Haleighs story is heartbreaking, this beautiful little girl is why I am starting this blog.
Feburary 10th 2009
Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings of Satsuma, Florida went missing from her bedroom in the early morning on February 9th 2009. Ronald Cummings the father of Haleigh was working and left his two children Ronald Jr 4 years old and Haleigh 5 with his 17 year old girlfriend Misty Croslin. A phone call came in to 911 in the early morning hours.
The 911 Call
911: “911, what’s your emergency”
Misty Croslin: “Hi…umm…I just woke up…and our backdoor was wide open and I think…and I can’t find our daughter”
911: “you can’t find what?”
Misty Croslin:”our daughter”
911:” OK, what’s your address?
Misty Croslin: “(inaudible)”
911: “OK, what’s the numerical?”
Misty Croslin: “The numerical…what’s that?”
911: “the number…green lane?”
Misty Croslin: “Yes”
911: “OK when did you last see her?”
Misty Croslin: “Um, we like just, you know…it was about 10 o’clock- she was sleeping- I was cleaning…
911: “OK- how old is your daughter?”
Misty Croslin: “She’s five”
911: “Ok…what was she last seen wearing? Maam…”
Misty Croslin: “She was in her pajamas- she was sleeping…”
911: “OK…alright…You said your back door was wide open?”
Misty Croslin: “yes- it was bricked- there was a brick on the floor…when I was asleep it was not like that.”
911: Ok…the back door…listen to me…your back door was wide open…what are you talking about a brick?”
Misty Croslin: “(inaudible)”
911: “what is a brick?”
Misty Croslin: “it’s almost like– on the stairs- we have a walkway…”
911:” uh huh….and there was a brick laying there?”
Misty Croslin: “yes…it’s still there”
(background) tell them they’ve better come on…
911: “we’ve got em coming- tell him we’ve got them coming”
Misty Croslin: “they’re coming”
911: “Ok what’s the color of your house ma’am?
Misty Croslin: “blue”
911: “blue, OK(pause)
OK- what does she look like? How tall is she? Give me some description of her.”
Misty Croslin: “How tall she she? Like long hair like curly…with curls..
911: “long curls…what color?”
Misty Croslin: “(inaudible)”
911:” ok- what color hair? Brown hair?”
Misty Croslin: “Yes…oh my gosh….”
911: “OK- how tall is she about? Or how much does she weigh…do you know that?”
Misty Croslin: “huh?”
911: “about how tall or how much she weigh?”
Misty Croslin: “24 sounds about right- I don’t know- she’s not that tall….”
911: “OK-wait- tell your husband we’ve got them coming, ok?”
Misty Croslin: “OK”
911: “How much does she weigh- do you know?”
Misty Croslin: “huh?”
911: “How much does she weigh?”
Misty Croslin: “um…like 40-50 pounds- 60 pounds?
911: “40-60 pounds?”
Misty Croslin: “yeah”
911: “OK- let me get your name and phone number. Spell your last name…
spell your last name?
Was your back door locked do you know?”
Misty Croslin: “Yes…(inaudible)”
Ronald Cummings: “Man, I need somebody to get here now!”
911: “OK, let me speak to him…”
Ronald Cummings: “I just got home from work, my five-year-old daughter is gone- I need someone here now.”
911: “OK, listen to me…listen to me…we’ve got two officers…”
Ronald Cummings: “if I find whoever has my daughter before you all do, I’m killing them…I don’t care- I will spend the rest of my life in prison….you can put that on the recording…I don’t care.”
911: “It’s OK sir, we’ve got them on the way…ok- can you give me…what kind of description of pajamas was she wearing? “
Ronald Cummings: “I don’t f%$ know!”
Cummings:” Hello”
911:” OK sir let me just talk to your wife. Let me get some information from her. “
Misty: (inaudible) crying. “I don’t wanna…(inaudible)”
911: “Can I talk to her? OK”
Misty: “inaudible”
Cummings: (inaudible, in background ) “Where my daughter at?”
911:” Ma’am. OK listen I need you to answer some questions. Does the door look like it was pried open?”
Misty:” Umm… (inaudible)”
911: “Does it look like you had to sorta…like someone tried to enter your house.”
Misty: “Umm. Hold On.”
911:” And another thing, make sure you and your husband don’t touch the door anymore. Don’t mess with the door or anything. “
Misty: “No it doesn’t. “
911: “it doesn’t look like it is?”
Misty: “No”
911: “Ok, now listen, tell your husband, do not touch anything- because we are going to get a k-9 out there”
Misty: “ok….she said don’t touch anything because they are bringing a k-9 out here”
Ronald Cummings: “they better bring f’ing something out here- because if I get my hands on that mother f’er I’m going to kill him…I don’t give a f%*)@# about prison…mother F’ing prison doesn’t scare me.”
911:” ok, we understand- we’ve got them on the way
What’s her name…{redacted}…how do you spell her first name…{redacted}…what’s her middle name? …{redacted}. And the spelling of the last name is? …{redacted}.”
Misty: “well, that’s my last name”
911: “What’s her date of birth?
Ronald Cummings: “i’m going to f’ing kill somebody”
911:”Tell him we understand- we need to get her date of birth.”
Misty: “what’s her date of birth?”
Ronald Cummings: “F her date of birth- we need to find her- f her date of birth.”
911: ” Ok Listen to me, I’m getting this information- I’m not the officer driving out there ok? - they are coming out there to handle that situation. I need to gather all the information from you over the phone…it has nothing to do with me driving out there…ok? They are coming out there…ok?”
Misty: “ok”
911: “ok, I’m going to stay on the phone with you ok? Until they get there…ok?”
Misty: “ok”
(backgroud noise)
911: “tell him we’ve got them coming, he’s got to calm down a little bit. The officers are going to come out there and do what they can. We can’t have him screaming and yelling at the officers whenever they get there ok?”
Misty:” Uh huh…”
Ronald Cummings: "where is my f’ing phone…we’ve got better people to talk to then some mother f’ers who ain’t coming"
When I first heard that 911 call, I could hear and feel the pure panic and anger in Ronald's voice. However something didn't quite seem right about Misty's voice, but as a mother myself I have no idea what the right way or wrong way is to act in such a situation. A massive search and Amber alert was released that morning. Police used bloodhounds and helicopters to try and find Haleigh. Ronald and Misty appeared in many interviews about the night Haleigh went missing. Misty stumbled on her own words many times and those of us that watched were left feeling that she had allot more to tell. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, because she was only a 17 year old girl and this is a very tragic thing to happen under her watch. As their lives unfolded right before our eyes on the news channels. It became very apparent to all of us that there definitely was something that Misty was hiding. Stories started to spread about drug use and about Misty being so high she couldn't remember. People started to watch both Ronald's and Misty's every move. Some people felt that Ronald was coaching her in interviews, and others thought that Misty was acting twitchy when asked certain questions. I for one still stood by the man I heard crying on those 911 tapes, and his mother that cried and pleaded on Nancy Grace so many times. Little Haleigh's bio mom Crystal Sheffield acted pretty much exactly what I expected from a mom that has lost her daughter, She trembled, cried and could barley speak. Crystal made a few appearances pleading for the safe return of her baby, but she really didn't have the controversial appeal that Misty and Ronald did. This is why I feel the two of them have remained in the news this long.
Florida authorities said they believed Haleigh had been kidnapped from her home. According to Misty the last time she saw Haleigh was about 10 pm. She tucked Haleigh and her brother into bed at 8 pm that night then went to bed herself at around 10. Misty woke at 3 a.m. to use the washroom and found Haleigh missing and a back door propped open by bricks.
When Misty first told this story all 3 of them were apparently sleeping in the same bed, but the next time she told it Haleigh was sleeping on a mattress next to the bed. Well the story gets even stranger when Ronald in the middle of the search for his daughter proposes marriage to Misty Croslin. This made news of course, the media was all over the engagement video and the people who had grown to love this little girl were in shock. This is where my opinion comes in, I feel that because of the family that little Haleigh grew up with, she would not have made the news more than a few weeks. However because of the actions of Ronald and the strange behavior of Misty it is still in the news today. I saw the video of the engagement and yes Misty was glowing like a little princess that finally got her prince. However Ronald was not, My thoughts are that Ronald only did this to keep his little girl in the headlines. I am not saying that I feel that Ronald is a good parent or that he is not to blame for his daughter disappearing, but something inside me knows that he didn't do anything with his little girl. After the engagement the couple got offers again to appear on the news and The Today Show. Five weeks after little Haleigh went missing Ronald and Misty got married. Their honeymoon was spent in New York , where they did appear on The Today Show. This story did get followed for awhile longer , then suddenly we didn't hear anything for quite some time. I think they remained married for about 6 months before Ronald spoke on the Nancy Grace show and said they were getting a divorce. Again this brought Haleigh back into the news. Misty Apparently took off to Orlando and was having some girl time away from the media, she did not want to speak with police or any one else for that matter. Well I don't know about you, but my head is spinning with this story! Suddenly a case of a missing child has turned into a strange rat race that never seams to end.
Soon after Ronald talks on Nancy Grace, in comes another 911 call.
Courtney, Ballinger called 911 and said that two woman were threatening her in a blue Dodge Caliber. Courtney said she thought the driver had waved a gun at her and that both women made an obscene gesture. The driver also threatened to beat her up.
“They’re waving something around and I don’t know what it is, but I don’t want to find out,” she told 911. The police did pull over Misty and her friend, but found no weapon and released them.
Apparently the "friend" Misty was with was Donna Brock and she was paid by a search firm to get close to Misty Croslin, in hopes of coaxing a confession. I may be wrong, but I feel that this was another attempt from Ronald's side of the family to get answers.
Ronald Cummings, Misty Croslin Arrested for Drug Trafficking. Back in the news again, Is it just me or does it seam very strange that every time the news coverage of Haleigh slows down something opens it up again? I have watched the under cover tapes as I am sure you all have. I stand by my theory that ever thing including this is part of Ronald's plan to crack Misty. I may be very wrong, but in the final tape when the arrest occurred I really get a sense that Ronald knew it was coming. So Ronald faces three counts of trafficking, and is being held on $500,000 bond. Misty faces six counts and has a $950,000, interesting enough Misty played the biggest part in the whole deal. Misty's Brother , Hank Croslin Jr was also charged. The time in jail has definitely caused Misty to change her story, however none of us know what is truth anymore when it comes to any of these people. Misty Croslin's grandmother, Flora Hollars makes news with some very disturbing details. 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.
The next thing we know the police are conducting a search of the River. The news shows coverage of the police talking to Misty at the river and what appears to be her pointing in the water. What happened to Misty not knowing anything? They did find a few cinder blocks in the river and we saw them pull something that looked almost like a cooler. I was pretty sure while watching this that poor little Haleigh was finally going to be found and able to RIP like she deserves. However the police said that they did not find the evidence they needed, but they did announced that Haleigh is dead, and were searching the river for evidence. Even though I do believe little Haleigh is dead, I don't understand how they would announce this without evidence. If they are going by Misty and her family's stories they must have lost their minds. I have come to realize that everything that comes out of these peoples mouth are lies. So far no one has been charged with the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings and the police still say they have no suspects. The latest news on Haleigh's case that has broken in the last few days is that Misty has claimed that she knows what happened to Haleigh and is ready to talk. Misty has told investigators that her cousin, Joe Overstreet, put Haleigh in a black bag and took her away. She said that she was hiding under a sheet when she heard little Haleigh screaming as Jo took her. This is just another story that doesn't add up, How could someone allow this to happen to a little girl. At this point all i can say is that if Misty's lips are moving then more lies will be heard. As far as Ronald goes, I won't be surprises when the answers are found that he is let out of jail, because I believe that he has been part of this investigation from the beginning.
We will find out what happened to you sweet angel, I hope you are safe.
