Haleigh Cummings Investigation: Is the 'Smoking Gun' a Soaking Blanket?

Haleigh Cummings Investigation: Is the 'Smoking Gun' a Soaking Blanket?
September 13, 2009 by Carol Bengle Gilbert

Misty Croslin Cummings, the 17 year old girlfriend of Haleigh Cummings' father Ronald Cummings when Haleigh was abducted in February and now his wife, appears to know more about the little girl's disappearance than she has acknowledged. something is a long one and includes not only the Putnam County sheriff's office handling the investigation but also Misty's mother Lisa Croslin, Haleigh's maternal grandmother Marie Griffis, and the polygraph examiner, voice stress analyst and hypnotist hired by the search firm Equusearch.

While Misty Croslin Cummings is not giving police information they need to find Haleigh Cummings, she is saying too much - every time she opens her mouth. Watching video excerpts of Misty Croslin Cummings' stress test and hypnotism session as well as reading recent news reports brought to mind the impression of a guilty teenager lying to her parents. Behaving like a guilty teenager feeling she deserves to be caught in her lies, Misty Croslin Cummings engages in verbal overkill that casts doubt on her credibility when she speaks on key aspects of the Haleigh Cummings case.

Where the overkill seems most damning is with respect to Misty's statements about washing Haleigh's blanket.

When police arrived at the Cummings home at approximately 3:25 a.m. February 10 to respond to the report that Haleigh Cummings was missing, the washing machine was running. If Misty Cummings, the only person over the age of 5 in the house, had been in bed sleeping from 10 pm until she woke up shortly after 3 am and discovered Haleigh missing, why was the washing machine on?

In a Today Show interview in March, Misty Croslin Cummings said that she washed Haleigh's blanket 7 ½ hours earlier- at 8 pm- and put the clean blanket on a sleeping Haleigh about 10 pm when Misty went to bed herself.

In the August stress test, Misty Croslin Cummings said that she had turned on the washing machine to wash her own blanket and Haleigh's blanket "after dinner" and that she put Haleigh to bed at 8 p.m. February 9.

Misty's Today Show and stress test statements could be read as consistent or inconsistent. Regardless of the interpretation of those statements, Misty Croslin Cummings would have finished washing Haleigh's blanket by 10 at the latest when she put to bed herself. So, why was the washing machine running when the police arrived 5 and ½ hours later? Misty has said repeatedly that after going to bed at 10, she didn't wake up until sometime after 3 am.

Misty never explained the time discrepancy in the voice stress test, but her description of washing the blankets reeks of overkill. Since when does washing a child's blanket before any abduction require justification?

Misty: Then I washed the blankets- my blanket and Haleigh's blanket. Haleigh's blanket smelt like pee.

Tester: Tell me about this blanket.

Misty: Haleigh's blanket? Ok, I was gone for the weekend. I come home, her blanket smells like pee. Who's gonna put their kid in bed when their blanket smells like pee? Who's going to put their kid on, you know, cover up with a blanket smells like pee? I'm not going to. So I ...washed her blanket. And, there's (unintelligible), it's her normal blanket she always sleeps with.

This excess justification for washing a child's blanket sends up red flags.

One implication of Misty washing the blankets on the bed and reusing them once they were cleaned that night is that perhaps there weren't extra blankets in the house. Is the blanket evidence the 'smoking gun' in Haleigh Cummings' disappearance?

Misty Croslin Cummings reported finding a blanket and sheets scattered outside the door of the Cummings residence when she discovered Haleigh missing. Did the blanket and sheets scattered outside the trailer after Haleigh disappeared come from the bed in which Haleigh was sleeping? The washing machine was running, according to police... Did someone strip the bed again that night because Haleigh wet the bed? Haleigh did wet the bed often, according to media reports.

Initially, Misty claimed that Haleigh was sleeping in bed with her. Later, she changed her story to say Haleigh was in a bed in the same room with her. Was that change motivated by the whereabouts - or the condition- of the bed sheets and blanket? It would hardly be credible that someone grabbed a child, bedding and all, if that action required pulling the bedding out from under the adult sleeping next to her. And if the sheets and blanket were soaked, their wetness would cast doubt on Misty's claim to have been sleeping in the same bed with Haleigh and not waking up until 3 am.

An interesting fact about children and bedwetting plays into this analysis. Children with nighttime enuresis tend to wet the bed at consistent intervals throughout the night, including about 2 am.

It's no wonder that the police believe that Misty Croslin Cummings knows something she isn't telling about what happened to Haleigh. On August 17, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office issued a press release saying in part: "Investigators believe that Misty Croslin-Cummings 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. Any citizen with direct knowledge of Misty's activities during that evening or into the early morning is encouraged to report that information to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office."

Will a soaked blanket turn out to be the 'smoking gun'?

Sources: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/cummings_case/091009_Cummings_get_restraining_order; http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Simon-Barrett/2009/09/10/Haleigh-Cummings-Update; http://www.pcso.us/2009-8-17-a; http://www.dreamindemon.com/2009/08/31/does-misty-croslin-cummings-know-something-about-haleighs-disappearance/; http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090908/NEWS/909080309; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8HdUiarQEU; http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/02/haleigh-cummings.html; http://www.artharris.com/2009/03/11/haleigh-mom-wants-custody/; http://www.zimbio.com/Misty+Croslin/articles/1AoTyzkBJQa/Misty+Cummings+Trying+Pinpoint.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2169871/haleigh_cummings_investigation_is_the.html?cat=47

I don't know if the blanket will turn out to be the "smoking gun" or not. However, I think Misti is going to end up alone very soon. She is going to (hopefully) crack under the pressure. The only problem I see with that, is that the police need to be applying PRESSURE! I say they need one tiny piece of information and they arrest her. Haven't people been arrested on much less? They can't let this opportunity pass where we can see her cracking just a bit. At least couldn't they arrest her on child neglect? We all know her story isn't true about her properly caring and protecting Haleigh. There has to be some charge here to at least allow her some sitting time to "think" ALL ALONE in JAIL!

And didn't Misty originally state that she pulled a blanket or something off the window to cover Haleigh before she washed the blanket?

Piper, I think I remember something about that too. Or else she stated that she put HER (meaning Misty's)blanket on HaLeigh. Then when Haleigh's blanket was done she put that one on her.
Then remember now Ron has said he doesn't believe Misty ever did laundry because they were out of laundry soap.

If Ron said there was no detergent in the home, how could Misty have washed the blanket? It wouldn't surprise me that she would wash the blanket without using detergent. A person doesn't have to keep changing their account of events if they are telling the TRUTH. Misty wouldn't know the truth if it hit her right between the eyes. I believe she lost her temper with Haleigh because she wet her bed. Nothing Misty says makes any sense at all. She's shown many times over, that she is not credible. I wonder how long she'll be able to live with herself, and what she's done.

For anyone to actually imply that someone has a strong opinion of hate, I say that you are trying to FORCE your opinion on others. Please, let's not forget everyone has the "RIGHT" to state their opinion, just the same as you do. Thanks for your consideration in this matter.

I choose NOT to believe Misty. I certainly don't see where she has proven herself "trustworthy" by any means. Based on what I've seen from Misty in all of her interviews, or appearances, she loves to hear herself talk. Furthermore, she does not care about anyone except herself. In my opinion, being self-centered is a "hateful" trait, because, it shows a complete lack of concern for others. I'm certainly not going to make excuses for, or defend anyone who has shown absolutely NO interest in helping to find Haleigh. Why, in Heaven's name, would I want to do a thing like that? Misty was apparently old enough to get married, so she is certainly old enough to have "MORALS". Yet, they seem to have disappeared! My guess is that she never had any in the first place. Why isn't Misty trying to help find Haleigh? I'm certainly not being "hateful" by not defending her, or making excuses for her. I'm being wise in the fact that I choose not to wear blinders or "rose colored" glasses. For those who choose to believe Misty, that's your right, choice & opinion. However, it's one that I cannot agree with, so please, to anyone who wishes to imply that my opinion is "hateful", ~ kindly refrain from trying to cram your opinion down my throat. In addition, I would greatly appreciate NOT being called "HATEFUL" simply because I do NOT believe Misty. When you call someone else's opinion "hateful" just because they don't agree with your opinion, what does that say about you? If you imply that my opinion is "hateful", then you are also implying that I'm "hateful". That being said, you obviously do not know me. In addition, it would also appear that you're looking for a fight. Let's just agree to disagree. I am NOT interested in anything "hateful", including arguing, or trying to force my opinions on others. To imply that someone's opinion is "hateful" simply because it's not the same as yours, speaks volumes. By the way, I find it very odd that Misty was far more concerned about a urine soaked blanket than she was about finding Haleigh.

How does anyone KNOW when Haleigh went missing? None of us were there, and using the term "story" speaks volumes. A "story" is what Fairy Tales are made of, it's not real. Once again, based on what I have SEEN, & what I've HEARD out of Misty's own mouth, I do NOT believe her. If you are telling the truth, you do NOT have to remember how the events happened. By attacking what I've said, you are not interested in a civilized discussion at all, you are trying to pick a fight. When I said "urine soaked", I was referring to what happens when any child WETS their bed. Not many children who wet their beds, dribble ever so slightly on their sheets or blankets. That should be easy enough to understand. Let me say this once again, we really don't know WHEN Haleigh disappeared. We only have Misty's word, & that means nothing to me. If you choose to believe her, that's your right, choice & opinion. That being said, I do NOT agree with you. What's so difficult to understand about that? Since you somehow chose to ignore my request that we should just agree to disagree, I have no other choice but to "block" all of your posts. I will NOT be bullied, or allow myself to be ridiculed or intimidated by anyone. That being said, GOODBYE. Over & out.