Police: Baby Sitter Key in Missing Florida Girl Case

Police: Baby Sitter Key in Missing Florida Girl Casehttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,540143,00.html
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Putnam County investigators say they don't think that Misty Croslin-Cummings has been straight with them as they continue to investigate the disappearance six months ago of Haleigh Cummings from her father's home in Satsuma.

In a news release marking the child's sixth birthday Monday, investigators said the child's biological parents, Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, were not suspects.

But for the first time, they don't think Haleigh was abducted by a stranger. They said, Misty Croslin, who was baby-sitting the girl when she vanished from her father's mobile home in February, "continues to hold important answers in the case."

"She has failed to provide any sort of detailed accounting of the hours during the late evening and early morning of Haleigh's disappearance. Furthermore, physical evidence at the scene contradicts Misty's sketchy account of her evening activities."

Croslin married Cummings about a month after Haleigh's disappearance. Their telephone in Welaka has been disconnected and it is not known if Croslin has an attorney.

According to the news release, investigators have received more than 4,000 leads, all of which have been followed up.

They have conducted 138 formal interviews and several hundred informal ones. DNA samples were collected from many of those interviewed.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement processed the crime scene and did analysis on DNA and fingerprint evidence, none of which has identified a suspect.

Thousands of acres have been searched by air, on foot and by horseback. Divers have combed the water areas near where Haleigh disappeared.

"Sheriff (Jeff) Hardy wants to assure the public, but mainly Haleigh's family, that we will continue to aggressively pursue this case," the news release said.

Also Monday, a Texas-based search group said it would conduct another search for Haleigh Cummings.

Tim Miller, director of Texas EquuSearch, said the 50 group members and volunteers would search in four to six weeks. He said he thinks weather and vegetation conditions will be more conducive to finding the girl.

Haleigh Cummings turns 6-years-old
Texas EquuSearch to search for Haleigh
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/cummings_case/081709_Haleigh_Cummings
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Putnam County investigators say they don't think that Misty Croslin-Cummings has been straight with them as they continue to investigate the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings, last seen six months ago in her father's home in Satsuma.

In a news release marking the child's sixth birthday on Monday, investigators said the child's biological parents, Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, were not suspects.

But for the first time, they don't think Haleigh was abducted by a stranger. They said, Misty Croslin, who was babysitting the girl when she vanished from her father's mobile home in February, "continues to hold important answers in the case."

"She has failed to provide any sort of detailed accounting of the hours during the late evening and early morning of Haleigh's disappearance. Furthermore, physical evidence at the scene contracts Misty's sketchy account of her evening activities."

Croslin married Cummings about a month after Haleigh's disappearance. Their telephone in Welaka has been disconnected and it is not known if Croslin has an attorney.

According to the news release, investigators have received more than 4,000 leads, all of which have been followed up.

They have conducted 138 formal interviews and several hundred informal ones. DNA samples were collected from many of those interviewed.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement processed the crime scene and did analysis on DNA and fingerprint evidence, none of which has identified a suspect.

Thousands of acres have been searched by air, on foot and by horseback. Divers have combed the water areas near where Haleigh disappeared.

"Sheriff (Jeff) Hardy wants to assure the public, but mainly Haleigh's family, that we will continue to aggressively pursue this case," the news release said.

Also Monday, a Texas-based search group said it would conduct another search for Haleigh Cummings.

Tim Miller, director of Texas EquuSearch, said the 50 group members and volunteers would search in four to six weeks. He said he thinks weather and vegetation conditions will be more conducive to finding the girl.

"Right now, we are in hurricane season, and again, the growth is as thick as it’s going to get this year," Miller told FOX 35.

In addition to Texas EquuSearch, Orlando attorney Mark Nejame is assisting the Cummings in finding Haleigh. "I just wanted someone to look for her," said Haleigh’s grandmother, Teresa Neves, in an interview with FOX 35. Neves said she contacted Nejame a few weeks ago, hoping he could help.

"A child is missing and she is innocent and she is gone and we need to use any efforts we can to help her, so that is what we are doing,” said Nejame.

Miller said there are no new leads bringing him back to Florida; however, Nejame said there are new theories about where Haleigh might be, but would not say what those theories are.

During Monday’s news conference, Haleigh’s family released balloons with missing person fliers inside to mark her birthday.

Police: Baby Sitter Key in Missing Florida Girl Case

Putnam County investigators say they don't think that Misty Croslin-Cummings has been straight with them as they continue to investigate the disappearance six months ago of Haleigh Cummings from her father's home in Satsuma.

In a news release marking the child's sixth birthday Monday, investigators said the child's biological parents, Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, were not suspects.

But for the first time, they don't think Haleigh was abducted by a stranger. They said, Misty Croslin, who was baby-sitting the girl when she vanished from her father's mobile home in February, "continues to hold important answers in the case."

"She has failed to provide any sort of detailed accounting of the hours during the late evening and early morning of Haleigh's disappearance. Furthermore, physical evidence at the scene contradicts Misty's sketchy account of her evening activities."

Croslin married Cummings about a month after Haleigh's disappearance. Their telephone in Welaka has been disconnected and it is not known if Croslin has an attorney.

According to the news release, investigators have received more than 4,000 leads, all of which have been followed up.

They have conducted 138 formal interviews and several hundred informal ones. DNA samples were collected from many of those interviewed.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement processed the crime scene and did analysis on DNA and fingerprint evidence, none of which has identified a suspect.

Thousands of acres have been searched by air, on foot and by horseback. Divers have combed the water areas near where Haleigh disappeared.

"Sheriff (Jeff) Hardy wants to assure the public, but mainly Haleigh's family, that we will continue to aggressively pursue this case," the news release said.

Also Monday, a Texas-based search group said it would conduct another search for Haleigh Cummings.

Tim Miller, director of Texas EquuSearch, said the 50 group members and volunteers would search in four to six weeks. He said he thinks weather and vegetation conditions will be more conducive to finding the girl.

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/dpp/news/national/Police_Baby_Sitter_Key_in_Missing_Florida_Girl_Case_36115585

Sheriff: Haleigh Not Taken By Stranger
http://www.news4jax.com/news/20436810/detail.html
Investigators Release New Information On Haleigh's 6th Birthday

PALATKA, Fla. -- On the day a missing Putnam County girl turned 6, investigators said for the first time they do not think Haleigh Cummings was abducted by a stranger, saying the father's live-in girlfriend "continues to hold important answers in the case."

Almost from the beginning, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said they suspected Haleigh Cummings was taken from her father's home in Satsuma on Feb. 10.

In a news release marking the child's sixth birthday Monday, investigators said the child's biological parents, Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, were not suspects. But they also said they don't think that Misty Croslin-Cummings has been straight with them.

Croslin -- at the time Ronald Cummings' live-in girlfriend -- was with Haleigh when she vanished from her father's mobile home. Croslin married Cummings about a month after Haleigh's disappearance.

"She has failed to provide any sort of detailed accounting of the hours during the late evening and early morning of Haleigh's disappearance. Furthermore, physical evidence at the scene contradicts Misty's sketchy account of her evening activities."

The Cummings' telephone in Welaka has been disconnected and it is not known if Croslin has an attorney.

Investigators said have received more than 4,000 leads, all of which have been followed up.

They have conducted 138 formal interviews and several hundred informal ones. DNA samples were collected from many of those interviewed.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement processed the crime scene and did analysis on DNA and fingerprint evidence, none of which has identified a suspect.

Thousands of acres have been searched by air, on foot and by horseback. Divers have combed the water areas near where Haleigh disappeared.

"Sheriff (Jeff) Hardy wants to assure the public, but mainly Haleigh's family, that we will continue to aggressively pursue this case," the news release said.

Also Monday, a Texas-based search group said it would conduct another search for Haleigh Cummings.

Tim Miller, director of Texas EquuSearch, said the 50 group members and volunteers would return to the area in four to six weeks to conduct a new search. He said he thinks weather and vegetation conditions will be more conducive to finding the girl.

In the middle of Monday's new developments, several ceremonies were held to mark Haleigh's sixth birthday.

Her family and dozens of others released balloons with FDLE fliers inside across Putnam County and elsewhere, saying they have not given up hope of finding her.

Local News
Investigators Pull Back The Curtain on Haleigh Cummings Case
http://wokv.com/localnews/2009/08/investigators-pull-back-the-cu.html
The 6th birthday of a missing Putnam County girl is celebrated with new hope that she'll be found.
Her father, Ronald Cummings and other family members participated Monday in a balloon release in her honor.

Haleigh disappeared more than six months ago, and Putnam County authorities say they've followed up on more than four thousand leads to help find her.

Investigators say DNA evidence has left a small chance that a stranger took Haleigh from her Satsuma home, and they think Misty Croslin-Cummings may not be giving them the full story.

Since the disappearance, Haleigh's family has also hired an Orlando attorney to help with the case and the EquiSearch team says they plan to return to the area to conduct another scan of the area.

Putnam Sheriff: Misty holds the answers
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mostpopular/story/Putnam-Sheriff-Misty-holds-the-answers/gn_I_vCnOEKlZBkjuZmU1Q.cspx
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Misty Croslin-Cummings spent Haleigh's sixth birthday hanging signs outside the family’s mobile home, hoping for the little girl to come home safe.

“I just want to tell Haleigh ‘I love her and happy birthday’.”

Misty, Ronald's new wife, is the one who was supposed to be taking care of Haleigh the night she vanished.

But detectives say she still has not provided any sort of detailed account of the hours during the late evening and early morning of Haleigh's disaperance.

They also say physical evidence at the scene contradicts what Misty says she was doing that night.

But Misty is pointing fingers at someone else. Monday, at her home, she told Action News, someone else has Haleigh and needs to bring her home.

"Whoever has her, please bring her home," said Croslin-Cummings. "Today is her day. She's not able to have a birthday, a birthday party. It’s just really hard."

Hard for everyone because six months have gone by without any answers.

The family has hired a new attorney, who announced Monday morning, another search is being planned.

A search the family hopes will lead to the kind of celebration they would have wanted to have on her birthday.



EquuSearch to search for Haleigh
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/EquuSearch-to-search-for-Haleigh/egR9EIcsvU2lndwrIDhrpw.cspx
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A Texas-based search group will conduct another search for a missing north Florida girl.

Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her father's mobile home in Satsuma, Fla., six months ago.

Orlando attorney Mark NeJame and Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller announced Monday that they would team up in another search of the girl. She turned 6 on Monday.

Miller says the search will take place in four to six weeks. He says he believes weather and vegetation conditions will be more conducive to finding the girl.

Miller says about 50 members and volunteers with suburban Houston-based EquuSearch will conduct the search.

The group searched for the girl previously and has also searched for Caylee Anthony, whose body was found in December. The group wasn't involved in finding Anthony's body.

Investigators Narrow Focus In Haleigh Search
Haleigh's Birthday Marked With Balloon Release
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32441650/ns/local_news-orlando_fl/
SATSUMA, Fla. - WESH.com

Investigators in Putnam County marked the sixth birthday of Haleigh Cummings with a news release stating they believe the missing girl was likely kidnapped by someone she knew.

Putnam County Sheriff's Office Lt. Johnny Greenwood said evidence and the work of investigators have minimized the likelihood that Haleigh's disappearance is the work of a stranger.

Greenwood said the missing girl's biological parents, Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, are not considered suspects in the case, but Cummings' current wife, Misty Croslin-Cummings, has not been cleared.

"Investigators believe that Misty Croslin-Cummings continues to hold important answers in the case," the news release stated. "She has failed to provide any sort of detailed accounting of the hours during the late evening and early morning of Haleigh's disappearance."

Greenwood said physical evidence found at the Cummings' home contradicted Croslin-Cummings' account of her evening activities. Authorities asked anyone with direct knowledge of her activities around the time of Haleigh's disappearance to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0800.

Haleigh Remembered On 6th Birthday

The thought of Haleigh's sixth birthday transformed her grandmother's face into a portrait of anguish.

"You can't celebrate a birthday when she's not here," grandmother Teresa Neves said.

Haleigh vanished from her bed on a cold February morning.

"I can definitely say she has not been forgotten," Greenwood said.

The news release from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office stated that investigators don't believe a stranger kidnapped Haleigh, but they are looking for more information from Croslin-Cummings. Haleigh disappeared on her watch.

"All it's going to take is one small piece of information. Like I said, somebody out there knows what happened," Greenwood said.

Countless searches have been completed since Haleigh's disappearance. and 4,000 leads have been received by authorities. Some of them have taken investigators as far away as Tennessee.

And there were the unexpected events like when Haleigh's father proposed to his 16-year-old girlfriend. A recent family feud ended with him being jailed.

On Haleigh's birthday, her father and his new wife were together, but six months have passed, and the girl remains missing.

Investigators said they believe Haleigh could still be alive, and they have no evidence to believe otherwise. Greenwood said they're waiting for new leads and reworking old ones.

"We've actually got an agent with the (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) right now who is assigned to us to go back through tips, just reviewing to see if there's any tip that might not have been investigated," Greenwood said.

Balloons Released With Fliers Inside

On her birthday, Haleigh's family didn't miss the chance to get her face back out in the public. They sponsored a nationwide balloon release, with fliers containing her information.

"When they take it out of the balloon, or when it falls, they'll look at it, and possibly, hopefully, if they've seen Haleigh, they'll recognize her and call law enforcement," great-grandmother Annette Sykes said.

Haleigh's family keeps reminders of her everywhere. Shrines contain pictures, pieces of her little-girl makeup and presents she has never opened.

And there's pain.

"It just hurts, and it's a lot of pain. You get up every day, praying this is the day she comes home, and you go to bed praying," Neves said.

Haleigh's family can't forget, but their biggest fear is that the rest of the world will.

More Searches Planned

Orlando attorney Make NeJame and Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller also announced they're teaming up to search for Haleigh.

Miller said the search will take place in four to six weeks, when he believes weather conditions and vegetation will be more conducive to finding the girl.

The search has spanned thousands of acres of land to date, including all of the area near the Cummings' home. Aerial and underwater searches have also been conducted.

Miller said about 50 EquuSearch members and volunteers will conduct the search. The group has searched for the girl previously and also searched for Caylee Anthony.

I have a couple of questions here. First one of the articles say that DNA evidence leaves a small chance that Haliegh may have been abducted by a stranger. What DNA evidence this is the first I have heard of this.
Second, it says that they do not believe this is a stranger abduction and that Misty is the key. Well WTH??? They arrest people on hunches most of the time, you can file a report against someone and have them arrested why is Misty not arrested already?

butterfly wrote:I have a couple of questions here. First one of the articles say that DNA evidence leaves a small chance that Haliegh may have been abducted by a stranger. What DNA evidence this is the first I have heard of this.
Second, it says that they do not believe this is a stranger abduction and that Misty is the key. Well WTH??? They arrest people on hunches most of the time, you can file a report against someone and have them arrested why is Misty not arrested already?

I believe they are saying that DNA evidence collected from Haleigh's home leaves little chance that Haleigh was abducted by a stranger, which probably means that most or all of the DNA collected from the home matched relatives and friends. Also, as mentioned on Nancy Grace last night, the back door has been analyzed and shows no signs of forced entry. They probably should have come up with something to arrest Misty early on and try to force some answers. It seems like they could have arrested her for drugs or child endangerment.

Misty looks so OUT of it, like she's all drugged up. I think she let something happen, or caused something to happen, or SAW something happen... But why would Ron protect her? (I still think he did something, maybe accidentally) and they both covered it up.

babbette wrote:Misty looks so OUT of it, like she's all drugged up. I think she let something happen, or caused something to happen, or SAW something happen... But why would Ron protect her? (I still think he did something, maybe accidentally) and they both covered it up.

Hi, babbette! I agree with you. I believe both Ron & Misty are involved in Haleigh's disappearance. Since neither one of them are talking, it's more than obvious they have no conscience.

T.J.Hart is supposed to be on Prime News at 6 PM tonight, on the HaLeigh Case.

babbette wrote:Misty looks so OUT of it, like she's all drugged up. I think she let something happen, or caused something to happen, or SAW something happen... But why would Ron protect her? (I still think he did something, maybe accidentally) and they both covered it up.

It seems like Misty was heavy into drugs from everything I have seen. I have know idea why Ron would protect her. He seemed to be legitimately upset when Haleigh first disappeared, but then he married the person who was responsible for Haleigh's care at the time of her disappearance. It doesn't make any sense to me.

I know. Creepshow.