sex offenders. So you can imagine police have gone to them or are planning to go to them and find out their whereabouts when little Haleigh disappeared.
Also, you talked about it a little while ago with Ron, the polygraph - - they`re using them on many different people, not just him, other family members, other members of the community. They`re using them at will. The FBI is assisting.
Compare to this:
GRACE: OK. And what kind of a lock do you have on your door, the one that was propped open with a cinder block?
CUMMINGS: It`s just a little plastic lock on a — just a regular screen door plastic lock. So, where was the baby really sleeping AND what type of lock, a plastic lock or a deadbolt as stated in beginning of my post..........WAY too many questions because a plastic lock and a dead bolt are not even remotely close to the same.