2010.04.16 - Today's Current News - ***NO DISCUSSIONS HERE PLEASE ***

[Angel Who Cares]

2010.04.16 - Today's Current News - ***NO DISCUSSIONS HERE PLEASE ***



Family holds hope Haleigh is still alive
Last Update: 11:03 pm
<snipped>
Haleigh Cummings great-grandmother is breaking her silence about the latest developments in the case.

Annette Sykes still believes she'll see Haleigh's smiling face again. "We haven't seen evidence that proves she's actually dead. Until they bring us evidence shell always be alive."

Sykes has a wall lined with stuffed animals and pictures of her little girl. She still wears t-shirts with Haleigh's face on it when she goes out. She even gets hugs from strangers. "That may not mean much to anyone but to me someone remembers my grand baby," said Sykes.

Article:
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content...AbmPieztw.cspx

[Angel Who Cares]

Video: Haleigh: Breaking the silence 4/15/10 2:39
The great grandmother of missing 6 year old Haleigh Cummings breaks her silence about the investigation
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Haleigh family not speaking 4/15/10 2:03
Investigators are in Nashville, Tennessee speaking with members of Misty Croslin's family about the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh 4/15/10 3:19
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with other agencies in its search for Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Haleigh: Homicide 4/15/10 4:21
THEY ARE THE WORDS NO ONE IN OUR COMMUNITY WANTED TO HEAR, HALEIGH CUMMINGS' DISAPPEARANCE HAS BECOME A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh news conference 4/15/10 11:24
Sheriff Jeff Hardy of Putnam County gives an update on the continued search for Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh 4/14/10 2:16
Investigators spent a second day searching a section of the St. Johns River for missing 6 year old Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Haleigh: A Community search 4/14/10 1:26
The community of Satsuma, Florida are hoping for some answers behind the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh 4/14/10 2:05
Divers continued focusing on a section of the St. Johns River as they look for missing Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Haleigh: The Investigation 4/14/10 4:22
Acting on a new tip, police in Nashville, Tennessee are focusing on the cousin of Misty Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh: Exclusive 4/14/10 4:57
POLICE IN PUTNAM COUNTY ARE SEARCHING FOR CLUES INTO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HALEIGH CUMMINGS
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Search For Haleigh: Joseph Overstreet 4/14/10 4:16
The search for answers in the Haleigh Cummings case brought investigators to Nashville, Tennessee. They wanted to talk to Joseph Overstreet, Misty Cummings cousin.
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

Video: Search For Haleigh: River Search 4/14/10 2:07
Search crews say they'll be back in the St Johns River today to search for any clues in the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings.
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediace...net&navCatId=5

[Angel Who Cares]

Misty's Grandma: 'I Know What Happened'
Hollars Said Haleigh Was Thrown In The River
POSTED: Thursday, April 15, 2010
UPDATED: 12:09 am EDT April 16, 2010
<snipped>
Flora Hollars said she spoke to Misty on Thursday. Misty is being held at the St. Johns County Jail on unrelated drug charges. Hollars said she told Misty that enough is enough and that she was not raised a liar. She said she told Misty that it is time to start talking about what happened to Haleigh.

"She was crying and I told her, 'Baby, don't cry. This is something you should have said a long time ago,'" Hollars said. "She said, 'Nanny, I was scared.'"

Hollars said she told Misty that it is time to come clean. "She said, 'Nanny, I told them everything I know,'" Hollars said.

According to Hollars, Misty shared details about what happened the night Haleigh vanished. Hollars made it clear, however, Misty was not involved. She said she knows what happened.

"Tied Haleigh up with a yellow rope and tied a bricker block to the rope, and dropped her into the St. Johns River," Hollars said. When asked if Misty told her why, Hollars said she did not.

Sources confirmed to Channel 4 that two cinder blocks were pulled from the river. They said they have no information about a yellow rope. The cinder blocks, along with everything else have been sent out to be analyzed. It is unclear if they are connected to Haleigh's case.

Video: Misty Cummings Grandmother Talkes
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23167790/index.html

Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23167951/detail.html

[Angel Who Cares]

Haleigh's Great Grandma 'Not Giving Up Hope'
Sykes Says She Still Believes Haleigh Is Alive
POSTED: Thursday, April 15, 2010
<snipped>
On Thursday, Sheriff Jeff Hardy of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office held a press conference and said that Haleigh is most likely dead. Annette Sykes said even though in her head, she knows Haleigh might be dead, in her heart she believes the girl will come home.

"Until they can bring me something to prove to me that she's not alive, I'll continue to believe that she is," she said.

Sykes said that what the Sheriff spoke about in the press conference is the same information he told the family earlier in the week behind closed doors.

"It's hard to hear somebody tell you your child or grandchild is dead," she said.

Video: Haleigh Cummings Great-Grandmother Speaks
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23167900/index.html

Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23168292/detail.html

[passionflower]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/t...154830&catid=3

found this from last night

[essies]

River search de-mobilizing according to Gary Bowling with PCSO
http://link.brightcove.com/services/...id=78372282001

[Angel Who Cares]

Cops: Haleigh Cummings likely dead 5:38

CNN (Old)

CNN (Old)

Misty Croslin's grandmother speaks 2:49

CNN (Old)

CNN (Old)

Cuffed Misty at Haleigh search site 2:37

CNN (Old)

CNN (Old)

Police search river for Haleigh's body 2:42

CNN (Old)

CNN (Old)

Reports of a suspect in Haleigh death? 3:21

CNN (Old)

CNN (Old)

[Angel Who Cares]

Putnam Co. Sheriff: 'Haleigh Cummings is Most Likely Deceased'
Created: 4/15/2010 4:08:34 PM
Updated: 4/15/2010 11:26:28 PM
<snipped>
Haleigh Cummings is likely dead and authorities are now considering her disappearance a homicide, police said today.

Tips obtained during interviews have led various law enforcement agencies who have been searching for the girl to believe Haleigh is no longer alive, said Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy.

He added no arrests have been made but persons of interest have been identified.

Video: Sheriff Jeff Hardy Updates Haleigh Cummings Case 04/15/10 Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/...id=78318315001

Video: Search for Haleigh Cummings Near Satsuma 04/15/10 6 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/...id=78340914001

Video: Sheriff Jeff Hardy Releases Updates in Haleigh Cummings Case 04/15/10 11 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/...id=78381989001

Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/b...54812&catid=17

[Texas Mist]

Search Near Satsuma Got Underway after Polygraph Test
Dave Wax Ann Butler Created: 4/16/2010 2:31:09 PM Updated: 4/16/2010 2:43:59 PM

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Tommy Croslin was responsible for getting the current search for Haleigh Cummings under way.

James S. Werter, attorney for Hank T. Croslin Jr., known as Tommy, said it started after a recent polygraph test.

Tommy Croslin is the brother of Misty Croslin, the teenager who police said was the last person to see Haleigh alive before she disappeared one night in Feb. 2009. Misty Croslin later married and divorced Haleigh's father.

Werter said Tommy Croslin asked to take the lie detector test in March to "clear the air" regarding the events of that night. He took the test April 8.

April 10, Croslin and Werter discussed the results, and two days after that, the two met with private investigator Steven K. Brown, who earlier this week said he knew what happened in the case of the missing 5-year-old girl.

more here

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/l...storyid=154862

[Texas Mist]

High-Profile Missing Children Cases Capture Nation's Attention
ABCNews.com Provides Updates on Several High-Profile Cases

By EMILY FRIEDMAN
April 16, 2010

For parents waiting for news of their missing children, some of whom disappeared from their homes and others on walks around their quiet neighborhoods, each day is filled with both hope and heartbreak.

It's an agony that is shared by police departments who are often in a race against time in their desperate search for leads .

ABCNews.com is following five of the most high-profile cases, and here's an update on where the investigations stand. If you have information on any of these cases, call the local police department.

Haleigh Cummings: Missing Since Feb. 10, 2009

Five-year-old Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her father's Satsuma, Fla., home in February 2009. The last person to see the curly, blond-haired girl was her babysitter, Misty Croslin, who was then just 17-years-old.

This past week, the investigation into her disappearance heated up again as the Putnam County Sheriff's office commissioned as many as 40 divers to search a murky river just five miles from where the girl was last seen. A tip, investigators say, had led them to the river to search for clues in the case.

more here - multipage article

http://abcnews.go.com/US/haleigh-cum...ry?id=10395455

[Angel Who Cares]

Police Say 5-Year-Old Haleigh Cummings is Dead, Identify Persons of Interest in Case
Haleigh Cummings Has Been Missing Since February 2009
April 16, 2010
<snipped>
Haleigh Cummings, the 5-year-old who vanished from her father's Florida home more than a year ago, is believed to be dead and investigators said that they've identified several people of interest. Speaking from the edge of the St. John's River, where divers have scoured the murky waters for traces of the little girlfor the past three days, Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy said Thursday the case is now a homicide investigation.

"Over the past few weeks, information has been obtained by investigators that lead them to believe that Haleigh Cummings is most likely deceased," Hardy told reporters. And for the first time since Haleigh disappeared, investigators say they've identified "several" people of interest, whom they did not name.

Speaking about Croslin, who was taken earlier this week by investigators to the dock where they have been searching for Haleigh, Hardy said that he has seen an "absolute shift in her demeanor." "They have a lot of time to sit and think about the case," Hardy said of how he thinks the time behind bars for Croslin may have helped the investigation.

Family Points Fingers in Haleigh Cummings Case
Croslin's grandmother, Flo Hollars, told the Florida Times-Union that one of her sons said he knows Overstreet took Haleigh at knifepoint on that February night, which Overstreet of Nashville, Tenn., has denied.

Hollars said Croslin's brother, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., who is also in jail on unrelated drug charges, told her that Overstreet, "Took Haleigh out of the Satsuma trailer where she lived after he was unable to find a machine gun the two men were going to steal. Overstreet put a knife to the throat of Misty Croslin, then Haleigh's father's girlfriend, and took Haleigh."

In an interview with the media Thursday in Nashville, Overstreet, 20, broke into tears when he was asked about any possible connection to Haleigh's disappearance. "If I knew who did it, I would go straight and call the cops and tell them who did it," said Overstreet, according to ABC News' Nashville affiliate WKRN.

Haleigh Cummings: New Search for Missing Girl
Florida police treated Haleigh's disappearance as an abduction, investigators said early on in the investigation, after concluding she did not simply wander off alone.

"All the world is a suspect," Det. John Merchant of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office told reporters at the time of her disappearance. "We are going to treat everybody, every family member, every associate, like a suspect until we eliminate them."
*Much more at link!
**3-Page Article!!

WATCH: Renewed Search for Missing Haleigh Cummings
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/hale...earch-10381457

Related
Where Is Haleigh? Costly Search Cut Back
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6894942&page=1

WATCH: Police Still Looking for 5-Year-Old
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6894677

Anthonys Comfort Family of Missing Fla. Girl
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6871427&page=1

Family Begs for Abducted Daughter's Return
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6862469&page=1

WATCH: 5-Year-Old Florida Girl Missing
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6861870

Article:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/investigato...ry?id=10393476

[Angel Who Cares]

Haleigh Cummings Likely Dead, Search Area is Crime Scene, Says Sheriff
April 16, 2010 11:07 AM
<snipped>
Haleigh Cummings, the 5-year-old missing for over a year, is likely dead, lying at the bottom of the St. John's River about five miles from her house, the Putnam County Sheriff announced Thursday.

Sheriff Jeff Hardy said that the search, which entered its fourth day with 20 to 30 divers combing a small stretch of river, is "like looking for a needle in a haystack." Croslin, in handcuffs and jailhouse blues, joined investigators on a dock in the middle of the search area Wednesday, but Sheriff Hardy declined to elaborate on what she was doing there.

Detectives have reportedly identified persons of interest in the case and more witnesses are coming forward, according to Sheriff Hardy. "People are starting to cooperate, that's why I've told people it's only a matter of time," Hardy said. "It's a good thing. People are starting to talk."

Haleigh Cummings (Family Photo)


Haleigh Cummings and father Ronald Cummings (Family Photo)


Article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...78-504083.html

[Texas Mist]

Croslin Jr.'s attorney: He didn't make any confessions in Haleigh Cummings case
Posted: April 16, 2010 - 3:07pm

Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr.'s attorney released a statement this morning saying that he did not confess anything about Haleigh Cummings' disappearance to his grandmother.
......................
Croslin Jr., who is in jail on unrelated drug charges with her sister and Cummings, submitted to a lie detector test this month and later met with representatives of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, State Attorney's Office and FBI.

His attorney said Croslin Jr. then took the investigators to the Shell Harbour Road boat ramp, which became the epicenter for three days of revived searching for Cummings this week.

Croslin's grandmother, Flora Hollars, said she was responsible for the revived search after calling investigators with new details the Croslins gave her.

Jim Werter, who represents Croslin Jr., said in a news release that Croslin Jr. "did not tell Flora Hollars anything about the investigation except to have his attorney contact and meet with him."

"This is in response to latest claims by various reporting agencies that they have verified that Tommy Croslin confessed to Hollars. He did not," Werter said.

Hollars told the Times-Union in several interviews that she got a tearful phone call from Croslin Jr. Sunday night telling her that his cousin, Joseph Overstreet of Nashville, was responsible for Haleigh's disappearance, which the Sheriff's Office began calling a homicide this week.

Hollars also said that her granddaughter Misty Croslin told her that Overstreet held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her and her family if they told that he came for Haleigh.

more here

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2...-cummings-case

[Angel Who Cares]

Haleigh Cummings Dead, Investigators Say; 159 Other Florida Kids Disappeared Since 2009
April 16, 2010
<snipped>
PCSO has released three statements in recent days regarding the Haleigh Cummings investigation. The most recent confirms the finding of several items of interest in the water and wooded area around Shell Harbor Boat Ramp but stops short of linking them with Haleigh. The statement says that investigators believe based on information received by them that Haleigh is most likely dead.

No items of interest were uncovered in the St. John's River search according to a PCSO press release.

But Haleigh Cummings is one of 160 children listed on missingkids.com who disappeared in Florida in 2009 and 2010. Though the majority of the other missing children from Florida are not household names, their disappearances are equally compelling.

Most of the missing children fall into the categories of endangered runaways or family abuductees, although some are listed merely as missing and a few are described as non-family abductees.

Missing children in Florida, besides Haleigh Cummings, include:
13-year-old Selah Ramirez is an endangered runaway from Bradenton, Fla., who has been missing since August.

Ronald Delinois, Jr., 14, is from Riviera Beach, Fla., and is listed as an endangered runaway.

Missing in a family abduction case from Tampa is Jacob Jacsael Estevez, age 4.

Allatawana Levalle Gilchrist has missing from Sanford, Fla., since March. The 13-year-old is classified as an endangered runaway.

Unique Shantrell Lamar was last seen in December, 2009. Missing from Margate, Fla., Unique is 13 years old.

Profiles of the other 154 children who disppeared in Florida in 2009 and 2010, as well as those of earlier years, can be seen on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's missingkids.com Web site.

As the high profile investigation as to what happened to Haleigh Cummings winds down, investigations as to what happened to these other missing Florida children deserve to be ramped up.

Selah Ramirez
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Ronald Delinois, Jr.
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Jacob Jacsael Estevez
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Allatawana Levalle Gilchrist
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Unique Shantrell Lamar
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Article:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...rs.html?cat=25

[essies]

Haleigh Update and Analysis From TRUTV's Insession 4/16/2010
Courtesy of PattyG

YouTube

YouTube

[Angel Who Cares]

UPDATED: Search Near Satsuma Got Underway after Polygraph Test
Created: 4/16/2010 2:31:09 PM
Updated: 4/16/2010 6:19:10 PM
<snipped>
Tommy Croslin was responsible for getting the current search for Haleigh Cummings under way. James S. Werter, attorney for Hank T. Croslin Jr., known as Tommy, said it started after a recent polygraph test. Werter said Tommy Croslin asked to take the lie detector test in March to "clear the air" regarding the events of that night. He took the test April 8.

April 10, Croslin and Werter discussed the results, and two days after that, the two met with private investigator Steven K. Brown, who earlier this week said he knew what happened in the case of the missing 5-year-old girl. Werter didn't specify what they discussed in that meeting Monday morning, but all three people and agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office went to the Shell Harbour boat ramp after the meeting. Tuesday morning, the three-day search got under way in that area.

Misty's sister-in-law Chelsea Croslin told First Coast News on Friday that Misty sent her a letter in February detailing what happened the night Haleigh disappeared. "We're traumatized. We're hurt. We are all confused. We feel betrayed. We don't know who is who anymore or who did what or who to believe in," Croslin said from her home in Massachusetts. Croslin doesn't know if what was in the letter is the truth, she said. She gave the information to police and said right now all she wants is justice for Haleigh. After she gave a copy of the letter to authorities, Chelsea Croslin said, she got rid of her copy.



Video: Tommy Croslin Provided Clue That Began Search 04/16/10 5 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/...id=78482337001

Video: Tommy Croslin's Attorney Says Croslin Provided Tip in Case 04/16/10 6 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/...id=78534184001

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE HALEIGH TRAGEDY
http://topics.firstcoastnews.com/Haleigh+Cummings/

Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/t...154862&catid=3

[Angel Who Cares]

Misty Croslin's Grandmother Provides Breaking Lead in Haleigh Cummings Case
Flora Hollars Tells Nancy Grace She Does Not Believe Misty Croslin Killed Haleigh Cummings
April 16, 2010
<snipped>
It was Misty Croslin's grandmother, Flora Hollars, that provided the Putnam County (Florida) Sheriff's Office with their most significant lead in over a year in the case of missing Haleigh Cummings. Hollars told Nancy Grace on her HLN show Thursday evening that it was she who had called authorities and gave them the tip that led them to the St. Johns River on Tuesday. Flora Hollars told Nancy Grace she had received a phone call from Tommy Croslin, Misty Croslin's brother and Hollars' grandson, and he had told her that his cousin, Joe Overstreet, had "did" it and that he had disposed of the body in the St. Johns River.

As of Thursday evening, according to the Putnam County (Florida) Sheriff's Office, the Haleigh Cummings missing person case had become a homicide investigation. After following the lead(s) provided by Flora Hollars, investigators questioned both Misty Croslin (the last person believed to have seen Haleigh alive) and Joe Overstreet, who had also been questioned early in the investigation due to allegations of suspected pedophilia and his having been in Satsuma at the time Haleigh Cummings went missing. By Wednesday, investigators had taken Misty Croslin to the riverside to assist them in their investigation. It was later in the evening that Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy announced that he was now "comfortable" with calling the case a homicide.
*More at link!

Article:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...es.html?cat=25

[Texas Mist]

Press Release from Crystal Sheffield's attorney -

<snip>
At this time, Crystal Sheffield & her family members do not wish to speak with the media or give any media interviews.

.PDF

http://imgsrv.thesky973.com/image/ws...1004161334.pdf

[Angel Who Cares]

Haleigh Cummings likely dead in Satsuma Florida
April 16, 2:39 PM
<snipped>
Satsuma, Florida police are saying the Haleigh Cummings is likely dead, in news reported on April 15, 2010. There are several people of interest in the investigation, but an arrest has not been made in the case that has captivated the nation since February, 2009. There are several people of interest in the investigation, but an arrest has not been made in the case.

Misty Croslin was temporarily taking out of jail, to go with police to the riverbank, and has been filmed by pointing out a location in the river.

Nancy Grace broadcast an exclusive interview with Misty Croslin's grandmother, who told Grace that she had been told differing stories about the death of Haleigh Cummings. Misty Croslin's grandmother said said that statements had been made to her by Misty Croslin and other people in Florida. Video of Nancy Grace Interview with Misty Croslin's grandmother is attached.

Article:
http://www.examiner.com/x-38737-Soci...atsuma-Florida

[Angel Who Cares]

High-Profile Missing Children Cases Capture Nation's Attention
ABCNews.com Provides Updates on Several High-Profile Cases
April 16, 2010
<snipped>
For parents waiting for news of their missing children, some of whom disappeared from their homes and others on walks around their quiet neighborhoods, each day is filled with both hope and heartbreak.

It's an agony that is shared by police departments who are often in a race against time in their desperate search for leads .

ABCNews.com is following five of the most high-profile cases, and here's an update on where the investigations stand. If you have information on any of these cases, call the local police department.

Five-year-old Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her father's Satsuma, Fla., home in February 2009. The last person to see the curly, blond-haired girl was her babysitter, Misty Croslin, who was then just 17-years-old.

Late Thursday, Sheriff Jeff Hardy declared that he believed Haleigh was "likely dead"and that investigators would keep working the case until justice was served. Hardy also said that authorities have identified "several" persons of interest in the case for the first time in the 14-month investigation.

Kayleah Wilson: Missing Since March 28, 2010
Kayleah Wilson vanished last month after leaving her Greeley, Colo., home to attend a birthday party, just a few blocks away from where she lived with her mother. The 12-year-old is a sixth grader and was last seen wearing a white-and-pink shirt over a white tank top, blue jeans and white and red shoes. She is described as being 5 feet 1 inch, and approximately 145 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.

Late Thursday, the FBI doubled the amount of reward money they are now offering from $10,000 to $20,000.

Kayleh's mother, April Wilson, told ABCNews.com that this is not typical behavior for her daughter and that she never suspected anything out of the ordinary when she said goodbye to her daughter before she left for the party. She walked over to the couch and said, 'I love you,' and 'I'll be home by 7,' and she walked out the door and that was it," Wilson said. "She had been talking about the party. She was really looking forward to it."

Brittanee Drexel: Missing Since April 25, 2009
Brittanee Drexel was 17-years-old when she went missing from Myrtle Beach, S.C. in April 2009.

There for a spring break trip her mother had forbidden, Brittanee was seen leaving the BlueWater Resort visiting a group of Rochester-area men after having a falling out with the friends she'd originally accompanied to the popular spring-break destination.

Earlier this week, investigators announced that they had identified as many as four persons of interest in connection to Brittanee's disappearance.

Drexel said that while authorities have given her little information about the people of interest, she believes they are locals from the Myrtle Beach area and not friends of her daughter's from New York.

"I think that Brittanee either could have been trafficked or someone is holding her against her will," Drexel said. "I'm hoping she'll be strong enough to get away or we'll be able to find her."

The girl's aunt, Keri Drexel, introduced a set of playing cards featuring her niece and other missing children. The decks are being distributed to inmates in the Florida prison system hoping someone will know what happened to Brittanee and will be willing to speak up.

Lindsey Baum: Missing Since June 26, 2009
Lindsey Baum, 10, was walking home from a friend's house in the small town of McCleary, Wash., in June 2009 when she vanished.

The 10-minute walk down a heavily populated suburban street between her house and a friend's was one she did often, and had never concerned her mother, Melissa Baum. Baum is convinced her daughter was kidnapped and still believes she is alive.

The FBI has so far identified 12 persons of interest in the case, inside and outside of McCleary, with at least two people of high interest.

Baby Gabriel Johnson: Missing Since Dec. 27, 2009
Gabriel Johnson, known most simply as "Baby Gabriel," was last seen with his mother, 23-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, at a San Antonio, Texas, park. Johnson was arrested on Dec. 29 in Miami Beach, Fla., for interfering with court-ordered custody agreements, but Gabriel was nowhere to be found.

She is currently being held on a $1.1 million bond while investigators search for signs of baby Gabriel.

Nadia Bloom, Found Alive After Days, Gives Hope to Others
The story of 11-year-old Nadia Bloom, who after more than four days of searching was eventually found alive in the swamplands near her Winter Springs, Fla., home earlier this week, is one that will likely stand as a beacon of hope for parents struggling with the disappearance of their own children.

Bloom, who is mildly autistic, never returned home after taking a bike ride around her house. Investigators found her waist-deep in swamp water after getting disoriented in the woods near her home while on a hunt for "treasures."

"She's doing great, she really is," said Tanya Bloom, Nadia's mother, at a press conference. "It's a story you don't usually get. It's a story of hope."
*Much more at link!
**5-Page Article!!

Kayleah Wilson
http://topics.abcnews.go.com/page/Kayleah-Wilson

Related
Cops Dig Up Farm of Missing Girl's Grandma
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7946878

New Lead in Haleigh Cummings Case?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/cops-search...ry?id=10365897

Cousin Questioned in Haleigh Cummings Case
http://abcnews.go.com/US/haleigh-cum...ry?id=10372688

Haleigh's Family Place Blame in Disappearance
http://abcnews.go.com/US/haleigh-cum...ry?id=10384095

Volunteers Join Search for Missing 12-Year-Old
http://abcnews.go.com/US/volunteers-...ry?id=10346442

Reward Increased for Missing Kayleah Wilson
http://abcnews.go.com/US/reward-incr...ry?id=10387047

Brittanee Drexel Case Targets People of Interest
http://abcnews.go.com/US/missing-bri...ry?id=10353285

Landfill Excavated in Baby Gabriel Homicide
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/baby-gabri...ory?id=9791404

Second Arrest Little Help in Baby Gabriel Case
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/arrest-mis...ory?id=9728581

Where is Baby Gabriel? Mom Refuses to Say
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/search-bab...ory?id=9489263

Nadia Bloom's Parents: 'She's Doing Great'
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TheLaw/nad...ry?id=10369170

Missing Girl Survives 5 Days in Florida Swamp
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TheLaw/mis...ry?id=10360795

Cops 'Hopeful' in Search for Girl With Asperger's
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/search-...ry?id=10351053

Article:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/haleigh-cum...ry?id=10395455

[Angel Who Cares]

Croslin Jr.'s attorney: He didn't make any confessions in Haleigh Cummings case
April 16, 2010 - 3:07pm
<snipped>
Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr.'s attorney released a statement this morning saying that he did not confess anything about Haleigh Cummings' disappearance to his grandmother.

Croslin Jr., who is in jail on unrelated drug charges with her sister and Cummings, submitted to a lie detector test this month and later met with representatives of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, State Attorney's Office and FBI. His attorney said Croslin Jr. then took the investigators to the Shell Harbour Road boat ramp, which became the epicenter for three days of revived searching for Cummings this week.

Jim Werter, who represents Croslin Jr., said in a news release that Croslin Jr. "did not tell Flora Hollars anything about the investigation except to have his attorney contact and meet with him." "This is in response to latest claims by various reporting agencies that they have verified that Tommy Croslin confessed to Hollars. He did not," Werter said.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office confirmed this morning that Croslin Jr. spoke with Hollars recently, but declined to discuss the details of the recorded conversations. They also declined to release the conversations, citing an exemption from Florida's public records law for information related to an active criminal investigation.

Article:
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2...-cummings-case

[Angel Who Cares]

UPDATED: Attorney: Misty's Brother Led Investigators To River
Sources: Cinder Blocks Recovered From River Search
POSTED: Friday, April 16, 2010
UPDATED: 6:18 pm EDT April 16, 2010
<snipped>
Four days into a search of the St. Johns River and a day after the Putnam County sheriff said Haleigh Cummings is most likely dead, Channel 4 has learned that investigators' search of the river was the result of information given to them by Hank Croslin Jr., Misty Cummings' brother.

Croslin's attorney, James Werter, said in an e-mail that Croslin took a polygraph test on April 8, and on Monday morning, Croslin met with private investigator Steve Brown to discuss the polygraph and the events of the night Haleigh disappeared from her Satsuma home.

Werter said on Monday afternoon, Croslin met with investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney's Office, Putnam County Sheriff's Office and an FBI special agent, and as a result of the two-plus-hour interview, Croslin took the group to the Shell Harbour Road Boat Ramp.

Investigators began searching that location of the St. Johns River the next morning. When Croslin's attorney was asked why Croslin decided to "blow the whistle now," he said Croslin was "very upset about a number of things."

Night Haleigh Went Missing
Haleigh's father's 16-year-old live-in girlfriend, Misty Cummings, was baby-sitting her at the time she disappeared in February 2009. She told investigators she awoke at 3 a.m. Feb. 10 to find the girl gone and a back door propped open with a brick.

Investigators followed thousands of leads and searched the heavily wooded community on foot, with doors and by air via plane and helicopter. They also contacted all the sexual predators living in the area to eliminate them as suspects and searched the nearby St. Johns River by boat.

Video: New Findings In Haleigh Cummings Case; Conditions For Cash For Appliances
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23173700/index.html

Video: Haleigh's Family Reacts To Sheriff's Announcement
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23170995/index.html

Uncut Video: Sheriff Says Haleigh Likely Dead
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23164556/index.html

Uncut Video: Searching The St. Johns River
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23140308/index.html

Images: Search For Haleigh Leads To St. Johns River
http://www.news4jax.com/slideshow/ne...12/detail.html

Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23174697/detail.html

[Angel Who Cares]

Did Misty Croslin Kill Haleigh Cummings?
The Fingerpointing May Only Just Be Beginning in the New Homicide Investigation
April 16, 2010
<snipped>
As the Haleigh Cummings case has moved from being a missing person case to being an active homicide investigation, authorities have begun focusing on persons of
interest -- although they have yet to actually name anyone. Three days of intense searching in and along the St. Johns River just south of Satsuma, Fla., has resulted in little physical evidence but the Haleigh Cummings case has seen an increase in recent activity as several people who may have been involved in the disappearance seem to be breaking their silence and are turning on each other. Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy told reporters Thursday that they were "hoping to make an arrest."

And if Misty Croslin, Tommy Croslin, and Joe Overstreet keep talking, one, two, or all three of them will undoubtedly soon be arrested in connection to what Sheriff Hardy says he can feel "comfortable" calling a homicide. It has become apparent that investigators have received enough information to believe that 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings is dead. But are there any indications as to who may have killed her?

Article:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...gs.html?cat=17

[Angel Who Cares]

UPDATED: What Happened To Haleigh?
Friday, April 16, 2010 9:30:37 PM
<snipped>
Flora Hollars said Misty confessed to her, but said Misty insists she was not involved. Hollars said she told Misty it was time to come clean. "Baby don't cry,” Hollars said. “This is something you should have said a long time ago. She says ‘But Nanny I was scared.’” Hollars said Misty broke down and told her everything. She said Misty is not involved but knows what happened to Haleigh. “Tied a brick block to the rope and dropped her into the St. Johns River,” Hollars said.

These are details Haleigh's great-grandmother Annette Sykes can't come to terms with. "I know that statistics say that chances are that she's dead and that may be so, but statistics have also been proven wrong many times," Sykes said.

Hollars said Misty told her Haleigh was dropped into the St. Johns River, but she wouldn't tell her why Haleigh was killed. "It's hard to hear something like that, that your child or grandchild is dead. That's something that's hard to hear," Sykes said. “We've heard so many lies. You don't know what to believe anymore. I tend to not believe anything. Show me, just show me. Don't tell me, show me."

Video: Haleigh News Conference
http://www.cfnews13.com/MediaPlayer2...&title=Haleigh News Conference

Article:
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2...ppearance.html

[Angel Who Cares]

Haleigh Cummings: Misty Croslin’s brother directed authorities to St. Johns River, his attorney says
posted by halboedeker on April, 16 2010 4:34 PM
<snipped>
Tommy Croslin on Monday night took investigators to the river, his attorney said.

Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy said yesterday that Haleigh is most likely dead after divers searched the river for three days. She disappeared in February 2009.

But the story has many unanswered questions. WESH’s Michelle Meredith addressed two: What did divers find? “They’re not saying. They’re also saying they’re not sure it relates to Haleigh,” Meredith said.

How does the new search development implicate Tommy? “His attorney won’t say,” Meredith said.

Article:
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/ent...hns-river.html