HALEIGH CUMMINGS - 5 yo - Satsuma FL - The Beginning

Report: Cops Showed Misty Croslin Bones

Haleigh Cummings Vanished From Satsuma Home In Feb. 2009

POSTED:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
UPDATED: 7:06 am
EDT April 21, 2010



ORLANDO, Fla. -- An investigative reporter claims detectives showed
Misty Croslin bones they recovered from the crime scene along the
St. Johns River in the case of Haleigh Cummings, who vanished from
her home more than a year ago.According to Art Harris of The Bald
Truth, police believe the bones could be the remains of Haleigh, who
disappeared from her Satsuma home in February 2009.Investigators
said when they received a tip that led to the river, they were
encouraged it would lead to something significant because it's a place
they've never searched before, it's in a remote area and it's a logical
placeto get rid of something.Croslin, who was the live-in
girlfriend of Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, at the time of the
girl's disappearance, is the last person to see Haleigh. After the
disappearance,
Croslin married Cummings, but they divorced a short time
later.Art Harris claims Croslin shared the news with her brother,
Tommy Croslin, last Friday night. The pair was on their way from the
St. Johns County Jail, where they are awaiting trial on drug trafficking
charges.According to artharris.com, once the pair reached the Putnam
County Sheriff’s Department in Palatka, detectives put Misty and
Tommy Croslin in separate rooms for further interrogation before
allowing them to ride together back to jail in the next county.
Sources told artharris.com, it was their first extended visit since
both were arrested on drug charges three months
ago.Harris goes on to say "other than saying she showed
'emotion,' it’s unclear how either reacted or what was said, but their
ride, like collect calls from jail, was caught on audio tape."Police
declined to confirm the account or comment on any possible evidence.But
Terry Shoemaker, Ronald Cummings' attorney, told Nancy Grace of CNN
that police have advised his client, and Haleigh's mother, Crystal
Sheffield, to make funeral arrangements to bury their missing child.The
Bald Truth reported that Haleigh's family has turned over items
containing Haleigh’s DNA for forensic experts to compare to DNA from
bones found at the river.Putnam County investigators flew to
Antioch, Tenn., last week to question Joe Overstreet, a cousin of Misty Croslin.
When Haleigh vanished from her father's Florida mobile home 14
months ago, Overstreet said he was in Satsuma on vacation. Investigators
have since flown back to Florida. They said they've interviewed
Overstreet several times before.During one visit to the river,
Ronald Cummings told Art Harris that Overstreet enjoyed tossing deer
meat into the water and watching alligators go into a feeding frenzy.
“He said, all of a sudden, there were a hundred eyes that popped out of
the water, and Joe said, ‘This would be a good place to get rid of a
body.’”Overstreet and Cummings' grandmother, Flora Hollars, who
also lives in Antioch, said it was her tip that led investigators to
search the St. Johns River.Anyone with information on Haleigh's
disappearance or whereabouts is asked to contact the Putnam County
Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0808 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23217834/detail.html

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=155059&catid=3

Sheriff's Office: Bones Seen By Misty Croslin Near Satsuma Dock Were Animal Bones
Dave Wax
Jessica Clark

Created: 4/21/2010 10:40:17 AM Updated: 4/21/2010 10:40:17 AM

ATSUMA, Fla. - Misty Croslin saw bones on her recent visit to a dock
along the St. Johns River, but they were not human bones, according to
the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
A tip last week led investigators to conduct an intense three-day
search at the Shell Harbour boat ramp south of Satsuma in Putnam County.
Haleigh Cummings has been missing since February, 2009, and Misty
Croslin is the one who said she put her to bed that night.
Croslin, now jailed on drug charges, was brought in shackles to the
boat ramp.
According to the sheriff's office, divers had uncovered many bones
and placed them near the dock to dry.
They were mostly deer bones, with some alligator and possibly other
animal bones.
An anthropologist was on the scene to identify them.
The sheriff's office said Croslin saw the bones as she was being led
to the ramp, but at no time did investigators tell her they were human
bones.
The sheriff's office also said many of the bones were shipped to the
FDLE lab for further investigation, and that some of those may be
shipped on to other labs as well.
While some items have been shipped to a human remains lab in
Gainesville, investigators said that was only for teaching purposes at
the lab, and they do not need those items back.
The biggest news to come out of last week's search was that Sheriff
Jeff Hardy announced that his department believes Haleigh is most likely
dead, but he said the search will continue until they know what
happened.

http://wokv.com/localnews/2010/04/putnam-cops-playing-damage-con.html

Local News

Putnam Cops
Playing Damage Control With Haleigh Rumors

By Rich Jones, News Director @ April 21, 2010
1:09 PM Permalink | Comments
(1)

We have new information in the Haleigh Cummings
investigation. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office has issued the
following statement to provide clarity to some media reports of a
discovery of bones:
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office has received
numerous inquiries regarding the recovery of the skeletal remains of
missing 5 year-old Haleigh Cummings. A rumor has spread throughout our
community that her body has been located. This rumor is false, and this
information has been vastly misreported and sensationalized by the
media.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office did recover animal
remains such as alligator claws and teeth, and a multiple animal bones.
The agency had an anthropologist at the scene that identified all
"biological" items that were recovered as being non-human. Additionally,
Misty Croslin could have easily seen these items while she was at the
dock while the dive operation was in progress.

In an effort to prevent this false information from impeding our
investigation, Sheriff Hardy wants to quell these rumors so we can
maintain our focus on the criminal investigation.

Link to all the players jailhouse calls for easy access
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7vuIXAndys

Posting this here as it is related to Haleigh.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20100427/ARTICLES/100429737/1402/NEWS?Title=Cummings-cousin-gets-15-years-for-trafficking

PALATKA - Hope Sykes - a 19-year-old cousin of Ronald Cummings, the
father of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings - was sentenced
Tuesday to 15 years in prison after earlier pleading no contest to one
count of trafficking in narcotics.
Circuit Judge Terry Larue sentenced her to the minimum mandatory
sentence for the crime. At the hearing in Palatka Tuesday
morning, Sykes had sought to be sentenced to probation and drug therapy
as a youthful offender. She told the judge she wanted to get a GED, go
to college and become a physical therapist. "I let drugs control
my life," Sykes said. "I let my family down. I know I messed up. I want
help. I don't want to live this life no more." Friends and
relatives asked for leniency, saying that Sykes had learned her lesson
and that she had just gotten caught up in drugs. The prosecutor
pointed out that Sykes was arrested Jan. 3 on a drug possession charge.
She had been released on her own recognizance when agents charged her
with drug trafficking on Jan. 13. Ronald Cummings, her cousin,
was on the witness list and was in the courtroom on Tuesday. But he was
not called to testify. Cummings is among several people connected
to the Haleigh case now facing drug-trafficking charges. Putnam County
officials recently said the case of the 5-year-old girl's disappearance
in February 2009 is now considered a homicide.

Poster's Note: I include this report in this topic as it just shows how deeply embedded the drug culture is in Putnam County and Palatka FL where the Cummings case began.

The son of Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy has been arrested, along
with three others, for actively participating in the sale of
methamphetamine to undercover detectives.
Joshua Troy Imm, 26, Hardy's son; Scott Charles Hood, 34; Johanna
Leigh Smith, 26; Amanda Ashley Tomlinson, 22; were arrested after
selling drugs to undercover officers in the parking lot of the Sunoco
convenience store, at 276 Hwy. 17 South, in east Palatka.
During the investigation, detectives found that a 2-year-old was
waiting inside the suspects' vehicle during the transaction. The child
was released to family members, and the Florida Department of Children
and Family Services was notified.
Detectives found the suspects also were manufacturing methamphetamine
at a second location in Palatka. They dismantled the lab.
Imm was arrested and charged with the sale of methamphetamine,
possession of listed chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine,
maintaining a drug vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, and child
neglect. His bond was set at just over $7,000.
Imm lives in rural Satsuma which is 15 miles east of Palatka. No one
answered the door of his home today.
Across the street a man who identified himself as Imm's grandfather
said he did not know what his grandson was doing, but knew of his
arrest. The man declined to give his name.
A neighbor of Imm, Angela Wilson was surprised when she learned of
his arrest.
"If it were my child, I would hope I'd have the sensibility to talk
sense to my son. Hopefully, the sheriff can do the same," said
Wilson.
Hardy said he is saddened by the arrest of his son, but directed his
detectives and correctional officers to treat his son in the same manner
as any other individual charged with these crimes.

Statement from the sheriff's office:
This is a personal family matter, and Imm who is an adult, does
not reside with the sheriff. Sheriff Hardy will of course stand beside
his son in regard to these allegations and will assist him as a family
member in anyway possible. Sheriff Hardy has stated that he will not
become involved in the criminal prosecution, and does not want his
position to influence the State Attorney's case. Sheriff Hardy is proud
of the investigators who worked this case, and the fact that they didn't
allow his and Imm's relationship influence the investigation.
Others arrests and charges:

• Hood was arrested and charged with the sale of methamphetamine,
  possession of listed chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine,
  possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a drug vehicle, possession of
  a controlled substance without a prescription, production of
  methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and child neglect.
  Bond: $16,528.
  
• Smith was arrested and charged with the sale of methamphetamine,
  possession of listed chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine,
  maintaining a drug vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, and child
  neglect. Bond: $7,520.
  
• Tomlinson was arrested and charged with the sale of
  methamphetamine, possession of listed chemicals used to manufacture
  methamphetamine, maintaining a drug vehicle, possession of drug
  paraphernalia, and child neglect. Bond: $7,520.
  

TomTerrific0420 wrote:
This is a personal family matter, and Imm who is an adult, does
not reside with the sheriff. Sheriff Hardy will of course stand beside
his son in regard to these allegations and will assist him as a family
member in anyway possible. Sheriff Hardy has stated that he will not
become involved in the criminal prosecution, and does not want his
position to influence the State Attorney's case. Sheriff Hardy is proud
of the investigators who worked this case, and the fact that they didn't
allow his and Imm's relationship influence the investigation.

this is not that shocking. i went to high school with the son of a former putnam sheriff, and he was all the time doing things like this and mysteriously never ended up arrested. personally, i think it's great that not only was this guy arrested but that the sheriff didn't hinder the arrest because it was his son.

drug abuse is very rampant in putnam, and, what's worse, is that there are often children caught in the middle. i know this from personal experience (not me specifically, but extended family and friends). in 28 years, i've seen my grandmother's neighborhood turn from one of the safest neighborhoods where everyone knew each other to a place where i worry about them living alone. they've had to put locks on their front gate because people started coming in their yard at night drunk or high, knocking on their door, and asking them for money. it's sad.

Hello WWLI! It was somewhat unnerving to me. Our communities up here have certain areas that are "verboten" but I have never heard so much coming from a community as a whole. It seems to me that the Staties should keep a watchful eye out on this area. I am sure there must be parts that still have a nice rep but it sounds like the g-mom's neighborhood is being gobbled up by the low-lifes. I guess I can relate, in some respects. It seems here that the closer the neighborhood is to the city, the more you have to prepare for anything to happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt0GeQFjvrs

court hearing

http://www.wesh.com/news/23538675/detail.html

Ronald Cummings Heads To Court For Drug Charges

Haleigh Cummings Still Missing

PALATKA, Fla. --
The father of a missing Putnam County girl heads to
court Thursday to talk about his drug trafficking charges.Ronald
Cummings will take part in a pre-trial hearing at 9 a.m. in Palatka.The
father of Haleigh Cummings is charged in a drug trafficking ring.His
ex-wife Misty Croslin is also charged in the case along with her
brother Hank Croslin Jr.Misty Croslin is the last known person to
see Haleigh Cummings.

PALATKA - Ronald Cummings, the father of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh
Cummings, is set to stand trial on drug-trafficking charges on
July 19, but his lawyer said Cummings will likely agree to a plea deal
before then.
Two of the five charges - involving trafficking in
larger amounts of prescription drugs - carry a minimum sentence of 25
years. Shoemaker said the tentative deal in the works involves dropping
those two, more severe charges. The plea deal might be completed by July
1, he said. Cummings would agree to testify against his co-defendants
and would be sentenced after those case went to trial.
"Everyone in the world has seen
the [undercover] videos," Shoemaker said. "It's kind of hard. It's a
great case for the state."
His client is "hanging in there," Shoemaker said. "He wishes he could do
better, but you work with the hand that you're dealt."
Speaking after a hearing before Circuit Judge Terry LaRue in Palatka Thursday morning, attorney
Terry Shoemaker said Cummings, 26, will likely agree to plead to three
of five charges. Each of those three charges carries a minimum mandatory
prison sentence of 15 years.
Among the four co-defendants are his ex-wife Misty Croslin, the last person known to have seen
5-year-old Haleigh in February 2009; his cousin Hope Sykes; Croslin's
brother Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr.; and her friend Donna Brock.
Sykes was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month for one count of trafficking in prescription drugs.
Tommy Croslin was scheduled to appear in court for a hearing at 1:30
p.m. Thursday.
Cummings' testimony would relate only to the drug-trafficking case, Shoemaker
said, and would not involve his missing child, who authorities now
presume is dead.The lawyer added that
investigators told Cummings some time ago that, because Misty Croslin
was comfortable living with him, she was more likely to talk about what
had happened to Haleigh if they were not together.
"When this first happened, law enforcement
always said that Misty feels comfortable about you so she's not going to
talk," Shoemaker said, described what Cummings had told him. "They
would say, Well, if you weren't married to her, then she would talk.
"There has always been kind of a
'get her out of her element and she may talk more,'" the lawyer added.
"I guess getting her in jail is a way of getting her out of her comfort zone."
But Shoemaker added that police were not urging Cummings to divorce Croslin. They did
divorce just months after getting married.

Haleigh's father negotiating for 15-year sentence in drug case
Ronald
Cummings would testify at upcoming trials of codefendants


Posted:
May13, 2010 - 10:48am
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-05-13/story/haleighs-father-negotiating-15-year-sentence-drug-case

By Dana Treen

In exchange for testimony
at possible trials of his
former wife and her brother, Ronald
Cummings is negotiating for a
15-year sentence on drug-trafficking
charges, his attorney said this
morning.
Following a a pretrial
hearing in Putnam County where the father of
missing Haleigh
Cummings was given a July 19 trial date, his attorney
said he and
Cummings hope to have the deal within two weeks or possibly
within a
week.
An attempt stalled Wednesday to make a deal with the state,
said
Terry Shoemaker, who is representing Cummings. He said Cummings
will
agree to testify at trials of Misty Croslin, who was briefly
married to
Cummings, and her brother, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr.
The
sentencing range would likely be a 15-year minimum mandatory with
a
possible 30-year maximum, Shoemaker said. As part of the deal, the
two
most serious trafficking charges against Cummings would be dropped
and
the sentence would be for the three less serious charges, which are
evaluated
by the weight of the drugs involved.
Shoemaker said surveillance
evidence of eight undercover drug deals
including five that included
Cummings, was a significant factor.
"It's a great case for the
state," he said.
He said Cummings was a realistic person.
"You can
only work with the hand you are dealt," he said.
Cummings and the
two Croslins were among five people caught in a
drug-trafficking
sting that ended in January.
Shoemaker said negotiations are not
finished but part of the expected
deal would mean Cummings would not
be sentenced until after the
Croslins are tried if those cases go
to a jury.
Croslin Jr. is scheduled for court this afternoon for a
pretrial
conference.
At his pretrial conference, he could offer
to accept a plea agreement
if one has been worked out with
prosecutors. Otherwise, the judge will
assign a trial date and a
final date the court will accept a negotiated
deal.
Misty Croslin
is scheduled for court in June.
She was at home in Satsuma with
Haleigh Cummings the night the
5-year-old disappeared in February
2009. Haleigh has not been found and
the sheriff just recently
conceded the case is being considered a
homicide.
Shoemaker said
the disappaearance of Haleigh, while not related to
the trafficking
case, made resolving the drug case more difficult.
"It's made it
harder for all of us to have negotiations," he said.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP.../15/ng.01.html











__________________

the grandmother on ng -

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=85395095001#/Tommy+Croslin+Jail+Phone+Call+%28Audio+Only%29/85395095001

Tommy Croslin Jail Phone Call (Audio Only)


04/11/10 Phone Call

Tommy Croslin Jail Phone Call Fingers Joe
Overstreet in Disappearance of Haleigh Cummings


http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=155977&catid=3
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- In a recently released jail recording,
Tommy Croslin told his grandmother who he thinks is responsible for the
disappearance of Haleigh Cummings.

Misty Croslin, Tommy Croslin's sister and then-girlfriend of
Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, put 5-year-old Haleigh to bed in
February 2009. Haleigh hasn't been seen since.

Misty Croslin and Cummings married, then divorced, and both, along
with Tommy Croslin, have been arrested on drug charges.

Tommy Croslin is being held in St. Johns County. In mid-April, the
search for Haleigh intensified for three days
based on a tip from him.

Investigators searched an area around a public boat ramp south of
Satsuma, the town where Ronald Cummings lived and where Haleigh was last
seen.

On April 11, he spoke to his grandmother, Flora Hollars, from jail,
and that call has now been released.

HEAR THE ENTIRE PHONE CALL IN THE VIDEO ON THE RIGHT

In it, he tells Hollars to get his wife on the phone, asking for his
lawyer.

"I need her to get my lawyer down here, it's important," Croslin
said.

"I have to do something that I should have done a long time
ago...just scared, don't want no one to hurt my kids." He has three
children.

"Do you know, Tommy?" Hollars asked him.

"All I know is he's got to pay; he can't get to none of us so it
don't matter," Croslin replied.

"It ain't me. No, it's not me, she (his wife, Lindsey) should know
that...she's already heard the story," he continued.

"Is it the story that Misty said?" Hollars asked.

"Yeah, that's it."

"Joe?"

"Yep."

"Joe" is Joe Overstreet, a cousin who lives in Nashville, Tenn. As
the investigation intensified at the boat ramp, investigators in
Tennessee interviewed Overstreet, but did
not arrest him.

"Okay, that's what I've been thinking all along," Hollars continued
in the phone call. "I've said it all along."

"But he can't get to me, he can't get to them, so they'll take care
of it," Croslin said.

Hollars offered her version of the story in the recording. "I was
told that Ron come home, and Haleigh had took one, found one of his
pills, and took it and was dead, and Ron called you to get you to come
up there and help Misty..."

"That's bull****," Croslin interrupted.

"...Clean the house up while he disposed of Haleigh," Hollars
finished.

"That's bull****," Croslin repeated.

"Okay, well I'm glad you're telling me the truth, baby, because I've
been wanting to hear it for a long time, but I knowed it. I knowed it
in my heart, all this time I've knowed it."

Croslin then told her that "Joe" is "crazy" and tried to kill them
all, repeating frequently his concern for his children.

Croslin's attorney, James Werter, said in a statement today that
Croslin is not culpable in the disappearance of Haleigh, and has been
cooperating since April 11 despite threats to his family.

oviedo45 wrote:http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=85395095001#/Tommy+Croslin+Jail+Phone+Call+%28Audio+Only%29/85395095001

Tommy Croslin Jail Phone Call (Audio Only)


04/11/10 Phone Call

OMG what a bunch of ff hillbillies.....well nothing really we didn't know but guess Granny is telling the truth.

Ronald Cummings Accepts Plea Deal For Drug Charges

Cummings
Will Need To Testify Against Ex-Wife As Part Of Deal

PALATKA,
Fla. -- It looks as though Ronald Cummings will need to
testify against his ex-wife Misty Croslin.Cummings accepted a
plea deal in exchange for his testimony.He will serve 15 years on
drug charges and will also need to testify against Misty Croslin's
brother, Hank "Tommy" Croslin, regarding drug charges.Ronald
Cummings and Misty Croslin were two of five people arrested and accused
of selling Oxycodone and Hydrocodone to undercover police officers in
January. Cummings, who was once married to Croslin, faces three counts
of trafficking in prescription medications and is jailed on a $500,000
bond. Misty Croslin, 18, was charged with six counts of trafficking in
prescription medications and is jailed on a $950,000 bond.Hank
Croslin Jr., Cummings' cousin, Hope Sykes, and Misty Croslin's friend,
Donna Broch, were also arrested. They each face one count of trafficking
in prescription medications.Misty Croslin was the last known
person to see Cummings' daughter, Haleigh, before she disappeared more
than a year ago.She maintains she had nothing to do with
Haleigh's disappearance.
http://www.wesh.com/news/23550990/detail.html

Hank Croslin Jr.: Relative Killed Haleigh

Croslin's Jailhouse Phone Call To Grandmother Released

POSTED:
Thursday, May 13, 2010
UPDATED:
11:15 pm EDT May 13, 2010
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- In a jailhouse phone conversation
released Thursday, Hank Croslin Jr. told his grandmother in
Tennessee that his conscience has been eating away at him while
sitting at the St. Johns County Jail on drug-trafficking charges.
Croslin is the brother of Misty Cummings, the
former stepmother of missing 6-year-old Haleigh Cummings,
of Satsuma, who disappeared 15 months ago.Last month,
investigators said the case had become a homicide investigation.
In the call with his grandmother, Flora Hollars,
Croslin said he's ready to come clean."Tell (my mom) I've got to
do something that I should have done a long time ago," Croslin said.
"I'm just scared, and I don't want no one to hurt my kids.""I
know it. I know it. Oh my God," Hollars said.Croslin told his
grandmother and his mother, who can be heard in the background, that a
relative is responsible for Haleigh's death. But Hollars had questions
about Croslin and Misty Cummings' involvement."I was told
(Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings,) come home, and Haleigh took one of
those pills and she was dead, and then Ron called you to get you to come
up there and help Misty clean the house up, while he disposed of
Haleigh," Hollars said.Croslin said that's not what happened at
all. Instead,he said he was threatened to stay quiet about the relative
responsible for Haleigh's death or risk being killed.He said
that being in jail, he feels that he's not in danger. Croslin ended the
conversation asking about his sister, Misty, and whether she's shared
all she knows about Haleigh."Has my sister called you today?"
Croslin asked."No, I haven't heard from her today," Hollars said.
"I thought that was her, but it's you."Investigators searched
the St. Johns River last month and found physical evidence, which has
been sent to a lab for analysis. They are still awaiting the results.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23549371/detail.html

------
bold
by me- so what evidence did they actually find? the bricks that propped
the door open and possibly were tied to haleigh?

Jailhouse Call Could Help Solve Haleigh Case

Posted: 7:58 am EDT May 14, 2010Updated: 8:58 am EDT May 14, 2010
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- A jail house phone call could help
investigators find out what happened to Haleigh Cummings.Tommy
Croslin, the brother of Misty Croslin, told his grandmother during a
recorded, jailhouse telephone conversation that one of their cousins
killed Haleigh."Do you know Tommy?" asked the grandmother."What's
that?" replied Tommy."Do you know?" repeated the grandmother."All
I know is...that he's got to pay. And he can't get to none of us so it
don't matter," said Tommy.RAW AUDIO: Call
Suggests Cousin Responsible For Missing Girl
Joe Overstreet
Joe
Overstreet is the name of the cousin to which Tommy Croslin is
referring. Overstreet lives in Tennessee but was in Putnam County when
Haleigh disappeared. Detectives have questioned Overstreet, but he has
not been arrested.Tommy Croslin, his sister Misty and her
ex-husband, Ronald Cummings, are all in jail on drug charges unrelated
to the Haleigh case.At a pre-trial hearing held Thursday, the
attorney for Ronald Cummings says he is working on a plea deal before
the trial starts. As a part of the deal, Cummings would agree to
testify against Misty and her brother.The trial is expected to
start on July 19th, 2010.
http://www.wftv.com/news/23551545/detail.html

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Tommy Tapes Continued....

Excerpt:

Breaking News, Bombshell, Exclusive...

Anyone tired of these phrases yet?

Tommy Croslin now claims Haleigh Cummings died in her own home, according to his attorney James Werter.

A brief summary:

Tommy Croslin says he and his cousin, Joe Overstreet, visited the home where Haleigh Cummings lived with her father Ronald Cummins and his then girlfriend, Misty Croslin, the night Haleigh Cummings went missing.

Werter says Overstreet wanted to borrown automatic rifle at the home to go deer hunting and that Overstreet became irate when he learned the gun was not there. “Things happened from there,” Werter said, explaining Croslin, Jr. went into the trailer bedroom to find Overstreet in a rage and Haleigh Cummings no longer alive.

READ MORE: http://seamusoriley.blogspot.com/2010/05/tommy-tapes-continued.html

Attorney James Werter last week said the St. Johns River was the
"final destination" of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings.
And if remains never are found, legal experts say,
successfully prosecuting someone for Haleigh's death will be difficult
unless a suspect confesses.
"It can be done and it has been done successfully, but
it is difficult," said Bob Dekle, a University of Florida law professor.
"It's a challenge to a prosecutor."
Werter is the attorney for Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., the
brother of Misty Croslin. She is the former girlfriend and wife of
Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings. All three are currently jailed on
charges of trafficking narcotics. Misty Croslin was babysitting Haleigh
when the child disappeared on Feb. 9, 2009.
Tommy Croslin has been cooperating with
investigators by giving them the information that led to the river
search last month, Werter said. Tommy Croslin also implicated a cousin,
Joseph Overstreet of Tennessee, in Haleigh's death.
Overstreet was in Satsuma at the
time of Haleigh's disappearance. He has been questioned by authorities
and has publicly denied involvement in the case.
In the days after Haleigh's disappearance,
scores of searchers plodded through scrub woodlands near Cummings'
Satsuma home south of Palatka. Houses were inspected and neighborhoods
combed. Divers and boaters searched the nearby St. Johns River. Haleigh
was not found.
That tip from Werter's client
touched off a three-day search last month of the river and surrounding
land, but no human remains were found.The search was eventually
curtailed, but was sparked again for three days in April after a tip
from Tommy Croslin, Werter said. He would not discuss specifics about
the information Tommy Croslin provided regarding the river.
Scuba divers from several
counties collected numerous items from the river at the site of a public
boat ramp between Satsuma and Welaka. Analysis showed that none of
those items were human remains.
Sheriff Jeff Hardy, meanwhile, declared that Haleigh is
most likely dead, moving the investigation from a missing person case to
a homicide case.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza, whose Seventh Circuit includes Putnam County,
declined to comment for this story.
Dekle, a former Third Circuit prosecutor and public
defender, said he worked several murder cases in which bodies were not
found. In one case, Dekle said, a decision was made not to prosecute a
suspect.
In another case that was perhaps even more notorious than Haleigh's - the murder of Lake
City 12-year-old Kimberly Leach by serial killer Ted Bundy - Dekle said
that he and colleagues were debating whether to prosecute the case
regardless of whether Kimberly's body was ever found or not.
Kimberly was last seen on Feb.
9, 1978, and witnesses had given authorities information that developed
Bundy as a suspect, but Leach's body had not yet been found.
"I had been trying to put the
case together, doing the research. Then they found the body, which made
everything a whole lot better," Dekle said. The body was found on April 7, 1978.
Bundy eventually confessed to more than 30 murders. Victims included two Florida State
University students. Bundy was executed in 1989 for Kimberly's death.Circumstantial evidence or
witness testimony must be strong for a successful prosecution, said
Charles T. Putnam, co-director of Justiceworks, a justice research and
development group at the University of New Hampshire.
Defense attorneys could attack
the credibility of a witness to create doubts about his truthfulness, Putnam said.
Putnam added that the case stands a better chance if facts can be independently corroborated.
"It really depends on the facts of the case," Putnam said. "To not have the
evidence is often a very frustrating situation to be in. But sometimes,
the way the investigation works, is that a lot of it necessarily and
appropriately occurs outside the glare of the news media. It may be that
they are closer than it may appear."

Nancy Grace 5/17/2010

Haleigh`s Dad Set to Testify against Misty; Ron Cummings to Take Plea Deal on Drug Charges

PART 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD2bh8yKa10
PART 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LERZu5YvNvs
PART 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOBXkhy-Zg0
PART 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuZ-CrFuFNk
PART 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrCRYdeJeb0
PART 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxEftXzqZfI

Transcript: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1005/17/ng.01.html

Croslin's Father Urges Daughter To Tell Truth
Posted: 8:50 am EDT May 25, 2010Updated: 9:53 am EDT May 25, 2010ST. JOHNS
COUNTY, Fla. -- New jailhouse video recordings of a
conversation between the former step-mother of missing Haleigh Cummings
shows Misty's dad, Hank Croslin, Sr., urging his daughter her to come
clean.Misty is the last person known to have seen Haleigh alive,
back in February of 2009. She was also briefly married to Haleigh's
father, Ronald Cummings.JAILHOUSE
RECORDING: Dad Urges Daughter
To "Tell Truth"In the video, Misty's father begs his
incarcerated daughter to just tell the truth. Misty also complains
about being bored and that she cannot see her brother who is also in
jail."Don't be holding nothing back from nobody," said Hank
Croslin, Sr."Daddy, I'm not," said Misty."Get it out
there, let it out. Tell the truth," urged Croslin, Sr."I swear on
everything, I've told the truth, dad. There's nothing else. I don't
know," insisted Misty.Investigators believe Haleigh was murdered
and that Misty knows what happened to her.Misty Croslin and
Ronald Cummings are both in jail on unrelated drug charges.

PALATKA - Hank Croslin never dreamed he would find himself in the
situation he is in now -- broke, living in a shelter, two of his
children in jail, he and his wife on probation.


"It's like something you see
on TV, not in your own life," Croslin said. "It's a scary life."
But Hank Croslin's life is on
TV. In fact, TV and other media have helped make Croslin and his family
celebrities in an unscripted reality show -- one that involves a missing
5-year-old girl, illicit drug sales, family feuds and other travails,
played out on national television, in Internet blogs, newspapers and
television news.





"It's
strange," Croslin said on a hot afternoon outside a church-run shelter
in Palatka that for about five months has been home to him and his wife,
Lisa.
Hank Croslin is the
father of Misty Croslin, 18, who was the girlfriend, then wife and now
ex-wife of Ronald Cummings, the father of Haleigh
Cummings.
In
February 2009, Haleigh disappeared while in the care of Misty Croslin
and has not been seen since. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office now
believes Haleigh is dead, and her case has been declared a homicide.
The case generated a rush of
publicity. Pictures of Haleigh saturated the news. Video of a sobbing
Ronald Cummings and tearful Misty were beamed across the nation on
network news and such shows as HLN's "Nancy Grace."
But as more was learned about
the families involved, some of the sympathy turned to suspicion.
Authorities said Misty was giving inconsistent accounts. Speculation
flew across the blogs.
Just when the story would
enter a lull, someone would get into legal trouble -- Hank Croslin was
charged with doctor shopping for prescription narcotics, Lisa for
forging a check, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. for various offenses,
including drug possession.
Finally,
in January, authorities arrested several family members on charges of
trafficking prescription narcotics -- Misty Croslin, Tommy Croslin,
Ronald Cummings, a cousin of Cummings and a friend of Misty Croslin's.
Since then, Hank Croslin became
a familiar face on "Nancy Grace," television news and in blogs, thanks
to the release of videotapes of his visits with his children in the St.
Johns County Jail.
Now,
Hank Croslin said, he and his wife have become shunned figures in
Palatka.
"Me and Lisa, we
were both out of town when (Haleigh) come up missing, but everybody
points the finger at us -- there's the Croslins. When we were looking
for a place -- three or four places we were trying to rent -- they
didn't want us," he said. "It's just like the jobs. Nobody will give us a
job in this town. I've worked since I was 15 years old. I've never been
without work until now. I've always done good until now."
Lisa Croslin, who did not want
to be interviewed for this story, also cannot find work, her husband
said. She most often has had jobs in hotels and housekeeping and would
like to move to St. Augustine, Hank Croslin said, because there are
better job opportunities there. But the couple cannot move because it
does not have the money to pay off a combined $2,500 in court costs
related to their cases, Hank Croslin said.
Hank Croslin said he has
worked in the construction field most of his life and was making good
money doing drywalling in Florida. He left his home state of Michigan at
16, moving to Tennessee, where he met Lisa Croslin. They married young
-- he was 17, and she was 16 -- and lived in Tennessee for about 10
years before a more nomadic life that took the family to several states,
including Florida.
While
living in Flagler County, Tommy Croslin met his wife, Lindsy. Her
grandfather owned property in Satsuma. They moved there, and eventually
the rest of the Croslins followed.
Hank, Tommy and another of Hank's children, Timmy
Croslin, got jobs for the same contractor.
Hank Croslin said things were going well. But then he
was injured in a car crash involving a drunken driver that left him with
serious injuries that required surgery.
Then, Haleigh disappeared.
"After I'd got healed up, Haleigh had happened, and
that's when they [the contractor] got rid of all of us. Tommy was
working for them, and Timmy was working for them. They just fired all of
us," he said. "I wish we never came here."
Drug arrests and lots of publicity followed.
Videotaped visits Hank Croslin had with his children that were released
by the St. Johns County Jail are a regular loop on the "Nancy Grace"
show and are dissected in detail on blogs.
Hank Croslin now received phone calls and letters from
strangers.
"People call us
all of the time -- I don't know how they get the number. I just hang up
on them," he said. "We have some people that write letters. They say
they want to be (Misty's) friend."
Another person Hank hangs up on is his mother-in-law,
Flora Hollars.
The
Tennessee woman created her own media blitz when she said Tommy Croslin
gave her details of events leading up to Haleigh's disappearance that
implicated his cousin, Joseph Overstreet. Hollars made the rounds of the
"Nancy Grace" and morning television shows. Some of what she said was
shown to be false when Tommy Croslin's attorney released an audio
recording of the conversation.
"I don't talk to none of
them. If they call, I hang up on them. She went on TV and said some
(stuff). We already have enough problems," he said. "But she's Lisa's
mom, and she's not going to hang up on her. I don't have to like her."
Misty Croslin's attorney,
Robert Fields, said he never anticipated the fallout the case has
generated. Family members, Fields said, have become caught up in the
rise of what he considers tabloid media -- including bloggers and other
Internet sites.
Fields
characterized some of the blogs and other attention as "venomous" and
done by people who have nothing better to to do with their lives.
"In looking at it objectively,
(Hank and Lisa) did not directly create the situation, but Misty is
partly a product of their parentship," Fields said. "They are public
figures, but I don't think they put themselves out there. Misty put
herself out there. It is interesting."
Putnam County Chamber of Commerce President Dana Cameron
Jones said crimes against children and drug abuse are everywhere.
Jones said she does not believe
the publicity from the Haleigh case and the subsequent troubles of the
Croslins and Cummings have cast Putnam County in a negative light.
"The reason I don't feel like
it is because these things are happening all over the country. These
stories that come sometimes go quickly, and sometimes they linger, but
there are just so many of them that the focus is like -- Palatka, that's
where that girl is from," Jones said. "I think the country has gotten
so used to seeing this kind of thing all of the time.
"I just came back from a trip to
three states and made it a point to tell people where I am from, and
not a single person has mentioned it," Jones said.
Hank Croslin said he has no idea what is going
to happen to Misty and Tommy -- whom he described as good kids. He also
doesn't know what will become of himself and Lisa. He would like for the
family to one day be together.
"I grew up without a daddy. I'm not a perfect dad. My
kids had a hard life," he said. "But we have always been close. They are
my family."
Just
when the story would enter a lull, someone would get into legal trouble
-- Hank Croslin was charged with doctor shopping for prescription
narcotics, Lisa for forging a check, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. for
various offenses, including drug possession.
Finally, in January, authorities arrested several
family members on charges of trafficking prescription narcotics --
Misty Croslin, Tommy Croslin, Ronald Cummings, a cousin of Cummings and a
friend of Misty Croslin's.
Since
then, Hank Croslin became a familiar face on "Nancy Grace," television
news and in blogs, thanks to the release of videotapes of his visits
with his children in the St. Johns County Jail.
Now, Hank Croslin said, he and his wife have
become shunned figures in Palatka.
"Me and Lisa, we were both out of town when (Haleigh)
come up missing, but everybody points the finger at us -- there's the
Croslins. When we were looking for a place -- three or four places we
were trying to rent -- they didn't want us," he said. "It's just like
the jobs. Nobody will give us a job in this town. I've worked since I
was 15 years old. I've never been without work until now. I've always
done good until now."
Lisa
Croslin, who did not want to be interviewed for this story, also cannot
find work, her husband said. She most often has had jobs in hotels and
housekeeping and would like to move to St. Augustine, Hank Croslin said,
because there are better job opportunities there. But the couple cannot
move because it does not have the money to pay off a combined $2,500 in
court costs related to their cases, Hank Croslin said.
Hank Croslin said he has worked
in the construction field most of his life and was making good money
doing drywalling in Florida. He left his home state of Michigan at 16,
moving to Tennessee, where he met Lisa Croslin. They married young -- he
was 17, and she was 16 -- and lived in Tennessee for about 10 years
before a more nomadic life that took the family to several states,
including Florida.
While
living in Flagler County, Tommy Croslin met his wife, Lindsy. Her
grandfather owned property in Satsuma. They moved there, and eventually
the rest of the Croslins followed.
Hank, Tommy and another of Hank's children, Timmy
Croslin, got jobs for the same contractor.
Hank Croslin said things were going well. But then he
was injured in a car crash involving a drunken driver that left him with
serious injuries that required surgery.
Then, Haleigh disappeared.
"After I'd got healed up, Haleigh had happened, and
that's when they [the contractor] got rid of all of us. Tommy was
working for them, and Timmy was working for them. They just fired all of
us," he said. "I wish we never came here."
Drug arrests and lots of publicity followed.
Videotaped visits Hank Croslin had with his children that were released
by the St. Johns County Jail are a regular loop on the "Nancy Grace"
show and are dissected in detail on blogs.
Hank Croslin now received phone calls and letters from
strangers.
"People call us
all of the time -- I don't know how they get the number. I just hang up
on them," he said. "We have some people that write letters. They say
they want to be (Misty's) friend."
Another person Hank hangs up on is his mother-in-law,
Flora Hollars.
The
Tennessee woman created her own media blitz when she said Tommy Croslin
gave her details of events leading up to Haleigh's disappearance that
implicated his cousin, Joseph Overstreet. Hollars made the rounds of the
"Nancy Grace" and morning television shows. Some of what she said was
shown to be false when Tommy Croslin's attorney released an audio
recording of the conversation.
"I don't talk to none of them. If they call, I hang up
on them. She went on TV and said some (stuff). We already have enough
problems," he said. "But she's Lisa's mom, and she's not going to hang
up on her. I don't have to like her."
Misty Croslin's attorney, Robert Fields, said he never
anticipated the fallout the case has generated. Family members, Fields
said, have become caught up in the rise of what he considers tabloid
media -- including bloggers and other Internet sites.
Fields characterized some of the
blogs and other attention as "venomous" and done by people who have
nothing better to to do with their lives.
"In looking at it objectively, (Hank and Lisa) did not
directly create the situation, but Misty is partly a product of their
parentship," Fields said. "They are public figures, but I don't think
they put themselves out there. Misty put herself out there. It is
interesting."
Putnam County
Chamber of Commerce President Dana Cameron Jones said crimes against
children and drug abuse are everywhere.
Jones said she does not believe the publicity from the
Haleigh case and the subsequent troubles of the Croslins and Cummings
have cast Putnam County in a negative light.
"The reason I don't feel like it is because these
things are happening all over the country. These stories that come
sometimes go quickly, and sometimes they linger, but there are just so
many of them that the focus is like -- Palatka, that's where that girl
is from," Jones said. "I think the country has gotten so used to seeing
this kind of thing all of the time.
"I just came back from a trip to three states and made
it a point to tell people where I am from, and not a single person has
mentioned it," Jones said.
Hank
Croslin said he has no idea what is going to happen to Misty and Tommy
-- whom he described as good kids. He also doesn't know what will become
of himself and Lisa. He would like for the family to one day be
together.
"I grew up
without a daddy. I'm not a perfect dad. My kids had a hard life," he
said. "But we have always been close. They are my family."

Misty Croslin, a key figure in the disappearance of Putnam County
child Haleigh Cummings, is scheduled to have a court hearing Thursday on drug
trafficking charges.

Croslin, 18, was one of five people arrested earlier this year on
narcotics charges, including her brother and Ronald Cummings, the father
of the 5-year-old girl who authorities believe is dead.The
hearing in the Putnam County courthouse is set to be an update on the
status of Croslin's case. She is being held on the St. Johns County Jail
on eight counts of trafficking.Croslin was the then-girlfriend
of Cummings when Haleigh disappeared from their home in February 2009.
Authorities say she has given conflicting stories about the disappearance.