Haleigh Cummings ~ Grandma Defends Haleigh's Father

Law enforcement officers with boats and aircraft are searching an area of southern Putnam County for a 4-year-old girl last seen at home about 10 p.m. Monday, authorities said.



A missing and endangered child alert has been issued for Haleigh Cummings, last seen in the Hermit's Cove area of Satsuma when she was in bed. About 3 a.m. the girl's father came home and saw her missing, said Lt. Johnny Greenwood of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. A woman believed to be the father's wife or girlfriend was also asleep in the residence.

Greenwood said the father noticed Haleigh missing and woke the woman.

Greenwood said there is no immediate evidence of foul play but that the home off Seven Sisters Road is very near the St. Johns River and that there are canals reaching into the neighborhood.

Haleigh was wearing a pink shirt and underwear, according the Missing Child Alert.

She is described as 3 feet tall, white with blonde hair and blue eyes, weighing 39 pounds.

Authorities said Haleigh's father returned home and, though there was another person in the residence, discovered that his daughter was missing.

If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of this endangered child, contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (386) 329-0808.

Authorities in northeast Florida are searching for a little girl who disappeared early Tuesday morning.

An Amber Alert was issued for Haleigh Cummings, who lives with her father and his girlfriend in Putnam County.

There were conflicting reports about how old the child is. Police told FOX News that Haleigh is 4 ½ years old, but The Associated Press said she's 5.

Haleigh was reported missing after her father's girlfriend discovered the child wasn't in her bed about 3:30 a.m., police told FOX News.

The woman told police that the door to the home was not locked at the time, according to Sgt. Jason Nettles of the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.

<strong>Authorities are concerned because at least 25 registered sex offenders live near the missing girl's home in Satsuma, Fla.</strong>

Haleigh is 3 feet tall with blond hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about the girl is urged to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (386) 329-0800 or call 911.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/crime/2009-02-10/story/putnam_issues_missing_child_alert

SATSUMA - A young girl was reported missing, and possibly abducted, from her South Putnam County home early Tuesday.

The disappearance of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings triggered a massive search on land, water and in the air as more than 130 officers from agencies across Northeast Florida responded to the Satsuma area.

"We would hope that she is safe," Detective John Merchant said Tuesday. "And we're hoping for the best outcome."

The nightmare began about 3 a.m.

Haleigh wasn't in bed. The back door of a blue doublewide mobile home was open, and a blanket and sheets were scattered on the wooden ramp leading from the door.

Authorities said they were told Haleigh's father, Ronald, had just ended his shift at PDM Bridge in Palatka. His girlfriend, Misty Croslin, said she had been sleeping next to Haleigh, but when she awoke, the blonde-haired girl was gone.

"She was sleeping right next to me," Croslin told the Daily News while distributing flyers bearing Haleigh's photo. "I can't believe I didn't hear anything."

A 911 call at 3:27 a.m. resulted in Putnam County sheriff's deputies being sent to the home, which is on a dirt road in the Hermit's Cove neighborhood.

By daybreak, a Child Abduction Regional Team response was implemented by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at Putnam County's request. A nearly constant convoy of vehicles and personnel from a wide spectrum of agencies rolled into the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

A roadblock was set up on the only road out of the neighborhood and deputies thoroughly searched every vehicle that left.

Helicopters from Volusia County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission flew over the neighborhood and a section of the nearby St. Johns River. Those flights continued into Tuesday night.

Boats from the FWC and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office joined Putnam County deputies seeking clues from the river, while divers searched below the surface.

And, several search teams scoured woods adjacent to the Cummings home.

Some searchers were led by specially trained bloodhounds from the Tomoka Correctional Institution and nearly 30 workers at the state prison in East Palatka joined the effort.

Some officers rode all-terrain vehicles while others walked carefully side-by-side through brush hoping to find some sign of the missing child.

At the same time, authorities went door-to-door asking neighbors if they saw or heard anything that could help find Haleigh.

"Right now, our leads are minimal," Merchant said.

He asked the public to report possible leads to the sheriff's office by calling 329-0800.

"We are doing everything possible," Chief Deputy Rick Ryan said.

Haleigh's 4-year-old brother also was in the home Tuesday night, authorities said.

Haleigh does not have a history of wandering from home.

"That would be abnormal for the child," Merchant said.

Investigators questioned family members for much of Tuesday.

In an interview Tuesday night, Sheriff Jeff Hardy said the FBI had dispatched 16 agents to assist the investigation.

"They'll be on the ground with us Wednesday," he said.

In addition, Hardy said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was sending a team to help authorities.

Hardy said he appreciated the fast response and he was hopeful.

"I am optimistic this case will have a positive outcome," he said. "This is a missing, endangered child at this point."

An Amber Alert was issued for Haleigh on Tuesday morning, prompting many tips to be called in to the sheriff's office, Hardy said.

"We're adding to our dispatch staff to handle the calls," he said.

There are no plans at this time to bolster the ranks of searchers with volunteers from the general public Hardy said.

"We have what we consider to be adequate law enforcement resources at this point," he said.

Investigators are pursuing "several different angles" on the case, including the whereabouts of 44 registered sexual offenders who live within a five-mile radius of the Cummings home, Hardy said.

He said "less than 10" were registered sexual predators with a more serious past.

Hardy also said there were no signs of forced entry into the Cummings house.

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2009/02/11/news/news01.txt

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. - As the disappearance of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings begins to make headlines across the country, word of the case has reached the ears of a younger group -- the missing girl's classmates.



Haleigh is a kindergartener at Browning Pearce Elementary School in San Mateo. She was last 10 p.m. Monday in bed at her home in the Hermet's Cove mobile home park where she lived with her father, his 17-year-old girlfriend and her 2-year-old brother.

Staffers at Browning Pearce said Haleigh's classmates have begun asking questions, but they said not all of the children truly understand what's going on.

Rebecca Graham, a first-grader at the school, had a message for Haleigh on Wednesday.

"Your parents are looking for you, and your parents love you and they hope you're OK," Rebecca said.

"She's been scared -- scared to sleep at night because they don’t know what's going to happen," said Rebecca's mother, Tami Graham.

Browning Pearce Elementary School Principal Debra Buckles said every child at the school was sent home with a letter and is aware of the situation.

"She is a sweet, sweet, beautiful, tiny little girl, and we're just all holding out all hope that she will be found and be back in school really soon," Buckles said.

For a lot of parents who have children at Browning Pearce, Haleigh's disappearance has really hit close to home because they said they live nearby the missing 5-year-old's family. They said because of the disappearance they will sure to do everything they can to make sure their own children stay safe.

"We just need to -- all of us need to lock our doors," said parent Carla Beatty.

Both parents and employees at the school said Haleigh's disappearance has made them want to hold on to their own children even tighter.

"It's every parent's worst nightmare. I just cannot imagine the heartache and the tragedy that they're going through," Buckles said.

Authorities said lots of tips have come in already and they continue to ask anyone with any information about Haleigh's disappearance to call the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0808 or the FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29152051/

The 17-year-old girlfriend of a missing Florida girl's father has taken a lie detector test, a local sheriff said, but he wouldn't reveal whether she passed.

Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy declined to disclose the results Thursday of the polygraph given to Misty Croslin in the disappearance of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, 5.

"Misty has been interviewed extensively and yes, she did take a polygraph," he said.

Croslin was the one who reportedly discovered that Haleigh had vanished from her bed before dawn on Tuesday.

She is one of several people police and the FBI have interviewed in the case. All have been offered the chance to take a lie detector test, according to Putnam County Sheriff's spokesman Gary Bowling.

Detectives believe Haleigh was abducted — and they aren't overlooking anyone, including family members, as suspects.

Haleigh is 3 feet tall with blond hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear.

Hardy said ground searches continued for a third day on Thursday. Bloodhounds have been used, but haven't turned up any clear evidence.

"We have nothing definitive to say where the child is based on the bloodhounds," Hardy told reporters at a Thursday news conference.

He said evidence has been collected from the mobile home where Haleigh lived with her 3-year-old brother Junior, her father Ronald Cummings and Croslin — but declined to describe it.

"I can't discuss what evidence was taken into custody," Hardy said. "I don't want to reveal what was found or not found."

Ronald Cummings, told FOX News' Greta Van Susteren that Croslin was watching his daughter while he was at work as a crane operator.

According to Cummings, Haleigh had gotten up to use the bathroom. When she didn't return, Croslin went to look for her and noticed the back door was open.

Crystal Sheffield (l), the mother of Haleigh Cummings, and grandmother Teresa Neves comfort the child's father Ronald Cummings.

"I locked doors before I left for work. My child cannot unlock the deadbolt, you have to force the door shut all the way ... and she doesn’t open the door to strangers," Cummings said.

Croslin and Cummings called 911 after discovering the girl was missing, according to the police report. The tapes were released Wednesday.

In addition to Croslin, Cummings and the child's mother, Crystal Sheffield, as well as several others have been questioned in the case.

"It is never safe to say that a family member is not a suspect," Bowling said Wednesday. "However, all the world is a suspect right now."

Police have ruled out the possibility that the girl ran away.

Haleigh Cummings, 5

"This child didn't voluntarily walk out of her home. If she did, someone took her," Bowling said.

Cummings, who has custody of Haleigh and her brother, said his daughter was scared of the dark and would not wander off.

"Somebody stole my child," he said. "Trust me when I tell you that I know my child."

Police had never been called to the home in the past — but there have been prior problems with Cummings, Croslin and the children, according to Putnam County Capt. Steve Rose.

"There have been some investigations done through the department of children and family," Rose told FOX News on Wednesday. He didn't elaborate.

Sheffield's mother, Marie, told Van Susteren that the children seemed to be doing well living with their father.

"Haleigh told us they’ve been hit, and stuff like that, but to this point, everything was fine," Marie Sheffield said.

There were still no firm leads in the case. Detectives wouldn't say whether Croslin, Cummings or anyone else in the family were a focus of the investigation.



Haleigh's grandfather, Johnny Sheffield, said he was distraught about the girl's disappearance and characterized Croslin as suspicious, though he admitted he didn't know much about her, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

Sheffield told Van Susteren that her children loved their father's girlfriend, whom he'd been dating for 4 to 6 months.

"She seemed like a really nice person, but I never sat down and had a conversation with her," she said.

Sheffield doesn't live in the area but traveled to Putnam County after she learned of her daughter's disappearance and has been interviewed, according to Rose.

"She is cooperating," Rose told FOX News on Wednesday.

Cummings said his girlfriend was awake and frantic after she found Haleigh was gone. But in the police report, obtained by FOX News, Cummings reportedly told officers that his "dumb bitch girlfriend" told him Haleigh was gone when he got home from work.

"Ronald said that he did not know what Haleigh was wearing, and that all he knew was that the back door was standing open. Ronald repeatedly said that someone had taken his child and also said 'When I find him I'll kill him,'" police wrote in the report.

He referred to a 9mm Beretta handgun he owns and said if authorities found his daughter's kidnapper, "he would shoot them through the back window of the patrol car," the police report said.

Deputies say they are in the process of questioning 44 registered sex offenders who live within five miles of Haleigh's home, according to MyFOXOrlando.com.

An air conditioner repair man who was at the home on Monday was questioned after police found out about his house call but cleared him of any wrongdoing.



Anyone with information about the girl is urged to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (386) 329-0800 or 911.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,491485,00.html

"I want them to take care of themselves," he said. "They need to eat, they need to sleep, they need the community's help."



George said he, his wife Cindy, and son Lee will be there for the Cummings family during these tough times.

"We've become members of a unique club, and the club is there to help," he said.

George said he has told the family of Haleigh to "turn over every stone" in the search. He also has some private words for Haleigh's father and his girlfriend that he did not want to share with the media.

George worked with the Kid Finders network during the search for his granddaughter and has brought that resource to the search for Haleigh.



He said the organization has launched a website dedicated to bringing Haleigh home.

http://wdbo.com/localnews/2009/02/george-anthony-joins-search-fo.html

Investigators have questioned more than 40 registered sex offenders living near the home of a missing Florida girl after more than 350 leads in the case have failed to turn up any sign of vanished 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings.

"All the sex offenders have been interviewed and their residences have been searched. They're cleared as far as us contacting them and speaking to them," said Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Putnam.

Putnam said that more than 50 investigators and over 100 volunteers from Equusearch continued to look for Haleigh Friday, three days after she disappeared, reportedly snatched from her bed before dawn Tuesday.

their search into the "thick and marshy" area near her home after repeatedly covering closer properties, but did not sound a hopeful note Friday as they announced the "prudent" measure.

"It's extremely thick and very dense," said Putnam. "It's going to be very tough search."

As the sheriffs continue to expand their search, they haven't narrowed down their list of suspects in the case either.

"At this time, the world is a suspect and we really haven't excluded anybody," said Putnam as he announced that family members would again be interviewed Friday.

Haleigh's father Ronald Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, have been questioned by police and told FOX News' Greta Van Susteren that they had both submitted to polygraphs and "passed" the tests. Sheriff's officials would not release the results of the tests.



The 17-year-old Croslin discovered Haleigh missing Tuesday morning. According Ronald Cummings, Haleigh had gotten up to use the bathroom, and when she didn't return, Croslin went to look for her and noticed the back door of the mobile home they shared was open.

"I locked doors before I left for work. My child cannot unlock the deadbolt, you have to force the door shut all the way ... and she doesn’t open the door to strangers," Cummings said.

Croslin and Cummings called 911 after discovering the girl was missing, according to the police report. The tapes were released Wednesday.

Police have ruled out the possibility that the girl ran away, though house-to-house searches of the neighborhood turned up no evidence that Haleigh wandered away.

Cummings said his girlfriend was awake and frantic after she found Haleigh was gone. But in the police report, obtained by FOX News, Cummings reportedly told officers that his "dumb bitch girlfriend" told him Haleigh was gone when he got home from work.

Police had never been called to the home in the past, but there have been prior problems with Cummings, Croslin and the Haleigh and her 3-year-old brother Junior, according to Putnam County Capt. Steve Rose.

"There have been some investigations done through the department of children and family," Rose told FOX News on Wednesday. He didn't elaborate.

John Harrell, spokesman for the northeast region of the Florida Department of Children and Families, said Thursday that his agency "was involved with the family." Harrell would not offer any details, citing state confidentiality laws.


Missing girl Haleigh Cummings' mother Crystal Sheffield, left, with her mother, right

In addition to Croslin and Cummings, the child's mother, Crystal Sheffield, has been questioned in the case.

Sheriff's officials said they would continue to search for Haleigh wherever evidence leads them.

"We have actively investigated and pursued over 350 leads that have come in to date. We are not going to limit this search to Putnam County — we'll go wherever it takes us," Putnam said.

Haleigh is 3 feet tall with blond hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear.

Anyone with information about the girl is urged to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (386) 329-0800 or 911.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,492425,00.html

The ground search for Haleigh Cummings is expected to end tomorrow unless there are new developments in the case.

Chief Rick Ryan with the the Putnam County Sheriff's Department says the Equusearch firm is wrapping up its search efforts today.

Ryan says the Sheriff's Office will search two more locations on Monday, then suspend any ground searches unless there is a big break in the case.



The search for Haleigh has been going on since Tuesday morning when she was discovered missing from her bed in her mobile home around 3 a.m.

She went to bed around 10 p.m. Monday night but has not been seen since.

Ryan says police have followed up on some 500 tips and leads with no success in finding the 5-year-old.

That includes checking on a missing sex offender in Marion County who has family in Putnam County.



Those family members are doubtful that Chad Reynolds had anything to do with the case.

Law enforcement officials moved the command center from the neighborhood to the Emergency Operations Center in Putnam County to better handle all the calls and tips.

Ryan says they have exhausted every resource including cadaver dogs in the search.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=131404&catid=3

Sheriff To Familiy: 'Do Not Give Up Hope'

POSTED: Monday, February 16, 2009
UPDATED: 5:17 pm EST February 16, 2009



An Amber Alert was issued
Tuesday morning for
5-year-old Haleigh Cummings
VIDEO:
Volunteers 'Heartsick' They Didn't Find Haleigh
Haleigh's 2 Families Pray After 5th Day Of Search
UNCUT 911 Calls

PALATKA, Fla. -- Nearly one week after 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her bedroom, local, state and federal authorities have sent volunteer search-and-rescue teams home but said they will continue "tactical searches" in response to new leads.

Almost from the beginning, authorities treated Hayleigh's disappearance as an abduction.

Late Monday, Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy urged everyone involved not to give up hope that the girl will be found alive.

"We're asking the family: Do not give up hope. We have hope that we're going to find Haleigh, and we hope to bring her home alive," Hardy said, his voice cracking. "As I explained it to them with my staff -- we've not abandoned the search. Depending on the urgency of the tip, we have resources ready to deploy."

Sunday, after a six-day search of a 5-mile are around the Satsuma mobile home where Haleigh disappeared at times involving hundreds people, officials suspended general search operations.

But a tip that came in Monday morning prompted about 60 officers to search for hours in a field near Pomona Park -- about 10 miles south of Satsuma. They left without finding anything significant.

Haleigh's family, which expressed support for the decision to scale back the daily searches on Sunday, was openly critical Monday that not enough was being done.

"I asked that we get permission for horses to still be out here to look," Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, said Monday. Its not time to give up its still time. My daughter is still out there, and we want her home."


Volunteers search a five-mile radius around the mobile home where Haleigh Cummings disappeared early Tuesday morning

Crystal Sheffield, Haliegh's mother, also hoped search efforts will continue.

"I feel like they should stay expand the search," Sheffield said. "They need to search other areas, but I do think they should stay."

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent Dominic Pape confirmed that efforts to find Haleigh have not diminished, just entered a new phase.

"We will continue searching until she is recovered," Pape said. "We will search any place in this county and outside this country if we get a valid lead that says we need to be there."

Authorities said they have received more than 500 tips over the past several days, which is one of the reasons the command center was moved from a trailer in Satsuma to county offices in Palatka, where investigators had access to more resources.

Hardy said Haleigh's mother, father, his girlfriend and extended family members were being interviewed again, even though he has praised them for cooperating over the past week.

"We don't have all our questions answered and, obviously, we don't have Haleigh," Hardy said. "We'll interview people as many times as we feel necessary."

Channel 4's Laura Mazzeo and Diane Cho report a large number of federal agents and local police at the Cummings' mobile home late Monday afternoon, but no one would discuss what information prompted the response.

Search-And-Rescue Team Leaves Disappointed


After three days of searching the area on horseback and all-terrain vehicles and using high-tech equipment, the volunteer search-and-rescue team Texas Equusearch was preparing to leave Satsuma.

"The hardest thing about our organization is for every person involved to put this kind of effort into it and walk away empty-handed," Equuasearch founder Tim Miller said Sunday night. "It's heart-breaking, it truly is. But you what? When you look at the whole picture, we did everything right. Our hearts were here, our compassion was here, we was focused on what we was doing -- she just isn't here."

Authorities ask anyone with any information to call Crimes Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS or the FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse at 888-FL-MISSING.


Previous Stories:
February 15, 2009: Authorities Scale Back Search For Haleigh, Not Investigation
February 15, 2009: Putnam Chief: 'We're As Optimistic Now As We Were On Day 1'
February 14, 2009: Search For Missing 5-Year-Old To Continue Into Weekend
February 14, 2009: Ramped-Up Search For Haleigh Turns Up 'Items Of Interest'
February 13, 2009: Several Groups Offer Help In Search For Haleigh
February 12, 2009: Girlfriend Describes Waking Up, Finding Haleigh Gone
February 12, 2009: Search For Haleigh 'Will Expand As Far As It Needs To Go'
February 12, 2009: 48 Hours Pass With No Sign Of Missing Girl
February 11, 2009: School Prays For Haleigh's Safe Return
February 11, 2009: Detective: Haleigh's Disappearance Considered Abduction
February 10, 2009: Family, Friends Pray As Search For Missing 5-Year-Old Continues
February 10, 2009: 5-Year-Old Vanishes From Bedroom; Father Says She Was 'Stolen'

http://www.news4jax.com/news/18725807/detail.html

Cell phone camera photo of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, courtesy Misty Croslin.

Spelling and grammar as found on original report

- Police were dispatched to 202 Green Drive, in reference to the report of a missing 5-year-old child. Due to the age of the child, police responded to this location with a Code 3, blue lights and sirens. D/S Bridges and Iarrived on scene at the same time, 3:40. Upon our arrival, I observed a white male standing in the driveway who was visibibly upset. I made contact with the individual who identified himself as Ronald Cummings. Ronald told me that his daughter, Haleigh Cummings, 5, was missing.

Police asked Ronald what happened, and he told me that he had just gotten home from work, and his, "dumb [censored] girlfriend" told him his daughter was missing. Ronald repeadtedly said that someone had taken his child and also said, "when I find him, I'll kill him." Ronald was referring to a 9mm Beretta hand gun which heowed inside of his residence and that if law enforcement found whoever had this child, he would shoot them through the back window of the patrol car. I attempted to get information from Ronald regarding HAleigh, however, due to his emotional state he was unable to provide any useful information.

I then made contact with Misty Croslin, Ronalds girlfriend. Misty told me that she had put the children to bed at approximately 8pm. MIsty said that they were sleeping in HER BED, and when she laid down at around 10:30pm both children were still in bed. I asked MIsty who the other child was and she advised the other child was Haleighs brother. Misty old me that she woke up just before 3am to get a drink and she noticed that Haleigh was missing, however the OTHER child was still in bed. MIsty ran around the residence franticallly looking for haleigh and that she noticed the back door was stanfing open. MIsty said that she was sure the back door had been locked prior to her going to bed.

Mist said that at approximately 5 minutes after she noticed Haleigh missing, Ronal arrived home. MIsty said that as soon as she told Ronald HAleigh was missing, Ronald told Misty to call 911, which she did. I asked MIsty if she ever took Haleigh on a walk, and Misty advised that she sometimes walked with Haleigh to 116 Tyler Street to visit her family.

At this time, Teresa Neves arrived on scene. Teresa is Ronald's mother. Teresa told me that she had been called by Ronalds shortly after he learned HAleigh was missing. Teresa told me that Haleighs mother is Crystal Sheffield, however Ronald has full custody. Teresa told me that Ronald and Crystal have not been disputing the custody of Haleigh. Teresa provided a 2008-2009 school photograph of Haleigh.

While an officer spoke with the family, another coducteda canvass search of the residence in an attemptto locate Haleigh.

Police initiateda track beginning at the back door and down a wooded path, as we travelled down the wooded path, we located what appeared to be asmall child's footprint in the dirt. It should be noted that Ronald said Haleigh's shoes were still located inside the residence. The track lead up to a small pond and then back to the railroad crossing. At the last residence on the right side of the Green Drive was a small building with a door which had been left open. I entered the building but found no one insire

The track then continued past the north residence, where police made a left turn on Monroe Avenue. We made another left onto Buchan Circle, which we followed in a loop back to Monroe Avenue. We then made a left onto Tyler Street, and travelled past 116 Tyler, which is a location where Misty stated she had walked with Haleigh in the past. We then made a right turn on BUffalo Bluff Road to the railroad crossing, where we found were forced to end the track, because the canonwas unable to follow it any further.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/state/missing_haleigh_police_report_021609

Haleigh Cummings wasn�t wearing a pink T-shirt when she disappeared from her South Putnam home more than a week ago, authorities say.

On Tuesday, the Amber Alert description for the 5-year-old girl was revised.

The T-shirt cited in the statewide notice is being held by investigators.


Law enforcement has that in our possession,� Rick Ryan, chief deputy of the Putnam County Sheriff�s Office, said Tuesday.

The Amber Alert was revised at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

�We changed information that young Haleigh was in fact not wearing a pink shirt as reported at the time of her disappearance,� Ryan said at a late afternoon press conference in Palatka. �The FDLE Web site has been updated as well as our signboard.�

Ryan declined to say when � or where � authorities obtained the shirt.

�We have an obligation to not jeopardize this investigation by releasing any information,� he said. �We are not going to talk about any investigation pertaining to this pink shirt.�

The description was based on information provided to deputies by Misty Croslin, the 17-year-old girlfriend of Haleigh�s father, Ronald Cummings.

Croslin told authorities and the Daily News that she was asleep in the house with Haleigh and Haleigh�s 4-year-old brother, and realized Haleigh was missing when she awoke about 3 a.m. Feb. 10.

The 911 call reporting Haleigh�s disappearance was made at 3:27 a.m.

Authorities hope the public�s attention will not be distracted by the change.

�Now we want people focusing in on the face because we do not know at this time what the clothing was,� said Dominick Pape, speciaal agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement�s Jacksonville regional office.

Tuesday�s revelation would be another change in the account Croslin has given authorities and the news media. At one point, she said she was sleeping in the same bed with Haleigh, then said she was in a separate bed.

In interviews with reporters, these inconsistencies have been attributed by Croslin and Cummings as a �misunderstanding.�

Croslin also has denied any wrongdoing.

In other developments:

� More than 1,000 tips have been phoned in about the case.

� Some 300 homes and 210 vehicles were checked during a sweep of Haleigh�s neighborhood Monday night.

� One tip prompted a renewed search of the St. Johns River, which is close to the Cummings home.

� Wide-ranging searches of woods and other areas have been suspended, with authorities conducting smaller searches as warranted.

Staff writer Chris DeVitto contributed to this report.

lsullivan@palatkadailynews.com

Palatka Daily News

Putnam County authorities are still asking for the public�s help in finding Haleigh Cummings, the 5-year-old Satsuma girl who was reported missing Feb. 10.

The county sheriff�s office has received more than 1,000 tips about Haleigh.

Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, in response to the heavy call volume, has agreed to manage the tip line, said Suzanne DeWees, executive director of the anti-crime organization.

�Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 277-8477,� DeWees said Tuesday.

Also, Crime Stoppers also has a text tipping program, and offers Web tipping as well. Go to westopcrime.com to submit a Web tip.

Or, they can text by phone to �tips231 plus their message� and send to crimes.

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2009/02/18/news/news02.txt

PUTNAM COUNTY, FL -- Pastor Terry Wright said Tuesday night, "We can choose to embrace despair, or we can choose to have hope."

Hope - the feeling that what is wanted can be had.

5-year-old Haleigh Cumming's mother walked into Dunn's Creek Baptist Church in San Mateo clutching her youngest child, and framed pictures of her oldest.

Johnny Marcus Sheffield, Jr., Haleigh's uncle on her mother's side, said through tears, "[Haleigh] is amazing. She's the greatest. Her and her little brother, I just love them to death. It's a shame."

Inside the hour-long service, Haleigh's mother and father sat on each aisle seat right in front of the pastor's pulpit, taking turns holding the 4-year-old son they have together. Each parent, physically leaning on their loved ones for support.

Both families nodded their heads in agreement when Pastor Wright prayed if someone has Haleigh, their heart would be softened.

"We're not naive about statistics," said Pastor Wright. "But we have a choice to make because they've not found Haleigh."

They choose hope over despair, and leave the sanctuary with the message that when the world says give up, hope whispers to keep going.

Community member Marisa Sapp brought two of her children to the vigil. Her daughter attends Haleigh's elementary school.

"It's just emotional," said Sapp. "Gives you chills, just knowing she's out there somewhere and you don't know if she's hungry, cold, you don't know. There's nothing you can do but sit and wait and just hope and pray."

The service included songs, prayer, and a short message from Pastor Wright. A pot luck dinner followed.

The church holds a few hundred people, and there was standing room only.

Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy and other law enforcement members attended the vigil.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=131576&catid=3

(CNN) -- The father and grandmother of a missing 5-year-old Florida girl pleaded Thursday for her return, and said police had uncovered some promising leads.

"They did bring up some good leads," said Teresa Neves, the grandmother of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, who has been missing for more than a week.

"We're very hopeful that one of those is going to pan out," Neves said at a news conference in Palatka, Florida, with Ronald Cummings, the girl's father. Both wore shirts printed with Haleigh's photograph.

Neves said she didn't know any details about the leads, just that police had indicated there were "several."

Cummings brushed off questions about his girlfriend, Misty Croslin, who reported Haleigh missing.

Capt. Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday police were investigating whether Croslin, 17, was home when the girl disappeared.

Croslin told police she was watching Haleigh when she disappeared sometime before dawn on February 10 from Cummings' home. Cummings shares his double-wide mobile home with Croslin, daughter Haleigh and his 4-year-old son in the town of Satsuma, east of Gainesville.

Cummings said Thursday he believes Croslin was telling the truth and urged reporters to focus on his daughter.

"We need to focus on my daughter going missing, and not what's going on in my life besides my daughter going missing," he said.

Cummings has said that when he returned home at 3 a.m. ET on February 10, he was surprised to see his girlfriend awake and asked her why she was up.

She told him she awoke to find the trailer door open and discovered that Haleigh was missing. Croslin waited until Cummings came home to phone 911 about the girl's disappearance, though it's unclear how long that wait was.

Police said last week that Croslin had tucked the girl and her brother into bed at 8 p.m. before going to sleep at 10 p.m. The girl, boy and Croslin usually sleep in the same bed.

Officials originally thought the 5-year-old may have wandered outside on her own, but now believe that she was abducted.

Investigators say they are looking into various angles of the case.
"We are working leads now," Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy said Thursday. "We have people we are interviewing. We are doing polygraphs. We have some new leads that have come in and we are going go ahead and follow up on all of them."

He said police had arrested a sexual predator who lives a mile from Haleigh for violating a curfew, and he did not believe the man has any "direct link" to the girl "as far as being able to put him anywhere near her residence." The man wears a global positioning system device, Hardy said.


Earlier this week police announced that they have changed the Amber Alert they originally put out for the girl.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/19/haleigh.cummings/

Another ‘psychic’ is claiming he knows what happened to Haleigh and that she will be found on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Bob Caterino’s blog alleges Misty Croslin, 17, “would sneak out… in the name of fun, and always come home before…” Ronald Cummings, Haleigh’s father, would return home from work. Croslin is Cumming’s live-in girlfriend.

“Earlier that morning, the seventeen year old has a relative over. He stole something from the home and the small childs [sic] father would discover it missing. They argued and the relative would walk away angry…” writes Bob.

According to the blog, this relative waited until Cummings was at work and Croslin left the home to abduct Haleigh from her bed for revenge.

Bob also believes, “The relative is trying to sell the child… The girl will be found and all will get what is coming to them.”



Haleigh has blond hair, brown eyes, and is 3 feet tall. Anyone with information regarding Haleigh Cummings should contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0800.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crime-Examiner~y2009m2d23-Psychic-believes-Haleigh-will-be-found-alive-and-well

Written by: Janet

After Terry Wright dropped his kids off at school, he got a riveting phone call, on Feb. 10, from the Putnam County Sheriff’s office, where he serves as a chaplain in Palatka, Fla. Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings was missing. Through family connections to Dunn’s Creek Baptist Church in San Mateo, Fla., where Wright is pastor, he and the church found themselves at the center of a massive hunt for the kindergartener .

A week later, Wright was still holding on to hope, though bringing closure to the ground search — which involved Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers among others — at a candlelight vigil Feb. 17. Among them were Ronald Cummings, 25, the girl’s father; Croslin; and Haleigh’s mother, Crystal Sheffield, who lives in Glen St. Mary, Fla.

Another Florida Baptist who joined the search was George Anthony….Wit h tears and prayers, family members were joined at the vigil by more than 400 people — Haleigh’s classmates, law enforcement officers and friends, and members of the press — who heard Wright speak from 1 Peter about the “hope that is in Christ.” Wright described the vigil as a celebration of hope and an exercise of putting trust in God’s character.

The search involved law enforcement officers from throughout the state and experts in locating missing children from throughout the nation, Dunn’s Creek Baptist and St. John’s River Baptist Association churches joined with the community to provide support in tangible ways as well.

The congregations brought in tents, tables, food, ice and drinks, those in the rural and heavily wooded community about 25 miles west of St. Augustine made sure there was plenty to go around. Wright called the people caring and compassionate. Florida Baptists mobilized trained volunteers through their disaster relief network for the search over the previous weekend.

Working through Asa Greear, director of missions for the St. John’s River Association, volunteers from 10 churches mobilized on Saturday and five churches on Sunday. This wasn’t a typical callout for help in a disaster, or other event which requires a full response, a search for a missing child is coordinated directly through the sheriff’s office or through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Fritz Wilson, director of the Florida Baptist Convention’s disaster relief and recovery department. Within 20 minutes of receiving a phone call requesting assistance, the convention used its automated calling system to contact all 150 trained volunteers in that particular association.

In addition to aiding in the investigation, most disaster relief volunteers have been through spiritual care or “Barnabas” training, which Wilson said provides in-depth listening, grief processing and evangelism skills particularly for a crisis or disaster situation. And some are trained disaster chaplains as well.

Let me explain, that first and foremost, volunteers are christians, have a strong passion to serve folks in tough situations. Of the candlelight vigil and of hope, Wright said, yes, there is still hope Haleigh will be found.

http://afterhoursfriends.com/?p=3199

Posted on February 28th, 2009 by Stone in All News, Breaking News, Op-ed, US NewsRead 585 times.

Satsuma Florida- A question that sounds all so familiar when even thought. Like Caylee, Haleigh has vanished leaving no trace as to her where abouts. Where is Haleigh? For months I thought many possibly thousands of times where is Caylee. Sadly Caylee’s body was discovered not to far from the home her and her mother shared with her grandparents. I stopped thinking where Caylee is, no longer was that a nagging presence in my mind. Now just a few months after Caylee’s body was found, there is another missing child out of Florida being blasted and paraded all over the television and internet. Little Haleigh Cummings, a doll a sight in any parents eye. One of the sweetest precious sights I have ever laid my eyes on. Sadly I have acquired that nagging presence in my mind again. Where is Haleigh?

Thousands of children go missing each and every day not only in America but all around the world. Yet we don’t get to see them or hear there names. Why Haleigh, why Caylee? It saddens my heart to know that all children don’t get the same rights, or coverage as other children seem to be graced with. Yet I can’t help from caring for Haleigh even though she gets more attention and coverage then any other child missing every day since her disappearance. I think and contemplate where is Haleigh. The last person to see her has given multiple accounts as to what transpired the night she disappeared. The person who last had contact with Haleigh has been questioned numerous times. Its understandable considering that person was the last one to see Haleigh. Haleigh’s father was out of the house working when Haleigh disappeared. Haleigh’s mother doesn’t reside with Haleigh, she lives in another town.

Unfortunately Haleigh lives in an area infested with sexual offenders and predators of various kinds. They reside all around where Haleigh spent her days for months. I recall reading that within a 5 mile radius to where Haleigh lives there are 45 sexual offenders. They are everywhere, it is not just a right as a parent but a responsibility to be aware and take advantage of the tools given to us to inform ourselves of who is living near us. We are these children’s protectors there shelter. We can’t just let them roam free and hope they will show back up when the street lights come on. Where is Haleigh? That is the burning pit inside of me now. Where did she go, who has her, why was she taken? I don’t blame her father for not wanting to move back into the house she disappeared from. I couldn’t do it myself if I were in his shoes. I’d rather live in the tent in the mud. I am at a loss for words. I read that Haleigh requires medicine for an ailment she was born with. If she is alive and well she needs this medicine to be healthy. Does whoever have her realize this?

I can only hope and pray that whoever has Haleigh will come to there senses and realize that they have the power to help her. To put an end to this, to let her family have her back. I hope that whoever is holding Haleigh captive will look inside themselves and outside at her. She is a human she has blood coursing through her veins, she breathes oxygen, and she has a soul. She in not the property of whoever is keeping her captive and if she is alive being held by someone that’s the only way I can think it in my mind. The thought of her not being alive is just too much to bare so soon after Caylee. I am a Joe nobody. My feelings and thoughts amount to a hill of beans. That doesn’t mean I don’t care. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to see this child home again. I am like the thousands of other people in the world, American, Canadian, Australian, and Irish etc. that want to see her home.

This stopped being just for America the second it was released to the internet. Me, like thousands of other people want to see Haleigh returned safe to her family. If she is out there somewhere, someone is watching her they know she is the most sought after child today. Please bring Haleigh home.

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