HALEIGH CUMMINGS - 5 yo - Satsuma FL - The Beginning

Your Haleigh Cummings Emails Are Being Heard

Posted on July 22nd, 2009
by Simon Barrett in Society and Culture, crime
Read 607 times.

This just in from TJ Hart of The Sky 97.3 - Simon
By TJ Hart
Thanks, to the hundreds of you who have emailed the state and local officials with your concerns in solving the Haleigh Cummings disappearance.
The Putnam County commissioners are receiving your emails as is the governor. One reader passed along to me her response from Lt. Governor Kottkamp:

Thank you for contacting Lieutenant Governor Kottkamp and sharing your concerns about the Haleigh Cummings case. The Lieutenant Governor asked me to respond on his behalf.
The Florida Constitution limits the Governor’s intervention in matters that should be resolved through the court system. Each state attorney is an elected official charged with certain discretionary duties, including the duty to determine whether or not to prosecute any particular crime committed within his or her jurisdiction. This decision is based on the quality and quantity of the evidence of guilt shown, and in the best interest of justice. The state attorneys operate independently, and as elected officials, they answer only to the voters of their individual jurisdictions. If you wish to contact the state attorney handling the Cummings case, please use the information provided below.
The Honorable R.J. Larizza
State Attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit
The Justice Center
251 North Ridgewood Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114-7505
Please rests assure the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is working closely with the local sheriff’s office to resolve this case.
Thank you again for contacting Lieutenant Governor Kottkamp.
Sincerely,
Dustin Fusillo
Office of Citizen Services

The email from Lieutenant Governor Kottkamp’s office indicates your best and most effective push should be directed to the State Attorney’s Office in Daytona Beach, FL. Unfortunately, I cannot find an active email for Honorable R.J. Larizza at this writing, but I do have his website: http://www.sao7.com.
TJ
http://www.bloggernews.net/121640

Posted on August 4th, 2009

by Simon Barrett in Society and Culture, crime




This just in from TJ Hart. We are also
working on another story, however we are awaiting some conformations
before rolling with it - Simon
Balloon Release
HaLeigh Cummings has been missing since she was taken from her
Satsuma, Florida home on February 10, 2009. In a few days, this
five-year-old girl will have been missing for six months. In a few more
days, she will have her 6th birthday. Her family prays and hopes she
will be returned home safely in time to celebrate that birthday.
HaLeigh’s biological parents are holding two separate events in
mid-August to raise help raise awareness nationwide that this child is
still missing.
The paternal family of HaLeigh Cummings is inviting people across
the United States to join them in a balloon release on August 17th to
honor HaLeigh’s 6th birthday. The balloons will each contain a flier
with HaLeigh’s information from the FDLE Missing Child website.
HaLeigh’s father, Ronald Cummings, stated, “I want to take this
opportunity to thank everyone that is helping with HaLeigh’s birthday
balloon release. Please bring my baby home. I love her and I miss her
with all of my heart.”
HaLeigh’s family is very thankful to all those that are joining the
family in honoring HaLeigh on her birthday, as well as in helping to
keep HaLeigh’s picture out in the public eye.
Ms. Teresa Neves, HaLeigh’s paternal grandmother said, “I hope that
somebody will see HaLeigh’s flier and it will help bring my baby home
to the family who loves her and misses her dearly.”
Here is how you can participate:
1) print out a HaLeigh’s flier from the FDLE Missing Child website link below.
2) You can then take the flier to any location where a helium
balloon can be purchased – purchase either a red or a purple balloon,
which are HaLeigh’s two favorite colors – roll up the flier, insert it
into the balloon, and have the balloon inflated.
3) The family is asking everyone to release the balloons on August
17th at exactly 2:16 p.m. EDT in honor of HaLeigh’s 2:16 a.m. birth
time.
The family feels that the 2:16 p.m. release time is a perfect time
to honor HaLeigh’s birth. “We would be in the middle of HaLeigh’s
birthday party if HaLeigh was home with us, so that is the perfect time
to release the balloons,” said Ms. Neves.
Please join Ronald Cummings and all of HaLeigh’s family and friends
in releasing a balloon on August 17th at 2:16 p.m. EDT, in honor of
HaLeigh’s birthday and to help HaLeigh find her way home.
Fliers can be easily printed from the listed website:
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us
(Please remove excess paper on the printed flier so your balloon will fly)
For further information, contact: balloonsforhaleigh@gmail.com

HaLeigh’s Closet
The maternal family of young HaLeigh is also holding a community
public awareness event on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at River Front Park
in Palatka from 10am to 5pm. referred to as HaLeigh’s Closet.
According to the website:https://sites.google.com/site/haleighscloset, HaLeigh frequently told her schoolmates: “Caring is sharing.”
The website instructs you to check the student supply list and
teacher’s wish list at left to see what items 1st graders need and then
visit your favorite online retailer to order (links provided).
The site indicates that most online retailers will deliver the items
to their local stores free of charge and the site suggest you check the
links on the site for details.
Those who live in the Putnam County Area are invited to join
HaLeigh’s family and friends at River Front Park in Palatka on August
15, 2009 from 10am to 5pm to drop off your donated supplies and
celebrate Haleigh’s birthday.
Her family is also asking you to please consider donating your
priceless time and talents at your local elementary school in honor of
HaLeigh.
You may also send your donated supplies to HaLeigh’s grandmother:
Marie Griffis. at
12222 Mud Lake Rd.
Glen St Mary, Fl. 32040

Deputy Nicole Quintiere's report concerning the incident that led to Ronald Cummins arrest early Thursday morning.[/size]
Scene: 216 4th Avenue Welaka, Florida 32193[/size]
Driving directions: Highway 17 south, Left on CR 308B, right on 4th Avenue.[/size]
Residence: DWMH white in color with add on porch.[/size]

On August 5th, 2009 I was dispatched to the parking lot of the Welaka Kangaroo in
reference to the report of a battery. When I arrived on scene, I met
with Hank Croslin Jr and Hank Croslin Sr and also Lisa Croslin. Upon
initial assessment of the situation I gathered that Hank Croslin Jr had
been battered by Ronald Cummings.[/size]
Upon further investigation into the incident, I spoke with Hank Croslin Jr
on his own. Hank stated that he, Lisa and Hank Sr had gotten a phone call
from Misty who was crying and yelling. He said that Misty asked for
them to come to her residence and pick her up because she no longer
wanted to be at the residence with Ronald. In an attempt to obtain his
sister, he, Lisa and Hank Sr drove to her residence on 4th Avenue. He
stated that when he arrived at the residence on 4th Avenue Ronald came
out and was acting crazy. He said that Ronald came out and began
"swinging on him". He said that he was hit in the head and neck several
times. He said that after they got in their physical altercation, he
entered his vehicle in an attempt to drive away and Ronald entered the
vehicle on the passenger side and began striking him again. He said
that at that time, he drove away and went to the Kangaroo in Welaka to
call 911. Hank Jr completed a written statement in reference to the
incident. He also signed a charging affidavit against Ronald Cummings
for Burglary with Battery. Hank Jr was transported to Putnam Community
Medical Center complaining of injury to his neck and head.[/size]
After speaking with Hank Jr, I spoke with Lisa Croslin. Lisa stated that she
was not sure what Ronald was on but he was not in the right state of
mind. She said that up until now she never knew him as being violent.
She said that they had received a phone
call from her daughter Misty screaming and crying. She said that she
was worried about her daughter and went to the residence to check on
her. She said that when they arrived on scene Ronald went crazy. She
said that when they were in the driveway of the residence Ronald came
to the vehicle and hit her son. Lisa completed a written sworn
statement in reference to the incident.[/size]
It should be noted that Hank Sr was at the scene as well. He stated that he did
not wish to complete a written or recorded statement. He said that he
did not want his daughter to be mad at him so he did not want to take
any action. He did state though that he was at the residence when the
fight occurred. He said that Ronald went crazy on his son. He said that
they arrived and Ronald came out irate. He said that Ronald hit his son
several times and then was forced back into the residence. He stated
that after a few more minutes Ronald came back out and initiated
another fight. He said that they got into three separate physical
altercations before leaving the residence to call
911. No written or recorded statement was provided. He stated that he
would be willing to speak in court if a subpoena was issued for him.[/size]
After speaking with all three of those subjects, I located Ronald Cummings at
216 4th Avenue. Upon initial contact, I detained Ronald Cummings for my
safety and the safety of all others at the scene. It should be noted
that Ronald Cummings is usually in possession of some sort of hand gun
and it was mentioned that he may have been in possession of it at the
current time. Ronald was taken outside of the residence by me and
Deputy Nelson. Sgt Cecil Manning stayed in the residence with Misty
Croslin and Ronald's grandmother Annette Sykes. Ronald was asked to
explain what happened with Hank Croslin Jr. He stated to me that he did
not wish to speak that it was his right to remain silent. At that time,
I asked Deputy Nelson to stay with Ronald while I spoke with Misty and
Annette.[/size]
Upon speaking with Misty she stated that she had talked to her brother on
the telephone. She said that she asked him why he had been calling her
residence all day. She said that he asked her if he could come over and
she said no because it was too late. She said that he then made a big
ordeal about not being able to see her and said he was coming over
anyway. She said that when he arrived at the residence, he began a
verbal altercation with Ronald. She then said that Hank Jr came at
Ronald and a physical altercation began. She said that Ronald went into
the residence as instructed by his grandmother. When Hank did not leave
the residence Ronald came back out and another physical altercation
began. Misty said that she was trying to break up the fight and got hit
in the face two times by Hank Jr and her dad Hank Sr because she was in
the middle of the fight. She said that they fought for a little while
longer and then her brother and mom and dad left. Misty completed a
sworn written statement in reference to the incident.[/size]
After speaking with Misty I spoke with Ronald's grandmother Annette Sykes.
Annette stated that she was in bed and heard a racket outside of her
house. She said she got up and opened the door. She said she saw a
group of people outside in her front yard. She said she saw three men
in a crowd screaming and yelling. She realized that the men were Ronald
Cummings, Hank Croslin Jr and Hank Croslin Sr. She said that they were
fighting and Misty and her mother were trying to get them to stop.
Misty told them to leave the residence. She said that she attempted to
break up the fight and told Ronald to go into the residence and
everyone else to leave. She said that she separated Ronald and Hank Jr
and sent Ronald in the house. She said she pushed Hank Jr, Sr and Lisa
into their van and told them to leave. She said that Hank Jr continued
to yell at Ronald. She said that Ronald came back out and they went to
fighting again. She said that Hank Jr was in the van and Ronald reached
in again after him to continue the altercation. She said that again she
sent Ronald into the residence and slammed the van door shut so that
Hank, Hank and Lisa would leave. She said that Hank Jr was going to the
handy way to call the sheriffs office. Annette completed a sworn
written statement in reference to the incident.[/size]
It should be noted that Ronald Cummings made it very clear at the scene that he
had a right to remain silent and did not wish to speak about the
incident without a lawyer. Ronald was placed in the rear seating area
of my patrol vehicle. He was advised that he was being charged with
Burglary with battery. Ronald was transported to the jail without
incident. When we arrived at the jail he advised that he wished to
"fill out a statement just like everyone else did against him". He
stated also that he wanted to sign charging affidavits in reference to
battery against Hank Croslin Jr and Hank Croslin Sr.[/size]
In Ronald's statement he stated that three people Hank Croslin Jr, Sr and
Lisa Croslin showed up at his grandma's house after they were told not
to come there by his wife Misty Cummings. He said that Hank Jr and Sr
got out of the van and approached in an "aggressive" manner. He said
that he asked Hank Jr to get out of his face and he then came closer.
He thought he was going to hit him so he pushed him out of the way. He
said that Hank Jr then hit him after Ronald pushed him and the physical
altercation began. He said that Hank Sr then entered the fight and held
him while Hank Jr hit him. Ronald completed a sworn written statement
in reference to the incident and also signed charging affidavits
against Hank Croslin Jr and Sr for battery.[/size]
Ronald was booked without incident on the charge of Burglary with Battery. His bond
is set at $12,504.00. Photographs were taken of Ronald Cummings and
Hank Croslin Jr's injuries. The photographs have been uploaded onto the
PCSO website for further review. At this time, the charging affidavits
against Hank Croslin Jr and Sr will be forwarded to the State
Attorney's Office for further review. Any further reports or
supplements will be completed and submitted in a timely manner.[/size]

The father of a missing Putnam County girl was bonded out of jail by his wife on Thursday after just 12 hours.Ronald
Cummings was arrested and booked into the Putnam County Jail on charges
of burglary and simple battery. He made a first appearance in court and
bond was set at $12,504.Cummings is accused of beating up his wife Misty Croslin's father and brother during a fight at the Cummings' home.

Ronald Cummings

The
Croslins said Misty called them in the middle of the night asking them
to pick her up because she didn't want to live with Cummings anymore --
so they went to get their daughter."An argument ensued between
the Croslins and Ronald Cummings, which ultimately resulted in a
physical confrontation. The Croslins reported that Ronald Cummings
assaulted them," Rick Ryan of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said.The family was finally able to drive away and dialed 911 for help. Deputies eventually spoke with Cummings."Cummings
exercised his right not to talk to the officers, and based on their
investigation and what the witnesses stated, Cummings was subsequently
arrested," Ryan said.Haleigh Cummings, 5, was reported missing
from her home in Satsuma in February, and no trace of the girl was been
found. A $35,000 reward remains available for her return."We're still investigating those leads, and we're still interviewing people routinely," Ryan said.The
Department of Children and Families closed an abuse investigation into
Ronald Cummings last month and found no evidence against him in his
daughter's disappearance.Cummings and Croslin both agreed to complete parenting classes.

The maternal family of a missing Putnam County girl has planned a
school supply drive in connection with her sixth birthday. Haleigh
Cummings, who was last seen nearly six months ago, disappeared from her
father's home early in the morning on February 10. Her sixth birthday
is on August 17.
Early Friday morning, Haleigh’s mother, Crystal Sheffield, and
maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis, announced the school supply drive
and issued another plea for anyone with information about the little
girl to call investigators.Haleigh, who has blond hair and brown
eyes, weighed 39 pounds and was three feet tall when she was last seen
by her younger brother, father and father's girlfriend at her father's
home in Satsuma, which is about 75 miles east of Gainesville.On
August 17, Haleigh's birthday, several of her maternal relatives will
be Riverfront Park in Palatka from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. to accept
donations of school supplies Browning Pearce Elementary School, the
school Haleigh had been attending. Only school supplies will be
accepted. No cash donations will be accepted, according to a news
release issued Friday morning.In the news release, family
members said the supplies will be delivered to the school to establish
what they are calling Haleigh's Closet, a place school supplies will be
available to teachers and students in pre-kindergarten through fifth
grade at Browning Pearce.The family also said that they will
accept school supplies shipped to Haleigh’s maternal grandmother Marie
Griffis, 12222 Mud Lake Rd., Glen St. Mary FL, 32040.In
announcing the school supply drive in Haleigh's name, her maternal
relatives also issued another plea for anyone with information about
Haleigh to call the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (386)329-0808 or
call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 888-277-TIPS.A reward fund of
$35,000 has been established for information leading to her recovery or
the conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.

As the six-month anniversary of Haleigh Cummings'
disappearance approaches, her mother released statement today saying
she continues to search for her daughter and is not giving up her fight.

The 5-year-old girl vanished from her bed in rural Satsuma in Putnam County in February.

Sunday will mark the six-month anniversary of the last time she was seen.

Her father's then-girlfriend put Haleigh to bed about 10 p.m. Feb. 9
while father Ronald Cummings was working. Then she discovered Haleigh
missing about at about 3:30 a.m. Feb. 10.

Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, was at her home in Baker County
near the Florida- Georgia state line at the time of her daughter's
disappearance.

Authorities have classified what has happened as an abduction. In her
statement, Crystal Sheffield pleaded for her daughter's return.

"Although it has almost been six months since Haleigh's disappearance,
I still have hope that my daughter will come home," Crystal Sheffield
said in the statement. "I will continue to do whatever it takes to keep
her face out in the public for everyone to see. I ask if anyone out
there knows anything to please call Crime Stoppers or your local police.

The girl's birthday is Aug. 17.

"Haleigh is about to be six years old, I am begging once again from the
bottom of my heart for whoever has my sweet daughter to let her go,"
the statement added. "Please, she needs to be home with her family, she
does not belong with anyone else. This is tearing my heart out of my
chest, a part of me is missing and that is Haleigh."

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, the statement said.

Marking their daughter's 6th birthday and more than six months since
she last was seen, the parents of a missing Putnam County child have
asked the public to join them in upcoming events calling attention to
the little girl's disappearance.
The maternal family of Haleigh Cummings has planned a school supply
drive in connection with her Aug. 17 birthday, while her father's
family is inviting people to participate in a balloon release that day.Both events are aimed at raising awareness about the child's disappearance on Feb. 10 from her father's home.Early
Friday morning, Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, and maternal
grandmother, Marie Griffis, announced the school supply drive and
issued another plea for anyone with information about the child to call
investigators."Although it has almost been six months since
Haleigh's disappearance, I still have hope that my daughter will come
home," Sheffield said in the statement. "I am begging once again from
the bottom of my heart for whoever has my sweet daughter to let her go.
Please, she needs to be home with her family. She does not belong with
anyone else."Haleigh, who has blond hair and brown eyes, weighed
39 pounds and was 3 feet tall when she was last seen by her younger
brother, father and father's girlfriend at her father's home in
Satsuma, which is about 75 miles east of Gainesville. Investigators
have called the case a possible abduction.On Friday, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office issued a statement refuting a rumor that Haleigh's body had been found."A
rumor has spread throughout our community that her body has been
located. This rumor is false, and Haleigh Cummings is still missing,"
the Sheriff's Office reported. "In an effort to prevent rumors from
impeding our investigation, Sheriff (Jeff) Hardy wants to quell these
rumors so we can maintain our focus on finding Haleigh."On Aug.
15, several of the girl's maternal relatives will be at Riverfront Park
in Palatka from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. to accept donations of school
supplies. The family is working with Browning Pearce Elementary School,
the school Haleigh had been attending. Only school supplies will be
accepted. No cash donations will be accepted, according to a news
release issued Friday morning.In the news release, family
members said the supplies will be delivered to the school to establish
what they are calling HaLeigh's Closet, which will provide teachers and
students in prekindergarten through fifth grade at Browning Pearce with
supplies.The family also said it will accept school supplies
shipped to Haleigh's maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis, 12222 Mud
Lake Road, Glen St. Mary, FL 32040.Meanwhile, Haleigh's father,
Ronald Cummings, and his family urged people to join in a balloon
release on the child's birthday that will help focus attention on the
girl's case. To participate, people can print out a flier about Haleigh
from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Missing Child Web site
link, get the flier inserted into a helium-filled balloon, and then
release it at 2:16 p.m. on her birthday, in honor of the child's 2:16
a.m. birth time. The family asked that the balloons' color be red or
purple, Haleigh's favorite colors."I hope that somebody will see
Haleigh's flier and it will help bring my baby home to the family who
loves her and misses her dearly," the girl's paternal grandmother,
Teresa Neves, said in a statement.In announcing the school
supply drive in Haleigh's name, her maternal relatives also issued
another plea for anyone with information about her to call the Putnam
County Sheriff's Office at (386) 329-0808 or call Crime Stoppers
anonymously at 888-277-TIPS.Fliers about Haleigh are available at www.fdle.state.fl.us/mcicsearch/FlyerNewPerson.asp?CaseId=28474&;casenbr=A
reward fund of $35,000 has been established for information leading to
her recovery or the conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
Visit the Balloons For HaLeigh Project for more information at www.myspace.com/balloonsforhaleigh.

Six months into the unsolved disappearance of Haleigh Cummings, those who deeply love her believe she is still alive.It’s about the only thing the two families closest to the investigation of her disappearance agree on.With Monday marking the six-month anniversary of her case and next week’s
arrival of her sixth birthday, her divided family has even scheduled
separate events in Putnam County.“It doesn’t matter what anybody
says, we just want the safe return of Haleigh,” said Annette Sykes,
whose grandson Ronald Cummings is Haleigh’s father. “Nothing else
matters.”Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, the long-estranged
parents of Haleigh and her 4-year-old brother Ronald Jr., see each
other only to exchange the boy at a pre-arranged stop in Florahome,
about midway between Cummings’ home in southern Putnam County and
Sheffield’s in western Baker County.Tension between Cummings,
Sheffield and their families has hummed like high-voltage background
noise since the beginning of the case.Sheffield’s mother, Marie
Griffis, said law enforcement authorities have asked the two families
not to have contact beyond the exchanges of Ronald Jr.“I feel
like that maybe if the families could speak with each other and put
differences aside that maybe it would help the case, but there is too
much going on down there and it is being pushed our way to blame us for
what happened in Putnam County,” Griffis said from her home outside
Sanderson where Sheffield also lives.She said her family has been accused of abducting Haleigh and hiding her with family out of state.She said she has no idea how her granddaughter vanished but said the
kindergartner was living with Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend
when she was reported missing.“I don’t know what, I don’t know
how but they were the last people to see my granddaughter,” Griffis
said. “They’re the last two people to see her. They’re accountable for
her whereabouts.”Cummings said he and former girlfriend Misty
Croslin — who he has since married and is now Misty Cummings — have
been unfairly targeted.“There should have been more attention to
Crystal’s family,” he said. “I think they should have paid more
attention to everyone rather than just me and Misty.”He said questioning should have been broader.“They didn’t have the big picture,” he said. “Why do they not question everybody?”
Cummings: It went ‘personal’
In recent interviews at Sykes’ Welaka home where Ronald Cummings, 25, and
his wife live, he told the Times-Union the Putnam County Sheriff’s
Office focus was shortsighted.Standing outside wearing T-shirts
with Haleigh’s likeness, Ronald and Misty Cummings said they gave
dozens of hours of interviews in February and March, including her
longest, which she said occurred just before the couple were married.“I think the longest time I was in there was eight hours,” she said.Ronald Cummings said the investigation went in the wrong direction.“They
took a child-abduction investigation and made it a personal
investigation,” he said. “Instead of keeping the focus on finding
Haleigh, they made the focus on Misty and what she was doing one
weekend and what happened six months ago and what happened seven years
ago. It was tunnel vision.”Cummings has cut off interviews with investigators.“Besides ‘No I didn’t have nothing to do with my child being missing,’ what do you say?” he asked.Maj.
Gary Bowling, director of law enforcement for the department, said
detectives would like to interview Cummings again but have been
resisted.The interviews with Misty Cummings have produced
different pictures, he said. She was alone with Cummings’ children the
night Haleigh disappeared. She has told authorities she woke up about 3
a.m. and found the 5-year-old missing.“We’ve said from day one Misty’s story is absolutely filled with inconsistencies,” Bowling said.Cummings was at work the night his daughter vanished and came home as the 911 call to authorities was being made.He
has not worked since that last night shift, then lost his job because
he did not stay in contact, according to the company. Cummings said he
has not been able to find another job and does not know if he can go
back to work.“Each day gets harder and harder,” he said.He moved from the mobile home where Haleigh vanished and said he still cannot go there.“We don’t even want to be in that area,” he said.Cummings,
who has a minor criminal background, was arrested early Thursday after
an altercation with a brother of his wife and her parents.Sykes,
who saw part of the fight, said Cummings’ arrest was another difficult
turn, a distraction from an attempt to heighten awareness of Haleigh’s
disappearance.“We’re trying to do something positive for Haleigh and then something like this happens,” she said Thursday.
Theories abound
Pressures have come from all sides and been kept alive on the Web where bloggers
argue and speculate, said family members and others in the case.Griffis said she has become accustomed to accusations.“If there is inconsistencies that the police know about on our side of the
family, they need to come question us,” she said. “I want them to
question us.”Mainstream media attention has waned, she said.“All the interest is just that, it is in the blogs,” she said.She has been accused of masterminding an abduction, that Haleigh is somewhere with other family members, she said.She has asked to take a lie detector test and was given a voice stress analysis.The next step should be for detectives to name those who are no longer suspects, she said.“You need to start excluding the people that you know do not have this information,” she said.Bowling
said it takes rock-solid alibis before detectives can eliminate anyone
and those have not been established. He said the best that can be done
is assign degrees of suspicion to people.“Where is the responsibility in saying somebody is not a suspect?” he said.Sheffield, 24, is more blunt about Cummings.“I really do feel like he is covering for Misty and she is covering for him,” she said.In the early months of the case, a small, vacant building in Satsuma was
painted purple and opened as an information center and informal
listening post near the Satsuma neighborhood where Haleigh disappeared.The
Haleighbug Center was closed after Sheffield had medical problems that
included seizures. Shirts and posters, donated toys and other items
were brought to Baker County where Sheffield lives on family property
with her fiance, their toddler daughter and his two children.“I searched all I could down there,” she said. “My body couldn’t take it.“Sometimes I sit and I think and I think and I think about where she could be and it drives me crazy.”Griffis said the sense of loss deepens every day.“It is just a lot of not knowing,” she said. “We are constantly questioning why this happened.”
Not giving up
Posters with Haleigh’s face that were once pasted to storefronts and car windows are fewer and fewer.At Ronies Food in Glen St. Mary, a laminated poster still stands beneath a window sign advertising a lunch menu.Jamie Taylor, whose family owns the restaurant, said taking it down would be
like giving up. She said it seemed as if detectives never had much to
go on.“It’s kind of hard to take it down,” she said. “I know if it was my daughter I wouldn’t take it down until she was found.”Both families hold on to the belief that Haleigh is alive and have organized
reminders of her upcoming birthday and that it’s been six months since
she’s been seen.“I believe she is still alive,” Griffis said. “And that Ronald and Misty they are the key to it.”Among the events will be a school supply drop-off and a prayer vigil the
families have organized independently. A balloon release is scheduled
to increase awareness that she remains gone.“We don’t want World War III,” Sykes said. “It doesn’t matter what anybody says we just want the safe return of Haleigh.”

Haleigh Cummings - Has Satsuma Forgotten?


Posted on August 10th, 2009

by Armando in All News, Society and Culture, crime
Read 177 times.

This article tugged at my heart
strings. It proves to me that there are decent people out there.
Armando is a gentleman that I have great respect for. Unlike so many
others that prefer the safety of their own computer, he took some time
out to actually visit Satsuma. It was by no means his first visit, he
and his young family lived not far from the area when Haleigh Cummings
first went missing. One would think that with the little girls 6th
birthday, and the 6 month anniversary of her disappearance, a small
town like Satsuma would be a buzz - Simon
I wrote this article simply to help in the finding of Haleigh Ann
Marie Cummings. As everyone knows this little girl was abducted from
her home in Satsuma Fl, but not many have had the opportunity to go
there themselves and see the suspicious settings and rural areas in
which she could have vanished into. I took it up on my self to drive
there and have a look around shall we say. But with one thing in mind
to see how many fliers or post about Haleigh I would find. I never
intended to go there as a spectator or some hero but rather a concerned
citizen worried about the whereabouts of a missing child, I was able to
take a few pictures that kept me thinking.
The streets were empty. The locals spoke about football games and
fishing. The police I noticed seemed to be having a normal day. The sad
thing to me about all that was that I was minutes away from Haleigh’s
house and not one rose bush on the side of the road, or a sign reading
“WE MISS YOU HALEIGH”, no memorial or sign of a community morning a
missing child. I know to some it may sound harsh but not even a poster
or flier saying MISSING CHILD! As I drove closer my heart began to beat
faster with the thought “what if this was my child?”
I
stopped at Monroe and Green Ln and started to wonder if I should do
this. The whole trip, the whole mission sort of say was simply to see
how the community was taking the whole thing, how many fliers or
posters or memorials or any awareness of Haleigh missing I saw. So far
nothing, but I was confident that maybe in her street would be
different. I made a right on Monroe and slowly drove through, scared,
anxious, just wanting to see something that represents the little girl
who everyone has become obsessed with (some for good some for bad)
missing, and again nothing. Nothing on HER road, nothing.
I
drove through this dirt road and the trailers are not as bad as some
may perceive. The trailer next to where Haleigh once played around and
ate her meals and lived in was empty. So I figure I would get out of my
truck and look around. I stood at the trailer which pointed directly to
the back door where Haleigh was taken out off. My heart sunk to the
ground as my prayers were silently mumble to myself and God. I just
stared in disbelieve.
I quickly called my wife who was picking up our oldest daughter from
her aunts and broke down on her. Broke down knowing that this could
have been my child innocently living her life, and some scum individual
can lurk through the shadows preying on her. I took some pictures and
left immediately. I jumped in my truck and punched the pedal down and
ripped through this community that does not even have the decency to
post a simple flier for Haleigh. On my way out I stopped at the St
John’s River Club and several gas stations and even MeeMa’s and
nothing. They know about her but no signs. Seems the whole town is
under wraps.
Woods behind the trailer, is this where she went?
I did this just to see what attention Haleigh was receiving in her
home town, seems to me like the bloggers care more. Sorry but it’s
true. I’ve read a lot of comments and some are positive wishing Haleigh
well and others are frustrated asking for answers. And the truth is we
are all entitled to our own opinion. Whether one agrees or the other
doesn’t. We all have a genuine concern for this little girl. And that
is why Balloons for Haleigh seem so right to me. Because in the mist of
all of us disagreeing and bickering, on the 17th we have one common;
filling the sky with purple and red balloons. The ones that wish her
well, and the ones who think the family is involved, and the ones who
just want her FOUND. We no longer have that uncommon but now we all
agree on releasing these balloons into the air. Now that’s sharing a
common.
In ending, everyone from TJ Hart to Simon, Cobra and all of those
who comment and post and blog and call in with your opinions to Simon’s
show are doing more for Haleigh then her own community. I did not see
not one flier or post asking for Haleigh Cummings whereabouts. Not one
memorial in her honor. No red and purple ribbons around trees. NOTHING.
I left my daughter’s teddy bear at Haleigh’s intersection. I did not
see anything else! Whether it’s because they have been instructed to or
threatened or maybe they just don’t care if Haleigh went missing. I
don’t know that’s up to us to decide as the ones who care that Haleigh
Cummings is found.
This is not to take shots at any member of the Satsuma community; it was simply to see how many fliers or post was seen. None.
Thank You
Armando

Ronald Cummings, the father of missing Putnam County 5-year-old
Haleigh Cummings, has been questioned about a headless rat found in an
in-law's mailbox.Cummings' brother-in-law Hank Croslin Jr. told
investigators he found the dead rat in his Satsuma mailbox Saturday and
feared for his life. A fight between Croslin and Cummings two days
earlier resulted in Cummings' arrest.A neighbor of Croslin's reported seeing Ronald Cummings' truck stop at the Croslin's mailbox around midnight the night before.The
neighbor said the truck moved down the street, turned around and drove
past with Cummings driving and someone else in the cab, according to a
Putnam County Sheriff's Office report.Cummings and a second person were interviewed later Saturday and denied knowing about the rat.Cummings
and Croslin fought early Thursday when Croslin and his parents came to
the mobile home were Cummings and his wife Misty Cummings stay with
Cummings' grandmother.Ronald Cummings was arrested and charged with felony burglary with battery.In the report, Croslin said he feared retaliation.Cummings'
daughter was reported missing Feb. 10 from the mobile home where he was
living with his girlfriend and his two children. The case gained
national attention and has not been solved.

Monday, August 17 is Haleigh Cummings 6th birthday. The Satsuma girl
was abducted from her father Ronald Cummings’ home in Hermit’s Cove
while in the care of her now-stepmother Misty Cummings.
Ronald, Misty and Haleigh’s brother, Ron Jr., now live with Ronald’s
grandmother, Annette Sykes. In Sykes’ home is a wrapped gift and
several stuffed animals waiting for for Haleigh when she returns.
Family members remain hopeful, but anxious. Annette Sykes told
FirstCoast News this week, “It’s waiting, you know, everyday waiting.
It’s waiting for somebody to say ‘we’ve got HaLeigh.’ It’s like
walking on egg shells all the time.”
Ronald Cummings rarely sleeps and has been losing weight, according to friends of the family.
Ronald has been the focus of a couple of recent disputes with
members of his wife’s family. He was recently charges with burglary and
assault or battery as the result of a fight in his grandmother’s front
yard with his brother-in-law and father-in-law. His latest bout of
trouble came when Cummings’ brother-in-law Hank Croslin Jr. accused him
of placing a headless of a rat in his mailbaox.
Lt. Johnny Greenwood with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says
law enforcement officials are wanting your information on this case. He
says they are missing just one piece of this puzzle. All they want to
do is bring HaLeigh Cummings home.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed earlier reports
that an FDLE agent is now combing through all leads to make sure
nothing is missed.
The Sky has also learned that Misty Croslin-Cummings was asked again
to come in for re-questioning in the child’s disappearance. Misty now
has an attorney and both have declined the request for futher
questioning.

Local Attorney Says Family Asked For Help

Prominent Orlando attorney Mark NeJame is getting involved in the search for Haleigh Cummings.

NeJame said the missing girl's family asked him to help, and he then asked missing child advocate Tim Miller of Texas EquuSearch to work with him.

NeJame and Miller also were involved in the search for Caylee Anthony, whose remains were found in December 2008 in Orange County. Caylee's mother, Casey Anthony, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death.

Haleigh Cummings, 5, was reported missing from her home in Satsuma in February, and no trace of the girl has been found. A $35,000 reward remains available for her return.

In a news release, NeJame said he plans a news conference on Monday with Miller and the family.

Haleigh Cummings will turn 6-years-old on Monday. Instead of presents for Haleigh, the mother's side of her family is giving a gift to other children.
Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her father's home in Satsuma 6-months ago.
Haleigh Cummings would be starting 1st grade this month.

Instead of getting supplies for Haleigh, her maternal family is collecting
supplies for other kids. "There's a lot of people who can't afford to
buy school supplies for their children right now," said Haleigh's maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis.

That's why they started collecting items. All the donations will be given to
Haleigh's School, Browning Pearce Elementary. It's a way to honor
Haleigh on her birthday.
"It's undescribable. I can't tell you. It's awful not knowing where she's at," said Griffis.
Relatives are asking for people across the country to print Haleigh's flyer from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children web site, put it in a balloon and release it.
Haleigh's paternal family is holding a local balloon release and
candlelight service at First Baptist Church of Welaka tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Monday marks the sixth birthday of Haleigh Cummings, the Putnam County girl who has not been seen since February.Details of a new search for girl are expected Monday as Haleigh’s family remembers her birthday.The Cummings family is scheduled to be in Orlando for a special news conference with attorney and child advocate Mark NeJame, whom the family has recruited to help them find Haleigh.Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch, is also expected to appear at the meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday.Miller’s search team was in Central Florida in June to search for missing Ocoee woman Tracy Ocasio, but did not turn up anything.Haleigh
is believed to have been kidnapped from her Satsuma home in the middle
of the night in February. She has not been seen or heard from since.A $35,000 reward remains in place for a tip leading to Haleigh’s return.There's still a 35-thousand dollar reward in place for a tip leading to her return. If you have information, call Crime Stoppers at (888) 277-TIPS (8477).

Blog talk radio show regarding Haleigh Cummings:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Simon-Barrett/2009/08/16/Haleigh-Cummings-Update

Haleigh to celebrate her 6th birthday:

http://www.wesh.com/video/20427114/index.html

Remembering Haleigh, tonight at 11 pm:

http://www.wesh.com/video/20427114/index.html

Happy Birthday beautiful Haleigh - hope you are feeling the love wherever you are :( :hug:

Today Haleigh Cummings turns 6-years-old. The little girl from
Putnam County has been missing for more than 6 months now. In honor of
her birthday, her father plans to release red and purple balloons with
fliers including Haleigh's information attached. A Texas-based search group will conduct another search for Haleigh. Orlando
attorney Mark NeJame and Tim Miller, Texas EquuSearch founder,
announced Monday that they would team up in another search of the girl.
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 EquuSearch members and volunteers 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.

On the day that Haleigh Cummings'
family should joyously be celebrating her sixth birthday, her relatives
instead sat teary eyed inside an Orlando law firm and made another plea
for the public to help find her.

Haleigh vanished from her Putnam County home in February after her father's girlfriend put her to bed.

Today, her family plans to release balloons containing her missing
person flier. Haleigh's grandma, Teresa Neves, said she hopes someone
will see the flier, spot Haleigh, and call law enforcement.

"Haleigh is a sweetheart," said Neves, who joined high-profile lawyer Mark NeJame and Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller at a mid-morning press conference.

"We just want somebody to look for her," she said. They want Haleigh to come home.

And NeJame and Miller want to help.

NeJame called the press conference to announce that EquuSearch will
help search for Haleigh once more. They won't search immediately
though, because the vegetation is too thick.

Miller said it may be another six weeks to two months before his volunteers will scour the area once more for Haleigh.

"My heart's breaking for them," said Miller. "This is one day that they
did not want to go through without Haleigh here, and that's her
birthday."

Neves teared up during Miller's comments.

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, said little during the press
conference. He said the past few months have been "extremely hard."

NeJame said not a lot of public attention has been paid to Haleigh's
disappearance. When Neves reached out to the lawyer to help garner
publicity for the case, NeJame said, "My heart went out to her."

"Her grief was apparent," he said.

NeJame said all leads are being explored, and some areas need to be searched better.

Miller said the search may also be expanded.

"We want to do everything we can do to make sure that they do not go
through the next birthday without having Haleigh back home safely, or
without having the remains and having that funeral," he said.

Officers consider the former girlfriend, now wife, of the man whose
daughter vanished from a Putnam County home earlier this year to be the
key in their continued investigation into the girl's disappearance.The Putnam County Sheriff's Office released the information Monday, the date of Haleigh Cummings' sixth birthday.The
child was last seen at her father's home in February when she was at
the residence with her younger brother and her father's
then-girlfriend, Misty Croslin. The young woman later married the
girl's father, Ronald Cummings."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," the Sheriff's Office reported in a
statement."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," the
release stated.According to the Sheriff's Office, Haleigh's
biological parents, Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, are not
considered suspects and investigators said information gathered in the
case doesn't support the idea a stranger took the girl."At this
point, the evidence and investigatory effort has minimized the
likelihood that Haleigh's disappearance is the work of a stranger," the
statement reported.

In a Wednesday morning interview with CBS's "The Early Show,"
Teresa Neves, Haleigh Cummings' paternal grandmother, said she does not
think 17-year-old Misty Croslin had a part in her granddaughter's
disappearance.

"I hope she did not," Neves told CBS reporter Jeff Glor.

Neves was unsure if a different story remains untold by Croslin, who married
Neves' son and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, a month after the
child vanished.

"I don't know that there is anything I haven't heard," Neves said. "I don't know what they've heard. It's hard for me to say."

Early in the year, Croslin told the NBC's "The Today Show" Haleigh was missing when she awoke after 3 a.m.

Investigators say the 17-year-old failed to provide a detailed account of what
happened between 10 p.m. - when she said she fell asleep next to
Haleigh - and the time she awoke to discover the child missing.
Physical evidence of the scene also contradicts what she told police,
they have said.

Attorney Mark NeJame accompanied Neves during the interview, which was filmed in Putnam County.

"There are certain areas with a large question mark hovering over them,"
NeJame said. "I think that is the focus of the investigation. We have
been brought on to assist with that by bringing renewed attention to
the investigation because there are unanswered questions."

He added, "I think the police are quite appropriate in trying to piece
together that puzzle. What happened in that five hours and where's
Haleigh?"

Neves continues to believe Haleigh is alive.


"I do, I believe God will bring her home, and I believe without faith and hope, you don't have anything to cling to," she said.

A search for Haleigh is set to resume in four to six weeks by EquuSearch, a Texas-based search group.

Haleigh was discovered missing at 3:27 a.m. on Feb. 10, and no sign of the 6-year-old has been found.

From the beginning, there have been rumors and
speculation surrounding Misty [Croslin] Cummings’ account of the night
little HaLeigh Cummings disappeared over six months ago. On Wednesday,
reports indicate that Misty failed three recent tests related to the
search for the missing six-year-old girl.According to Misty, the
night HaLeigh disappeared, she was at home with the girl and her
younger brother while their father, Ronald Cummings was at work. At the
time, Misty was Cummings’ girlfriend, but the two wed in March.

To see an interview with the newlyweds on the ‘Today’ show, click here.
Misty claims she went to sleep and later got up to use the bathroom. She
then noticed the kitchen light was on, the back door propped open by a
brick, and discovered HaLeigh was gone.Some speculate that Misty left the children alone the night HaLeigh went missing, although Misty disputes that allegation and has publicly stated “I was there the whole night.”
HaLeigh Cummings (Family photo)
Only two weeks ago, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office stated that Misty’s
account of the night HaLeigh went missing is “sketchy” and that she
“continues to hold important answers.”First Coast News spoke with Tim Miller, the founder of Texas EquuSearch, a group that has aided in the search for HaLeigh. Miller said the
family contacted him for help in the case, and Misty told him she
wanted to clear her name. She asked about hypnosis, voice analysis, and
another polygraph test.Although Miller said Misty’s attorney
advised her not to take the tests, Misty agreed to undergo each of the
examinations, and according to Miller, “failed miserably” when it came
to the polygraph test and “did not cooperate” with the hypnosis.Tim Fields, Misty’s attorney, told First Coast that he believes Misty was pressured into taking the tests.First Coast attempted to speak with HaLeigh’s father and Misty’s husband, Ronald, but he told the them he had nothing to say.Misty had undergone a polygraph test at the beginning of the investigation, and officials were surprised to
learn she put herself through another round of questioning voluntarily.
Investigators have interviewed Misty a number of times and continue to
say her story is inconsistent.

First Coast News has learned what questions were asked of Misty
Cummings in her recent polygraph test, and how she replied. The results
indicated she failed the test.
Speaking with First Coast News by phone Wednesday afternoon, Tim Miller with Texas Equusearch told us the details of the polygraph interview.
Here are the four questions Miller says were asked to Misty on August 19, followed by her answer and the polygraph result:
Question: Did you intentionally withhold any information regarding Haleigh's disappearance?
Answer: No
Result: 99% deception
Question: Do you know what happened to Haleigh?
Answer: No
Result: 99% deception
Question: Do you know where Haleigh is now?
Answer: No
Result: 95% Deception
Question: Do you know who took Haleigh?
Answer: No
Result: 42% deception
Miller says he was confused by the 42% result, but a polygraph
expert who spoke with Miller says that could mean there were multiple
people involved, and that something may have happened inside the house
that prevented Misty from knowing which person took her away.
Miller goes on to say Misty cried at the results, then stormed out
of the room. That's when he says he spoke with Misty, who begged him to
let her undergo hypnosis and voice analysis.

Misty Cummings has failed three
recent tests related to the search for her missing five-year-old
step-daughter.
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office has said as recently as two weeks
ago that Misty's account of the night in February when the
then-5-year-old girl disappeared is "sketchy," and that she "continues to hold important answers."
Today, Tim Miller, from Texas Equusearch, a group that has already led a major search effort to find Haleigh. says Misty Cummings told him she wanted a chance to clear her name.
He said he set up an independent polygraph test for her. Miller says Cummings "failed it miserably."
Miller said she wanted to do something else, so he scheduled a hypnosis session and a voice analysis test.
Miller says Misty agreed to take the tests and that she said her attorney told her not to.
In a signed letter, Misty stated her attorney, Robert Fields, told
her not to take the polygraph, but she wanted to anyway to clear her
name.
Miller says she "failed miserably" the voice analysis test and "did not cooperate" with the hypnosis session.
Misty's attorney, Robert Fields, told First Coast News that Cummings told him Miller pressured her into taking the tests.
Miller said she wanted to take the tests.
Fields also said he did not know about the tests until Tuesday when Cummings told her she had taken them.
Fields said he may have considered advising Cummings to take a
polygraph test through the sheriff's office, but not with independent
investigators through Miller.
Miller provided the information about the tests to the Putnam County
Sheriff's Office, after he said Cummings already told other people
she'd taken the tests.
Sheriff's investigators have interviewed Misty many times, and continue to say her story is full of "inconsistencies."
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said Miller met with investigators Tuesday about the tests.
Major Gary Bowling with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said the information solidifies what investigators already knew.
Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's father, spoke via phone only long enough to say he didn't have anything to say.
Haleigh's sixth birthday was earlier this month.