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Haleigh Update 4-16-10
Friday, 16 April 2010 1:14PM
<snipped>
Whatever was found in the search for evidence of missing 6-year-old Haleigh Cummings of Satsuma in the St Johns River this week prompted Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy to switch the investigation from an abduction to a homicide Thursday. The Tennessee grandmother of Misty and Tommy Crolsin claims she was told what happened to the 6-year-old Satsuma girl who has been missing for over 14 months in recent telephone conversations with her grandchildren from jail.

Hollars claims she is the one who informed police where to look for the body of the missing child along the St. Johns River. Putnam County Officials have not confirmed that she is the informant, but they did announce Friday morning that telephone calls between Tommy Croslin and Flora Hollars did take place:


Media Release
April 16, 2010
The Putnam County Sheriff&#8217;s Office has received numerous requests for confirmation that Hank Thomas &#8220;Tommy&#8221; Croslin Jr. has recently spoken with his grandmother (Flora Hollars) in Tennessee. I can confirm that Tommy Croslin has recently spoken with Hollars by telephone. The details of the conversations or copies of the actual telephone calls cannot be released at this time. These conversations contain information related to an active criminal investigation and are considered exempt from disclosure under Florida Public Records Law.

Lieutenant Johnny Greenwood
Putnam County Sheriff&#8217;s Office
130 Orie Griffin Blvd.
Palatka, Florida 32177
(386) 326.2782


Article:
http://www.thesky973.com/pages/6822697.php
 
Haleigh Update: Sheffield's Attorney Issues Press Release
Friday, 16 April 2010 3:39PM
<snipped>
The attorney for the mother of missing 6-year-old Haleigh Cummings of Satsuma, who has been missing since February 2009 when she was taken from her home and has been the subject of a massive search, issued a press release today.

Carol A. Caldwell issued the statement to the media via email Friday afternoon stating that Crystal Sheffield and her family are cooperating with the law enforcement investigation regarding Haleigh disappearance saying that Crystal is in regular contact with the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.

Ms. Caldwell also stated in the release that Crystal and her family members do not wish to speak with the media or give any media interviews and asks that the media respect their wished for privacy at this time.


PDF: Full Press Release
http://imgsrv.thesky973.com/image/wsky/UserFiles/File/im47201004161334.pdf

Article:
http://www.thesky973.com/pages/6823497.php
 
Haleigh Update: Press Release from Tommy Croslin's Attorney
Friday, 16 April 2010 4:40PM
News Talk 97.3 The SKY just received this press release from the attorney for Tommy Croslin regarding the Haleigh Cummings case:

JAMES S. WERTER, LLC
ATTORNEY AT LAW

HALEIGH CUMMINGS MISSING CHILD CASE
APRIL 16, 2010
On March 26, 2010, I informed Nancy Grace that Hank T. Croslin, Jr. (Tommy), wanted and will take a polygraph exam to clear the air as to the events of the evening of February 9-10, 2009, when Haleigh disappeared.

On Thursday, April 8, 2010, Tommy did take a polygraph given by technician, Ron Grenier. On Saturday, April10, 2010, this attorney met with his client to discuss the results of the polygraph.

On Sunday night, April 11, 2010, this attorney received a telephone call from Lindsey Croslin (Wife) that Tommy requested that we meet with Steven K. Brown, the private investigator involved for the past 10-11 months.

On Monday morning, 9:30 AM, April 12, 2010, Steven K. Brown, this attorney and Tommy met at the St. Johns County Jail to discuss the polygraph and February 9, 2009.

Based on discussions that morning, this attorney made contact with FDLE, the State Attorney&#8217;s Office and Scott Bolin, Special Agent, FBI, and arranged an interview with Tommy at the State Attorney&#8217;s Office, Homicide Investigations Unit, St. Augustine, Florida, at approximately 5:00 PM.

As a result of the 2 plus hours interview with Jason Jolicoeiur, Special Agent, FDLE, Detective Peggy Cone, Putnam Co. Sheriff&#8217;s Office, under the guidance of this attorney and Steven K. Brown, Tommy took the group to the Shell Harbour Road boat ramp, St Johns River, Putnam County, Florida.

The commencement of the river search for Haleigh was at 10:00 AM, Tuesday, April 13, 2010.


Article:
http://www.thesky973.com/pages/6823795.php
 
It's a murder case
Friday, April 16, 2010 2:08 AM EDT
<snipped>
The 14-month search for Haleigh Cummings has turned into a murder investigation.

In a news conference late Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Jeff Hardy declared he was "comfortable" calling the Haleigh Cummings case a homicide after information obtained from investigators in the past few weeks that has led them to believe she is "most likely deceased."

As the sun receded toward the St. Johns River where a search for the missing 5-year-old began three days ago, Hardy said several persons of interest have been developed.

No names were revealed Thursday. "We are hoping to make an arrest in this case," Hardy said. "This case has been going on for the past 14 months - people are starting to talk. Where that's going to lead us, I don't know, but we are going to follow it until the end."

Standing under the shade of an oak tree to address broadcasters and news reporters, Hardy said no body or human remains were found relevant to the Haleigh case. "We will not discuss any items of possible evidence that might have been located at the boat ramp," Hardy said. He did say an anthropologist from the University of Florida analyzed all items recovered on the scene.

Captain Dominic Piscatello, head of the major crimes unit, later added, "We can't go search every bottom of the St. Johns River - you have to have a reason." It could take up to six months for investigators to receive test results on the items pulled from the river.

Hardy said if warranted, they would search again. "Just because we are leaving here doesn't mean this lead isn't going to be followed up any further," Hardy said.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh_FT719ZZQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD6g8OTcawI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eYFygyp1vQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0prOHvaPnBQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=181mSoHR1PA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abHFKNn02ZA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t-zopHX4YI

Article:
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/04/16/news/news01.txt
 
Croslin's attorney confirms he led investigators to river
Last Update: 7:21 pm
<snipped>
The 14 month mystery into what happened to Haleigh Cummings is finally unravelling because of Tommy Croslin.

His attorney confirmed what Action News reported earlier this week. Tommy is the person who led investigators to the section of the St. Johns River where Haleigh may have spent the last few moments of her life.

According to James Werter, his client, Tommy, decided to clear his name last week by taking a lie detector test. The results of the test are unknown. But after taking the test, he decided to meet with investigators last weekend. Then on Monday night, Tommy led them to a dock on the river, where he said they would find physical evidence into Haleigh's disappearance.

Authorities recovered possible evidence during a three-day search of the area. The sheriff won't reveal what was taken but he says it will all be processed for clues.

It could take several weeks, even months to process the possible evidence. After the processing is complete, we could know more about the mysterious disappearance of Haleigh Cummings.


Video: Justice For Haleigh 4/16/10 3:09
New information about the source of a tip that lead police to search a section of the St. Johns River for missing Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=37462@wtev.web.entriq.net&navCatId=5

Video: Justice for Haleigh: Family 4/16/10 2:29
FLORA HOLLERS SAYS SHE HAS BEEN GETTING PHONE CALLS FROM HER GRANDKIDS IN JAIL, AND THEY HAVE BEEN GIVING HER INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT THAT HALEIGH DISAPPEARED
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=37460@wtev.web.entriq.net&navCatId=5

Video: Justice for Haleigh 4/16/10 3:48
WE NOW KNOW THAT POLICE ARE TREATING HALEIGH'S CASE AS A HOMICIDE, AND THEY HAVE NEW INFORMATION TO BACK THAT UP
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=37459@wtev.web.entriq.net&navCatId=5

Video: Justice for Haleigh 4/15/10 3:22
THERE ARE FAMILIES IN HALEIGH'S COMMUNITY WAITING FOR THE TRUTH
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=37431@wtev.web.entriq.net&navCatId=5

Article:
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/conten...led-investigators/w27ob-p8DkKdL9cJCKdU8w.cspx
 
Source for renewed search unnamed
No confession in HaLeigh disappearance
Posted: April 17, 2010 - 12:14am

By KATE HOWARD

Before the river searches and changing storylines began this week over HaLeigh Cummings' disappearance, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. took investigators to a spot along the St. Johns River they were soon calling a crime scene.

It's still unclear what was said by Croslin, the brother of the woman who reported 5-year-old HaLeigh missing from her Satsuma home on Feb. 10, 2009.
...............................................
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Croslin Jr. had called his grandmother on Sunday but couldn't address the contents of the conversation.

It declined to release the tapes of the phone calls, saying the content was connected to the ongoing investigation.

The office then released a statement, saying it had been inundated with phone calls about the case and was no longer able to respond to media inquiries.

Hollars also said she heard from Misty Croslin on Thursday, who gave more details about Haleigh being dropped into the river tied to a cinder block.

However, her father, Hank Croslin Sr., said Misty Croslin "didn't tell Flo all that stuff."

................................
Croslin Sr. and his wife said they spoke to their daughter and son on Friday morning.

He said Croslin Jr. said he only asked Hollars to get in touch with other family members to arrange visits. At the time Hollars was the only one in the family with money in a telephone account to pay for collect calls from jail, the elder Croslin said.

He said his son isn't talking about the case over the phone but has denied involvement in HaLeigh's disappearance.

"I'm not saying he doesn't know anything," Croslin Sr. said, adding that Hollars may have been repeating the content of letters Misty Croslin sent to her father and another brother in Massachusetts.

He also said the reward money in the case - $35,000 - might be an influence.



more here

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-04-17/source-renewed-search-unnamed
 
Misty Croslin's brother led authorities to boat ramp, attorney says
Published: Friday, April 16, 2010 at 9:39 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, April 16, 2010 at 9:39 p.m.
<snipped>
James Werter, attorney for Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., released a statement Friday saying that Tommy Croslin took a polygraph on April 8 and met on Monday with representatives from several law enforcement agencies and private investigator Steven Brown. "As a result of the two-plus-hours interview ... Tommy took the group to the Shell Harbour Road boat ramp ...," Werter said. "The commencement of the river search for Haleigh was at 10 a.m. Tuesday ..."

Some of the items hauled from the St. Johns River in the difficult three-day search are being analyzed at a University of Florida laboratory that specializes in identifying human remains to learn if any are from Haleigh. The Sun had reported on Tuesday that Brown said information from him led to the scouring of the river.

Werter said that Tommy Croslin was given a polygraph test on April 8 and that Werter met with with his client on April 10 to discuss the results. On Sunday night, Tommy Croslin's wife, Lindsy Croslin, called Werter and requested that they meet with Brown, who has been investigating the case for about 11 months. They met to talk about the polygraph and the events of Feb. 9 2009, the day Haleigh disappeared. Then came the meeting with authorities and the trip to the boat ramp.

Anthropologists from the C.I. Pound Human Identification Lab at UF were at the search site in southeastern Putnam County and are now involved in testing to determine what the collected materials may be. The lab has assisted in a number of high-profile cases, including identification of victims of the 2001 World Trade Center bombings in New York and the slaughter of Russian Czar Nicholas II and his family in 1918.

"They work with medical examiners' offices and law enforcement agencies in the state in cases where there are questions about the circumstances surrounding a death," UF spokesman Steve Orlando said. "They have worked on some really large cases and some complicated cases. They can do all of the testing and analysis at the lab."

Also on Friday, the Sheriff's Office said Tommy Croslin did speak with his grandmother Flora Hollars by phone from jail. However, Putnam County authorities on Friday declined to discuss details of the call or other aspects of the case.

*Much more at link!
**3-Page Article!!


Article:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...er-led-authorities-to-boat-ramp-attorney-says
 
Great-grandmother says Haleigh is alive until proven otherwise
Saturday, April 17, 2010 2:00 AM EDT
<snipped>
"They've got to show me a body or something that definitely proves that she is dead or otherwise she'll be alive," Annette Sykes said. "I'm not going to believe that she's dead. They've got to prove it." No trace of her has been found.

Sykes said the family was informed of the change in the case's status on Tuesday when they were summoned to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. "That was what they called us in the office to tell us," she said. "They wanted to let us know before they said anything publicly."

Sykes added the family is doing "as well as we can." "They can say that it's a homicide all they want to, but they've got to prove it to us," she said.

When asked if she thought if Joe Overstreet - a cousin of Misty Croslin that was questioned by local and state investigators this week - had anything to do with Haleigh's disappearance, she replied that she didn't know.

"You've heard all the lies that that family tells, how many stories have they already told, so who knows," Sykes said.


Article:
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/04/17/news/news01.txt
 
Ronald Cumming's Attorney: Father Still Has Hope Tip Was False Lead

Jessica Clark Created: 4/17/2010 4:08:59 PM Updated: 4/17/2010 6:42:55 PM

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- While boats and divers scoured the St. Johns River this week near Satsuma, detectives met with Haleigh Cummings' family.

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, was walked out of jail for a while so detectives could also update him on the search for his missing daughter.

His attorney, Terry Shoemaker, told First Coast News that Cummings and his family were advised to make funeral arrangements.

"Yeah, you can understand how Ron would be shocked at that because he's hoping it ends, but still holding hope that maybe they're wrong that maybe something else happened and this will end up as another false lead," Shoemaker said.

Earlier this week, Flora Hollars -- the grandmother of Cummings' ex-wife Misty Croslin - spoke about the case. Hollars claimed Misty and her brother told her their cousin -- Joe Overstreet -- took the little girl.

Shoemaker said Cummings does not know Joe Overstreet well, but had suspected Overstreet since day one.

"He's not surprised," Shoemaker said, "and [Cummings] said if you go back and listen to the 911 tape he made a comment that night about "Cousin Joe.""

First Coast News has reviewed the 911 tape released by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. First Coast News cannot make out where Cummings mentions "Cousin Joe" Overstreet. However, some of the 911 call may have been redacted.


more here

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=154906&catid=3
 
Examiner.com article: Two coasts apart, touching the lives of people around the world: Haleigh Cummings and Susan Powell

April 16, 2010 - (Slideshow) Two missing persons cases spanning two coasts have touched the hearts of people all over the world - the Susan Cox Powell case in Washington/Utah, and the Haleigh Cummings case in Florida.

Haleigh Cummings is the adorable 5-year old Florida girl who has been missing for over a year. Her father came home from the night-shift and his daughter was missing, allegedly taken from her bed while her new step-mother, Misty Croslin, slept. Croslin has flunked four polygraph tests and a voice stress test.

Susan Cox Powell is the 28-year old West Valley City, Utah mother of two young boys who went missing over four months ago. Her husband, Josh Powell, is the last person to see her and remains the only person of interest in what police call a missing person's case with suspicious criminal overtones. Josh left Utah two weeks after Susan went missing and is living in Puyallup, Washington, with his father, Steven Powell, several of his siblings, and his two young sons.

The world is waiting for answers in both cases... click here for article
 
Grandmother says Misty Croslin revealed details of Haleigh Cummings&#8217; disappearance
7:54 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2010
<snipped>
Croslin said someone had "wrapped a rope around her and tied it to a brick," according to Croslin's grandmother, Flora Hollars.

"And they found two bricks down there yesterday," Hollars said from her home in Tennessee. "They call them cinder blocks, but I call them bricks."

Divers searched the St. Johns River several days during the past week. They recovered items, but it was not known whether they are related to Haleigh's disappearance. Hollars said she heard people talking about the cinder blocks on television.

Hollars said she wasn't sure whether Misty was involved in the child's disappearance. She has been unable to call her granddaughter to talk further.

"She didn't say," Hollars said. "If I could just talk to her, I know she would tell me."

Hollars told the Sentinel last week that she shared with investigators the information she learned from talks with Misty.

"Every time I talk to her [Croslin], I get a little bit more and a little bit more," Hollars said by phone from Nashville. "I even told them [investigators] where to go search at. ... I know a yellow rope was supposed to be there."


Article:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...sses-grandma-haleigh-20100417,0,7704633.story
 
Haleigh's Dad Told To Make Funeral Arrangements
Sunday, April 18, 2010 5:48:06 AM
<snipped>
Haleigh Cummings' father was reportedly told to start making funeral arrangements for his missing daughter.

However, an attorney for Ronald Cummings said his client hopes the tip that led investigators to search the St. Johns River near Walaka was a false lead.

Croslin&#8217;s grandmother said Misty told her while she wasn't involved in Haleigh's death, she knows someone tied a brick to Haleigh and then dumped her body in the St. Johns River.

Investigators are not saying what they think happened to Haleigh.


Video: Haleigh Search: Murder Investigation
http://www.cfnews13.com/MediaPlayer...5Haleigh_041520100942&cat=Local&title=Haleigh Search: Murder Investigation

Article:
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2010/4/17/haleigh39s_dad_told_to_make_funeral_arrangements.html
 
Attorney: Police Believed They Could Crack Misty
Jessica Clark Created: 4/18/2010 12:17:59 PM Updated: 4/18/2010 6:03:56 PM

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- After taking Misty Croslin to the dock where divers scoured the St. Johns River for clues in the Haleigh Cummings investigation, the Putnam County Sheriff said he believes the teenager still holds information that is key to solving the case.

Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's father thinks Croslin may know more as well, according to Cummings' attorney, Terry Shoemaker.

"He's still hoping that if Misty did know something -- and it appears she did -- he's hoping it was something she was forced to do, threatened to do, and that's why she wouldn't talk to him," Terry Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker spoke to First Coast News this weekend about his client.

Like Croslin, Cummings is in jail on un-related drug charges. The two are accused of prescription drug trafficking.

Months ago, Cummings' mother said he may have done those crimes to get close to Misty after the divorce, in order to learn what happened to Haleigh.

This weekend, Cummings' attorney shed new light on the relationship.

"The police always said, 'If you divorce Misty, we'll find something out. She'll crack.' They've told him, 'If Misty got in trouble, in jail, we could probably get her to crack,'" Shoemaker said.


more here

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=154929&catid=3

Video -

Attorney: Cummings Not Mad But Disappointed in Misty Croslin

4/18/10 6 p.m. Report



http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video...y+Croslin/50619441001/50624658001/78703264001
 
http://www.cityjournalistdirectory....e_key_to_haleigh_cummings_homicide_case_7336/

Joe Overstreet - Shawn Sirgo &#8211; Hold the key to Haleigh Cummings Homicide Case

But is that correct do they hold the key to solving the mystery of what happened to Haleigh Cummings!

They could be just being &#8216;thrown into the mix&#8217; sounds strange, well maybe not as showcasing Joe Overstreet could throw the Police off track

Plus if the guilty person or persons who are responsible for this hideous crime have engineered the heat to now focus on Joe Overstreet, it could well work as it takes the heat off the guilty!
 
What's next for the Haleigh case?
Published: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 1:52 AM EDT
<snipped>
After publicly stating they believe Haleigh Cummings is dead, investigators say the case has not changed from their perspective.

"You lose the Amber Alert out of that, but that's the only significant difference between any tool or investigative strategy that changes or diminishes," Maj. Gary Bowling, director of Law Enforcement for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said Monday. "Nobody believed we were looking for a live child anymore, and our investigation pointed to that, so we just wanted to be as honest as we could about it," he said.

Haleigh's new status will also keep the investigation on the path to her killer rather than the person that abducted her, Bowling said. "You create more effectiveness or direction from your homicide folks, including the homicide unit from the State Attorney's Office," Bowling said.

Though the homicide unit now leads on the case on paper, Bowling said the same detectives would remain on the case. "They did a joint investigation for the potentiality that it shifted from one to the other, and so it kind of stays the same," he said.

Hardy stated last week that he believes "it is a matter of time" before the case is solved. "I think that's true," Bowling said. "We are working diligently toward it. We are going to keep investigating it diligently. I also think it is a matter of time."


Article:
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/04/20/news/news01.txt
 

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