Ron IS NOT a "person of interest" according to sheriff...???...

[Crosby87]

HaLeigh’s family Remains Divided 6 months later

It was Teresa Neves, not Ronald, who contacted Crystal to tell her that her precious daughter HaLeigh had been abducted from her home. If Ron truly cared and had nothing to hide, he would have stepped up and called Crystal to break the news to her as gently as possible. I have to ask, what is Ron afraid of? Ron’s refusal to empathize with Crystal’s grief is selfish and unjust as I am concerned. He did not commit himself to doing all he could to bring HaLeigh home for Crystal's sake and this is why I don’t trust Ron and suspect he would hurt his daughter.

<snipped>
Six months into the unsolved disappearance of Haleigh Cummings, those who deeply love her believe she is still alive.
It&#8217;s about the only thing the two families closest to the investigation of her disappearance agree on.
With today marking the six-month anniversary of her case and next week&#8217;s arrival of her sixth birthday, her divided family has even scheduled separate events in Putnam County.
Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, the long-estranged parents of Haleigh and her 4-year-old brother Ronald Jr., see each other only to exchange the boy at a pre-arranged stop in Florahome, about midway between Cummings&#8217; home in southern Putnam County and Sheffield&#8217;s in western Baker County.
Tension between Cummings, Sheffield and their families has hummed like high-voltage background noise since the beginning of the case.
&#8220;I feel like that maybe if the families could speak with each other and put differences aside that maybe it would help the case, but there is too much going on down there and it is being pushed our way to blame us for what happened in Putnam County,&#8221; Griffis said from her home outside Sanderson where Sheffield also lives.
She said her family has been accused of abducting Haleigh and hiding her with family out of state.
&#8220;There should have been more attention to Crystal&#8217;s family,&#8221; Ronald Cummings said. &#8220;I think they should have paid more attention to everyone rather than just me and Misty.&#8221;
Cummings has cut off interviews with investigators.
&#8220;Besides &#8216;No I didn&#8217;t have nothing to do with my child being missing,&#8217; what do you say?&#8221; he asked.
Maj. Gary Bowling, director of law enforcement for the department, said detectives would like to interview Cummings again but have been resisted.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-08-09/story/haleighs_family_remains_divided_6_months_later

 

[Kimster]

And there is still division amongst everyone following this case 1 1/2 years later too....

Thanks for the article, Bluesky! :hug:

 

[cyberborg]

This has removed all doubt from my mind....this case will never be solved.

That's my fear ... but my hope is that one day HaLeigh will be discovered.

Like others I truly believe that HaLeigh is respectfully buried by the Cummings. If so, if ever discovered then the location, remains or, forensics may break this case wide-open.

TN knows and is involved ... and while she cannot reveal the truth she does not want these other lies to become 'the final story' since they are distasteful.

Ron's fate is bothering her, especially if he is going down to protect her involvement.

 

[Snowbunny]

I base my opinions on the facts as we know them. How many months did LE beg Ronald to come in and talk to them and yet he refused? It was months, and it was during that crucial time if in fact Haleigh was still alive that they might have been able to find her, but her own father refused to cooperate. What parent would refuse to cooperate to find their child at all cost? What parent would plan a wedding on a day that LE and hundreds of volunteers were right down the road searching for his missing daughter. He certainly didn't act like a father that gave two hoots about his missing little angel and I find that beyond odd behavior. He even fought the idea of Crystal wanting to put Jr. into therapy, but why? If that little boy seen anything that night and even just the fact that his sister has gone missing is too much trauma for that little one to have to bare alone. I am so glad that little boy is with his mommy right now because she at least seems to care about his well-being more so that his own father. And then we have all the lies that Ronald, Teresa Neves, and GGM Sykes have told that has really thrown this case into a tailspin. I call it obstruction of justice. I hope that if its proved that anyone of them tried to derail this case that they throw the book at each and every one of them that is guilty. There's a five year old angel unaccounted for. We don't know what happened to her and we don't know if she is safe. This case brings tears to my eyes everyday and a stabbing pain in my heart because this should have never happened to this poor little angel in the first place, but by george her dad sure hasn't acted like he cares period. Look at Crystal and you'll understand a grieving parent. That woman is falling apart at the seams because her heart is breaking.

 

[cyberborg]

I do want to believe Ron is not 'involved' in the disappearance of HaLeigh but actions speak louder than words and I don't want to write a huge tome on all of the discrepancies and reasons week-by-week -- suffice to say that Ron stage managed Misty to 'control' her story and, Ron texted Misty when she was in New York to warn her off DB as a spy. Why? Why if you want the truth to come out?

Ron is 'involved' of that I am convinced. Whether Ron was involved directly in the demise of HaLeigh or just after the fact as part of the cover-up I have an open mind.

It was an exceptional and very dangerous night in of itself given the family dynamics, there does not need to be an attempted robbery thrown into the mix. Too coincidental. There was a major ongoing fight between Misty and Ron and, allegedly, over 20-90+ calls from Ron that night. How soon we forget and get distracted. Something big was happening between Ron and Misty.

At a minimum Ron felt a 'need' to cover-up and protect whoever was directly 'involved' -- he came to terms with it and played along to the script. I don't believe for a minute if this was JO or ToC or anyone outside of the family 'core' then he would have dealt with them as he so often threatened or cooperated with LE.

The problem was that Ron could not retaliate because it was either Ron, Misty (Ron implicated) or, TN (babysitting incident).

Ron kept Misty exceptionally close NOT to get to the truth but to ensure that the truth never came out. He could trust TN but Misty was a Croslin and he could not allow her to go elsewhere and maybe crack.

Ron only discarded Misty (to all appearances) once she had proven her loyalty over and over and once she became a liability and a threat to him -- questions were being asked and the focus was on him. He wanted the focus solely on Misty. His fall girl.

What makes Misty so loyal to Ron and Ron so willing to protect Misty is the simple reason that if one goes down they both go down and it'll be for LIFE.

This case is not complicated, it is as simple as recurring fights between Ron and Misty over the 3-day binge split, a hyperactive 5 year old and, a lack of anyone to watch the kids while Ron and Misty fight and squabble and retaliate. TN punted.

HaLeigh was either over-drugged to quiet her or was struck during one of the many fights. I can see Ron go ballistic and Misty be able to really push his buttons. Lets face it, Ron has thrown Misty's clothes into the street and has placed a dead headless rat.

Drugs, Violence, Jealousy, Love/Hate and a 5 year old who got in the way. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Helplessly Hoping]

HaLeigh’s family Remains Divided 6 months later

It was Teresa Neves, not Ronald, who contacted Crystal to tell her that her precious daughter HaLeigh had been abducted from her home. If Ron truly cared and had nothing to hide, he would have stepped up and called Crystal to break the news to her as gently as possible. I have to ask, what is Ron afraid of? Ron’s refusal to empathize with Crystal’s grief is selfish and unjust as I am concerned. He did not commit himself to doing all he could to bring HaLeigh home for Crystal's sake and this is why I don’t trust Ron and suspect he would hurt his daughter.

<snipped>
Six months into the unsolved disappearance of Haleigh Cummings, those who deeply love her believe she is still alive.
It’s about the only thing the two families closest to the investigation of her disappearance agree on.
With today marking the six-month anniversary of her case and next week’s arrival of her sixth birthday, her divided family has even scheduled separate events in Putnam County.
Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, the long-estranged parents of Haleigh and her 4-year-old brother Ronald Jr., see each other only to exchange the boy at a pre-arranged stop in Florahome, about midway between Cummings’ home in southern Putnam County and Sheffield’s in western Baker County.
Tension between Cummings, Sheffield and their families has hummed like high-voltage background noise since the beginning of the case.
“I feel like that maybe if the families could speak with each other and put differences aside that maybe it would help the case, but there is too much going on down there and it is being pushed our way to blame us for what happened in Putnam County,” Griffis said from her home outside Sanderson where Sheffield also lives.
She said her family has been accused of abducting Haleigh and hiding her with family out of state.
“There should have been more attention to Crystal’s family,” Ronald Cummings said. “I think they should have paid more attention to everyone rather than just me and Misty.”
Cummings has cut off interviews with investigators.
“Besides ‘No I didn’t have nothing to do with my child being missing,’ what do you say?” he asked.
Maj. Gary Bowling, director of law enforcement for the department, said detectives would like to interview Cummings again but have been resisted.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-08-09/story/haleighs_family_remains_divided_6_months_later

This statement has probably stuck in my brain longer than any other. IIRC, and I'm pretty sure I do--LE wanted Misty for interviews and instead of bringing Misty to PCSO each and every morning for those MONTHS, they just went on living. This I will NEVER understand. Can you see Ed Smart or Marc Klass "cutting off interviews with investigators?" I surely cannot and think their behavior was quite the opposite. All, JMO.

 

[cyberborg]

IMO Ron did a great job, he created a 'perception of cooperation' -- especially with media friendly programs like NG but then said nothing of value and controlled Misty so she stuck to her short 'script' as best she could remember. TN was also tag teaming with Ron.

No matter the question Ron basically stated 'he didn't know' or 'he was at work' and Misty offered her few sentences .... 'and that's all I know!'

The subsequent lack of cooperation with LE was because the media calmed down a little and Ron thought/hoped that the heat was off, he had demonstrated 'cooperation' and they could move on. Why present himself or Misty to LE and risk something slipping out?

 

[pittsburghgirl]

From the beginning, LE has said that the biological parents are at the bottom of the suspect pile. This statement only confirms what we have been told in other ways--one being that LE hasn't even hinted at RC being a person of interest or suspect; another being word of a plea agreement on the drug case.

Actually, if Ron is not a suspect (as we are being directly told), then it speaks well for the people who busted him on the drug case that he is GETTING NO PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT and going to jail along with Hope, Tommy and, presumably Misty.

It's all here for those willing to look at it. Ron isn't a suspect. LE must know that Haleigh was alive and at home after he left for work. And Ron's work alibi is real and checks out. Otherwise, LE would be digging, digging, and digging into his whereabouts. He isn't a suspect. He isn't a golden boy getting preferential treatment. He's just a foolish, immature young man who screwed up his life with drugs and guns and brought horror into his home and then threw away a big chunk of his life thinking that selling drugs was an easy way to score money. And because his daughter is dead and his former live-in gf and ex-wife won't tell what happened to her, LE is throwing the book at HIM for drug sales that would be plea-bargained down to 3-5 years for the ordinary on the street.

For a year, I've been reading that the "at the bottom of the list" reference to Crystal and Ron is meaningless because LE hasn't said RC is not a suspect. Well, now they've gone and said it.

It's either Misty and/or Tommy or someone they let in the house. That's it.

 

[Snowbunny]

Do we want to break them down to tell the truth? I just came up with a hairbrain idea! Do we have the players that are currently in jail addresses? Lets start a letter brigade. Since Haleigh doesn't have a voice at this time, lets be her voice and tell Ron, Misty, Tommy, Teresa Neves and GGM Sykes how Haleigh might feel about all this. We don't have to be nasty since a 5 year old wouldn't be nasty and a 5 year old wouldn't call her daddy names. Lets crack them with kindness. Example: Daddy, I love you! Where are you daddy? I'm lonely, cold and afraid! I want to come home daddy. Please help me come home. Love, HaLeigh. This might be crazy but it might work.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

WTH!!!! You have got to be freakin kidding me.
Lt. Johnny Greenwood, of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday. "We don't know if the break in Haleigh's disappearance will come from behind bars or from the public."

"Everyone is considered a person of interest in Haleigh's disappearance except Crystal Sheffield and Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's parents," he added.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/24658375/detail.html

Surely they have not come to this conclusion based on the fact that Ron "was at werk", he could have killed Haleigh before leaving work, he could have set this in motion for Misty and Tommy to dispose of her, he could have offered Tommy or Joe drugs to get rid of her, there are so many possabilities. How in the heck did they come to the conclusion that Ron is not a POI , when they have NO IDEA what happened or where Haleigh is?

I remember Sheriff Hardy (or was it Lt. Greenwood?) saying this ages ago and thought he was just saying that to keep Ronald from knowing they were on to him. I seem to recall it being said at the beginning of the case. Could this reporter just be copying this line from the quote he made long ago?

When Sheriff Hardy said, "The whole world is a suspect", I took him to mean "everyone".

If this is true, and a recent quote, then I think this sheriff's office needs assistance because they're not looking at the entire picture. :waitasec:

If RC isn't the main one, then he's certainly part of the coverup. I do believe there are many involved in the coverup, not just the Croslins.

Agree about the video of RC whining on the ground just a few hours after Haleigh was reported "stole". My hinky meter went through the roof.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

Everybody....Hold on!There was no interview of Greenwood that I have heard today.

This is an example of our media going wild again..IMO.

Look at the article. It is a story... no reporter had interviewed him today. Once again they took old news and recycled it. Somebody from the family (take your pick) gave them the story for Haleigh's Birthday. They took some references from last year's comments and inserted them into a story for today. The quotes from Greenwood were from a few months ago and the one about ron and Crystal is most likely from what he said one year ago....probably told to the editor and was referenced.You can tell it is out of sequence.

This is getting really old. I am getting very irritated with newspapers and reporters. It sure looked like it was stated today. I do not see any reporter taking credit, therefore, it is simply a nice story between a family member and the paper or they just summed up today and threw in old quotes.

If I find out Greenwood was interviewed today, I will apologize...if anyone sees him on video or audio being interviewed today, let me know....otherwise, file it in the circular, it is good attempt at character restoration in time for a hearing.

That's what I'm thinking, too, it's a rehashed story. Lt. Greenwood and/or Sheriff Hardy made some sort of comment last year or at the river in April. I haven't heard them say this outright again.

It says Lt. Greenwood "said Tuesday", if that helps Whisperer, not today. Still, it's an exact quote I heard a long time ago. I thought it was Sheriff Hardy but it could have been Lt. Greenwood who said it. I do know Sheriff Hardy said "The whole world is a suspect", and for me, that includes Ronald and everyone else, including people named Sykes and Neves .

 

[lonetraveler]

WTH!!!! You have got to be freakin kidding me.
Lt. Johnny Greenwood, of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday. "We don't know if the break in Haleigh's disappearance will come from behind bars or from the public."

"Everyone is considered a person of interest in Haleigh's disappearance except Crystal Sheffield and Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's parents," he added.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/24658375/detail.html

Surely they have not come to this conclusion based on the fact that Ron "was at werk", he could have killed Haleigh before leaving work, he could have set this in motion for Misty and Tommy to dispose of her, he could have offered Tommy or Joe drugs to get rid of her, there are so many possabilities. How in the heck did they come to the conclusion that Ron is not a POI , when they have NO IDEA what happened or where Haleigh is?

I truly feel your pain butterfly. This information from a law enforcement agency that I was giving the benefit of the doubt that they actually had investigated and had at least minimum information on this case, has now let the entire world that in eighteen months they still do not have a clue and for what it is worth intend to cast all blame on the Croslins so that the case can be closed and they can get back to whatever sordid activities they are enjoying. I know I sound very judgemental but tonight, that is just the way I feel. I do however hope that LE surprises me and actually arrest the correct person.

 

[B4igo2it]

"I get tired of being judged by people who just look at me," Cummings said. "I'm glad I'm not such a judgmental person."

Quote by Ronald Cummings -
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100207/ARTICLES/2071006/1118?p=2&tc=pg

This is a very good article and well-written, IMO

 

[gitana1]

I can't believe this. So if he's NOT a suspect, then why not release the information regarding what hours he worked that day? That's been kept a secret for 18 months. I don't get it.

Because releasing that info to us does nothing to further the investigation. We are not LE investigating this case, we are not the prosecution. We have nothing to do with it and often LE holds back info from the public in order to protect that investigation.
Eventually hopefully we will find out what they have when criminal charges are filed. I hope they will be soon. This group of [unusual people] are hard nuts to crack - used to lying and living on the edge. They know how to keep quiet if they need to.
I do take solace in the fact though that the more people involved the more chances there are that one will leak info. Only problem is none of these people in jail are credible. Without some other evidence besides their statements, there is no way to know whether they are telling the truth.
I don't know if Ron is a suspect or POI at this time but I doubt it. I believe the only thing he has to do with this is surrounding his children with [unusual people] - neglect. The way he lived his life and the type of person he seems to be, it seems, IMO, that it was almost inevitable that something traumatic would eventually happen to one or both of his kids. Some kids have no chance from the get go, poor things.

 

[gitana1]

Le didn't make that statement yesterday, and Whisper is 100 percent right. If Ronald was not involved with what happened to his daughter, the cops would have been grateful for him entrapping Misty and he would not have gotten trouble.

I disagree. LE would catch a lot of flak for arresting some but not all of the culprits of that trafficking event. I think it could hurt their case against the rest of the defendants.
Ron has been involved in some real shady things. Not a clean life, IMO. The people he associates with are probably worse. However, my feeling is LE has found him credible in relation to what happened to Haleigh. Just far from daddy of the year.

 

[Zoe Bogart]

The only statement released by PCSO yesterday is that PCSO has nothing to say. This comes from Jacksonville news. The story was simply an update and Lt. Johnny Greenwood did not speak with them yesterday except to say he would not speak.

This is exactly how the news runs these days. They grab stories off the AP and other papers and go with it. They give the story legs by using quotes form other articles written in other papers and various times and dates.

We must be very careful with news articles. They should teach courses on how to read them and interpret them. It is not right for the average citizen to be mislead into thinking that people say things on a certain date when they did not.

Always look for the reporter and then you have to look for source and a date. With this particular article, you could see the statements were out of sequence. This very thing happened with ron's job as a Crane operator and PDM statements. The statements were blended in with what the reporter thought and it appeared that PDM said it...NOT SO!

I will tell you I tried to get information about his hours but the Jacksonville News is standing by whatever LE told them and they have heard that rc was at work. They do not have his hours of work. The will stand by what LE says and say he is NOT a suspect because it has been said in the past that rc was at work and that is good enough for them. That is how they are justifying what they had written in the article, even though it was old and they didn't speak with him lately. You can see they quoted him once more and they are firmly standing behind what they wrote. Did I expect anything differently?...nope.

Yes, what you say is true, that's why I said, too, that the quote came from an earlier time. I've seen more and more stories in recent years that are doing this, rehashing old stuff to make it appear new, and sometimes it's just not correct. Everyone wants to get the news in print and sometimes that means rehashing old, incorrect information, and old quotes.

Another quote I remember, definitely from Sheriff Hardy, when he was asked if Ronald was a suspect, he said, "He was at work". When asked if he checked his work hours, he responded something like, we've looked into it. He was never forthcoming or more definite about Ronald's work information. So there it is, these quotes, "He was at work" and "The whole world is a suspect" and everyone is a suspect except Haleigh's parents.

It stills seems vague to me.

 

[kamky]

Because releasing that info to us does nothing to further the investigation. We are not LE investigating this case, we are not the prosecution. We have nothing to do with it and often LE holds back info from the public in order to protect that investigation.
Eventually hopefully we will find out what they have when criminal charges are filed. I hope they will be soon. This group of lowlifes are hard nuts to crack - used to lying and living on the edge. They know how to keep quiet if they need to.
I do take solace in the fact though that the more people involved the more chances there are that one will leak info. Only problem is none of these people in jail are credible. Without some other evidence besides their statements, there is no way to know whether they are telling the truth.I don't know if Ron is a suspect or POI at this time but I doubt it. I believe the only thing he has to do with this is surrounding his children with lowlifes - neglect. The way he lived his life and the type of person he seems to be, it seems, IMO, that it was almost inevitable that something traumatic would eventually happen to one or both of his kids. Some kids have no chance from the get go, poor things.

bbm
I agree with your entire thoughtful, logical post - especially the bolded part. The great annoyance that LE has expressed at the recent revelations by Robert Fields has really brought home this point. It actually encouraged me that they reacted this emphatically because it suggests that they have a lot of information about the case and most likely have a firm grip on exactly who was involved. If they were still floundering, I don't think they would have reacted so vehemently.
Mr Fields' comments & the LE reaction also strengthen my belief that LE has concluded that neither Ron nor Crystal was involved in this crime. The fact that LE was so touchy leads me to think that LE is focused elsewhere and that the comments hit a little too close to home. I don't think it will make too big a difference, though. LE is biding their time and that one little piece of collaborating evidence will appear eventually.

 

[Bathbuddys]

WTH!!!! You have got to be freakin kidding me.
Lt. Johnny Greenwood, of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday. "We don't know if the break in Haleigh's disappearance will come from behind bars or from the public."

"Everyone is considered a person of interest in Haleigh's disappearance except Crystal Sheffield and Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's parents," he added.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/24658375/detail.html

Surely they have not come to this conclusion based on the fact that Ron "was at werk", he could have killed Haleigh before leaving work, he could have set this in motion for Misty and Tommy to dispose of her, he could have offered Tommy or Joe drugs to get rid of her, there are so many possabilities. How in the heck did they come to the conclusion that Ron is not a POI , when they have NO IDEA what happened or where Haleigh is?

Well I am sure LE has a lot of information like we don't have. They for sure have cell phone pings from all involved and they have time cards and witnesses from neighbors and from Rons work etc. It is possible that Misty, Tommy, Timmy and or Joe all were there or maybe they watched the kids while Misty was sleeping or partying somewhere else? who knows? In the beginning I thought it might have been Crystal as she was the only one I thought had a motive but that didn't pan out.. I wonder if we will ever know?

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Another quote I remember, definitely from Sheriff Hardy, when he was asked if Ronald was a suspect, he said, "He was at work". When asked if he checked his work hours, he responded something like, we've looked into it. He was never forthcoming or more definite about Ronald's work information. So there it is, these quotes, "He was at work" and "The whole world is a suspect" and everyone is a suspect except Haleigh's parents.

It stills seems vague to me.

The story is very clear: the statements were made on Tuesday. The story is dated Tuesday. The second quotation is tagged with "he added," making it clear that both statements were made at the same time. If the reporter wrote that Greenwood said it on Tuesday, then he did. Reporters interview LE officers every day. Reporters and news editors don't rely on press releases to generate information for newspapers and TV. The reporter will either have a tape recorder, a notebook or a videotape of what was said--or some combination. If Greenwood didn't make these statements or didn't make them on Tuesday, there would have been a retraction today. LE would NOT let an official statement (coming from the rank of lieutenant) about who was or wasn't a suspect stand if it weren't correct. You will not always SEE or HEAR these interviews; the LE officer might have only agreed to answer questions off camera. The reporter might have done a phone interview; that would account for no video. But you can take it to the bank that Greenwood said it on Tuesday, August 17, 2010. Several close friends and relatives have been reporters for national and major daily newspapers, wire services, news editors and news radio reporters and producers. Only hacks and lazy reporters bother with press releases. Real reporters REPORT, which means getting on the phone, or out of the newsroom, and talking to people on and off the record.

"Investigators are still working this case diligently, and we believe we will find out what happened to Haleigh, but it's going to take time," Lt. Johnny Greenwood, of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday. "We don't know if the break in Haleigh's disappearance will come from behind bars or from the public."

"Everyone is considered a person of interest in Haleigh's disappearance except Crystal Sheffield and Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's parents," he added.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/24658375/detail.html

If you are remembering correctly, aksleuth, then take the statements at face value. LE is asked if Ron was a suspect and the answer is "he was at work." That would seem to clear up the issue. If someone asked me if my husband wrecked the car, and I said, "he was at work," the only way that response makes sense, linguistically, is if I am saying he didn't wreck the car because he was at work.

If LE goes on later to say that the parents are on the bottom of the pile or aren't suspects (etc.), that simply confirms what LE already was saying--that RC didn't kill Haleigh or abduct her (?? that would be odd, anyway) and they know he didn't because he was at work. Think of other cases--the details that go into the prosecution of a case are never revealed to the public because they don't want to jeopardize the case. Talking in the media about aspects of the case just provides a road map for the defense, which otherwise would have to plow through thousands of pages of discovery and then guess at what the prosecution's line of attack would be. Perhaps more important, they don't want to reveal anything important before an arrest is made in order to make it harder for suspects to implicate others. For example, if LE suspected Tommy, a detailed revelation of Ron's work hours would just give TOMMY and his lawyer a chance to cook up a story that implicated Ron. LE doesn't want suspects knowing what LE knows. They want suspects guessing. And worrying.

When LE clears a suspect, they are clearing a suspect from their own list, not satisfying the emotional needs of the public. In particular, they probably want to clear the parents because they always start with them as potential suspects and work outward.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

There isn't a reason in the world that LE would "fib" about the parents not being suspects. I can't think of one case where that has ever happened. If they thought either Ron or Crystal was involved but pronounced them "cleared" or "not suspects," they have pretty much screwed up any chance to ever prosecute them. LE is predictable: they clear people, they name them POI or suspects, they drop hints or state that they failed polygraphs or their stories are inconsistent. Or they say nothing, zip, nada. They don't clear or name suspects. Then they arrest someone. What happened with Ron and Crystal is that LE has said they aren't suspects.

It is certainly possible that police could be wrong, but in this case there is likely to be hard evidence that Crystal and Ron were both elsewhere. Then you also have Tommy and Misty putting themselves at the scene, which is essentially the end of the game for them. It's a huge shift in the case that we began to see with the trip to the dock.