2010.04.15 - Today's Current News - ***NO DISCUSSIONS HERE PLEASE ***

[Angel Who Cares]

Sheriff: 'Haleigh Likely Deceased'
Sheriff's Office Has Identified Persons Of Interest
POSTED: Thursday, April 15, 2010
UPDATED: 7:02 pm EDT April 15, 2010
<snipped>
Hardy said crews have been searching the St. Johns River, around five miles from the trailer that Haleigh disappeared from in February 2009, for three days. He said the crews have obtained items, but it is not known if they are related to the investigation.

Hardy said the search was prompted by new information obtained from interviews, but he declined to name anyone specifically.

"The specific details of this information cannot and will not be released at this time," Hardy said.

Hardy said although no one is in custody related to Haleigh's disappearance, investigators have honed in on persons of interest.

The case is now being investigated as a homicide, Hardy said.

VIDEO: Sheriff Speaks
http://www.clickorlando.com/video/23165884/index.html

VIDEO: Misty At Search Site
http://www.clickorlando.com/video/23154159/index.html

Article:
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23163877/detail.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Haleigh's Disappearance Now A Murder Investigation
Thursday, April 15, 2010 10:16:00 PM
<snipped>
Hardy said Croslin is talking.

"Listen, people are beginning to cooperate and that's why it's going to be a matter of time. And we are going to accept any cooperation that we can get,&#8221; Hardy said.

Croslin and Cummings are in jail on drug charges.

Hardy would not discuss what was found in the river.

But while clutching to a picture of the 5-year-old, Hardy said what they did find leads them to believe that Haleigh is no longer alive.

&#8220;At this time I am comfortable and I am going to go ahead and call it a homicide," Hardy said.

The sheriff said they will now begin building a case. He said they have persons of interest and is certain an arrest will be made. However, he would not say who they are targeting.

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

Video: Haleigh News Conference
http://www.cfnews13.com/MediaPlayer...r041510w_041520100453&cat=Local&title=Haleigh News Conference

Article:
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/..._search_area_named_crime_scene.html?refresh=1

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Joe Overstreet's Attorney Not Contacted about a Person of Interest
Created: 4/15/2010 7:17:16 PM
Updated: 4/15/2010 8:06:29 PM
<snipped>
Joe Overstreet's attorney, Shawn Sirgo, was in Louisiana when Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy released information that police believe Haleigh Cummings is dead. Sirgo's secretary said his office has not been contacted by authorities regarding the new information.

Overstreet spoke with Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents for 45 minutes early Wednesday morning, his attorney added this was just a regular interview. Sirgo said the detectives were on a witchhunt and were just asking for some information.

Sirgo told First Coast News Wednesday Overstreet is innocent and added he has a feeling of where this case is going.

Video: Joe Overstreet's Attorney Not Contacted about a Person of Interest 1:37
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=78358936001

Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=154823&catid=3

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Putnam Co. Sheriff: 'Haleigh Cummings is Most Likely Deceased'
Created: 4/15/2010 4:08:34 PM
Updated: 4/15/2010 10:29:31 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.

He said they plan to wrap up the search scene today at 6 p.m., and said the items will be taken to several independent forensic labs for testing. He's hoping for an arrest.

"Let's hope and pray that we can bring this thing to a logical conclusion for the family," Hardy said as he ended the news conference.

VIDEO: WATCH THE FULL NEWS CONFERENCE
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=154812&catid=3

VIDEO: Sheriff Jeff Hardy Updates Haleigh Cummings Case 04/15/10 Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=78318315001

VIDEO: Search for Haleigh Cummings Near Satsuma 04/15/10 6 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=78340914001

Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=154812&catid=3

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Haleigh Cummings' Grandmother Annette Sykes: 'We Stilll Have a lot of Faith'
Created: 4/15/2010 10:03:14 PM
Updated: 4/15/2010 10:35:43 PM
<snipped>
Haleigh Cummings' grandmother said she will continue to pray for Haleigh's safe return until police can prove the 5-year-old is no longer alive. Today, Sheriff Jeff Hardy said in a news conference police believe Haleigh is dead.

"We still have a lot of faith," Annette Sykes said.

Police gave the family the news Tuesday and in the days since, they have watched the St. Johns River search on TV and were surprised to see Misty Croslin led to the site.

Video: Haleigh Cummings' Grandmother Annette Sykes: 'We Still Have a lot of Faith' 2:26
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=78373039001

Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=154830&catid=3

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Sheriff: Haleigh Likely Dead; Persons Of Interest Identified
River Search Continues Into 3rd Day; Items Recovered
POSTED: Thursday, April 15, 2010
UPDATED: 6:48 pm EDT April 15, 2010
<snipped>
Hardy said he's confident in calling this a homicide investigation based on information obtained by investigators over the past few weeks, and he said some "people are starting to cooperate" and talk, though he did not say who he was referring to.

Hardy said no one has been arrested, but investigators are "working on building a case." The sheriff said of Misty Cummings, the last person to see Haleigh the night she vanished, that she has been acting more calm and, "I think she's coming to realize she's in trouble."

Hardy said he met with members of Haleigh Cummings' family Tuesday afternoon, but he would not say what he told them. Haleigh's great-grandmother Annette Sykes told Channel 4 after the sheriff's announcement Thursday that that's what he told the family. Still, she said she will hold out hope that Haleigh is alive.

"My mind tells me that that may be true, but my heart says it's not," Sykes said. "And until they can bring me something to prove to me that she's not alive, I'll continue to believe that she is. People can make fun of me and talk about me and our whole family, basically. But if they can't prove to me somehow that she's dead, I'll just keep on believing she's alive."

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

Video: Search For Haleigh Enters Second Day
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23146427/index.html

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

Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23160821/detail.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Items found in Haleigh search; now a homicide case
Published: Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 4:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 4:33 p.m.
<snipped>
"Over the past few weeks, information has been obtained by investigators that lead them to believe Haleigh Cummings is most likely deceased," Hardy said, adding later, "At this point, I am comfortable in going ahead and calling this a homicide investigation."

Hardy added there are "persons of interest" in the case, but he said no one is in custody related to Haleigh's case.

Relatives of Haleigh, including paternal grandmother Teresa Neves and maternal grandmother Marie Griffis, could not be reached for comment. Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, has not spoken to the media much since her daughter's disappearence.

Hardy said key figures in the case -- including Misty Croslin, who was babysitting Haleigh at the time she disappeared -- have become more cooperative. Croslin and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, are among several family members currently jailed on drug trafficking charges.

Attorneys for Croslin and Cummings could not be reached Thursday.

Video: Haleigh Update: Case
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100415/VIDEO/4152000&template=video

Article:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...1118?Title=Haleigh-case-now-called-a-homicide

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Sheriff: Haleigh Likely Dead; Persons Of Interest Identified
River Search Continues Into 3rd Day; Items Recovered
POSTED: Thursday, April 15, 2010
UPDATED: 6:48 pm EDT April 15, 2010
<snipped>
Investigators continued their search of the St. Johns River for a third day on Thursday in connection with the disappearance of the 6-year-old Satsuma girl, and Hardy said items have been recovered. He said it's unknown if the items are related to the case, and they will be sent to labs for analysis.

The sheriff said the search at the Shell Harbor Boat Ramp was the result of information obtained during interviews.

Hardy said he's confident in calling this a homicide investigation based on information obtained by investigators over the past few weeks, and he said some "people are starting to cooperate" and talk, though he did not say who he was referring to.

Overstreet and Cummings' grandmother, Flora Hollars, who also lives in Antioch, said it was her tip that led investigators to search the St. Johns River. Though Hardy said the tip did not come from Tennessee, but from a source.

"What I've heard is they're looking for particular items now, but they've not told me what kind of items," Hollars said.

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

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

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

Video: Putnam Sheriff To Addresses Haleigh Search Rumors
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23167681/index.html

Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23160821/detail.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Sheriff: Haleigh case a homicide investigation
Last Update: 7:07 pm
<snipped>
Sheriff Jeff Hardy released new details in the search for Haleigh Cummings saying now that he is comfortable calling the case a homicide investigation.

Hardy said the search will end at 6 p.m. tonight. Items have been recovered from the search site and sent to a crime lab for analysis. A collection of interviews with witnesses and items recovered have led investigators to believe that Haleigh is no longer alive.

The Sheriff said that there are several persons of interest in the case.

"People are starting to cooperate," Hardy said. "People are starting to talk." He said rumors that a suspect is in custody are not true.

"It's our belief that it's a very real possibility (that Haleigh died in this area)," Hardy said.

Video: Search For Haleigh News Conference 4/15/10 11:24
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=5

Document: Sheriff Jeff Hardy's News Conference (130.0KB)
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/media/...b003-f427cf10a148/Haleigh_Release_4_15_10.doc

Article:
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/conten...ide-investigation/agdOpMyvuUOoGUInjPfKxQ.cspx