FL-AMBER ALERT Haleigh Cummings 5 yrs. old - Putnam County #16

[LeLe1953]

ITA. I often wonder where do we start to affect change...along with how did it ever get so bad.

Where to affect change? We all need to be the example for our children. We can't tell them to not drink & drive & then let everyone at the family bbq get faced. It's not do as I say, it really is do as I do.

When did we get afraid to get tough with our kids? I was NOT my daughter's friend when she was a teen, I was her mother. To her, I was the biggest B on the earth. That was okay. I often looked at her, told her in clear words what the rules were & that as her mother I refused to bury her as a result of a foolish action, her's or someone else's. Now, she is grown, with 3 children of her own. We are in fact best friends, now we can be. I can finally be her friend, confidont & her mother. I love all 3 roles.

We are so busy working, doing scouts, ball, ballet etc that we don't talk at the dinner table. We don't volunteer together, if we volunteer at all. There are only so many hrs in a day, so many in a wk. We all need to do something, like volunteer to help others, to show our children it takes all of us to care.

The only positive that might come from such a down economy, is it is much harder to afford all the activities for the kids. It just might us take a walk in the park or sit on the porch swing and talk. That can be a blessing. :blowkiss:

 

[SuziQ]

From GSreporters
slight rain has started. search efforts are near close for the night.
20 minutes ago from mobile web

 

[mom_of_five]

Anyone know how long this case has to be going on before Haleigh gets her own forum? Just curious...

 

[indicat]

Is it ever gonna warm up here? Tired of freezing my youknowwhat off.

No kidding! Woke up to a ton of new snow this morning and more is forecasted on it's way....

 

[Tichad3]

I might be late to the party, but I want to chime in about the charge of leaving the scene of an accident.

I have an ex boyfriend that was charged with the same thing. He left the scene to take his buddy, who was driving the other vehicle, to the hospital. They were out in the middle of no where. A second buddy, that was in the same vehicle as my ex, was also charged for leaving the scene because he walked the couple miles to the closest house to call in the accident.

Sometimes things are not always so cut and dry.

 

[Jolynna]

Maybe bashing wasn't the right word Sorry!

I just feel like continually pointing out all the bad choices these people made ad nauseam is pointless and counterproductive and like beating a dead horse. If his daughter is dead, should I not feel compassion for him because he wasn't a pillar of society?

:clap::clap::clap: Nothing on that rap sheet, IMO, indicated Ronald would deliberately harm his child.

While I suspect ALL family members over an outside abducter, I don't think any cultural background makes a person more likely to kill their own children.

 

[cuppy199]

I would not wish suffering upon any parent. But again, there is a huge difference between "judging," and being an advocate of children who's genuinely concerned about the welfare of children, and the influences they're exposed to. No need to be ashamed, I should think everyone--parent or no--should be concerned with that. JMO



And I hope parents shouldn't have to apologize for having some standards! Afterall, we're not talking about socio-economic standards, we're talking about the safety and stability of the children. And as much as possible, minimizing risks. Parents who associate w drug users, sellers etc are automatically exposing their children to risk. If nothing else as parents, we can at least reduce the pool of strangers, and substances, w which our children come into contact. JMO



(bold mine) Not "semantics" at all. Far from it! The sad part is we're getting a "bird's eye view" of just 2 children's caregivers and circumstances, of one parent-centered, child-unfriendly world. It's not just them. Our children are perishing for a lack of wisdom... And we want to pretend everything is fine in the case of this little missing girl. Shouldn't we be asking ourselves as a society if not as parents how we might better protect our children? Whether we should maybe try to identify some high-risk situations and warning signs sooner? Does a parent need to be witnessed physically abusing or smoking crack w their kid before a child's wellbeing is considered so long as it's ONLY the adult possessing, selling or under the influence of [heroin, meth fill in the blank] or being violent w someone else, so long as, what, as he hasn't been beating or giving the drugs to the child... yet? The risk factors in Haleigh's/Jr.'s situation are too numerous to list. If that's what the law or "court" said, I say the law AND the court's an a**. JMO
arrot:

I respect and agree with alot you are saying. But I can say I was young and wasn't exactly the perfect parent at times and learned as I went along in life. But my DD turn out to be a wonderful respective women.Your reading a piece of paper and never actually met this little girl or her parents its hard to say whether they are good parents or not.

 

[txsvicki]

And along what you're saying, look at Jessica Lunsford's abduction right out of her bedroom, from the same type of area (meaning socio-economic), and it was by a repeat SO. I don't think it makes that much difference whether the victim comes from an upper middle class or lower class family.

I remember the public trying to ridicule and run down Mark just because he left his child with his family (where he lived) and went to his girlfriend's home that night. A horrible cruel thing to do to him and his family since he is a good person with long hair and was very angry at first like a real man should be concerning his daughter. Anyone like Hayleigh's dad who would go so far as to sleep in a tent and refuse to leave is thumbs up in my opinion even if he does smoke and at least at one time was alledged to have done some drugs.

 

[shadow of my mind]

I want to add my nickel to the discussion of who is a better parent.

Original court petition for custody of the children in 2005 shows that the mother did not respond nor show up in court to be considered or to hear what she had to say. Custody would be awarded to the parent who took the time to file a petition and follow through with coming to court. The judge would see a no show as direct evidence that mom was not all that much interested in her children.

The Bio mother’s later claim to the court that the reason she did not show up was due to the intimidation of the father. That is her sole reason for not being interested in keeping or being awarded custody in the first place. Then she goes on to make other allegations against the father with the only attached testimony coming from the maternal grandfather, who happens to have some arrest charges himself.

As far as I can find none of these allegations have been documented to show proof of being true. The Bio mother or her family members can say anything they want but the court is going to want some viable facts to back up those allegations.

The fact of the matter is at this point dad still has custody. The case is ongoing and to me it appears that since Florida’s child services have been to the home mean that they are looking into those allegations and are monitoring the family home. It does not mean that they are true nor does it not mean they have found them to be irrelevant. We simply do not know but since the children were not removed they found no emanate danger. [Yes, I known that children services are not perfect and things get overlooked many times]

Dad's prior history of drug convictions is a concern, as well as leaving the scene of an accident. The fact that a lot of these court cases have taken months to actual get to court make the long list of dates on the dockets appear to be more serious than some of them are. We don't see any current charges still pending. When you look at the dates of the most serious charges most of those charges all stemmed from on arrest concerning drugs. I have not seen actual arresting docs so I suspect that this may have been a bust of group of people and he may not have received any jail time do to 'giving up' more valuable information leading to higher level member of distribution. He did not plead guilty or not guilty and with the State Attorney subpoenas I would bet that he was given some form of immunity for his testimony. I would be interesting to see what other arrest were made on those same day. [This may be why the father was so vocal about someone stealing his child. He may be thinking revenge for ratting someone else out]

The type of home this family lives in, the amount of money they make or the level of their education in all reality has not one thing to do with anything. Love for a child is not dependant on your social or economical status. Does making more money or having a better education benefit one in providing a good environment for ones family? Yes it can t but it does not mean that is always the case. Money and education does not put an end to drug use, dysfunctional parenting or abuse. You would be surprised what goes on behind the nicest looking front doors. I KNOW. My front door was the best looking one in a 20 square mile radius, educated adoptive parents, nice new cars every two years and family vacations and my home was a living he!!. I used to dream that I could move in with the family down the road who had lots of kids running around in hand me down clothes, mismatched dishes on the table, the screen door off the hinges, unpainted clapboard and the junk car in the back yard.

I also would like to ask at what point does one become an adult. I once had a young man working for me who at the age of 13 escaped through the jungle of Viet Nam, got on a boat and stayed in a refugee camp for two years with an 8 year old from his village that he took responsibility for. I know 50 years old adults who are less responsible that some 15 years old that I know. We state ages like it is some magical number that means something. The only thing it really means is how long you have been alive not what you are capable of doing or knowing.

Having said all of that drug use does cause so many to make bad life choices and when children are involved those choices can be damaging at best and may become life threatening to their future.

To get an idea of who or how Haleigh may have been taken one does have to look into the family backgrounds. You can be assured the LE is and is weighing the same thing we are but… a past history of problems does not always compute to family being responsible.

Respectfully,
Shadow

 

[LaLaw2000]

I have read every post from the very beginning. The moment I heard of the Amber Alert I came right over to the thread.

What really bothers me about this is that Haleigh was surrounded by people with a blatent disregard for rules and laws. That is on both sides of the families. The family members are the ones to be looked at first in a case like this (as we all know). It bothers me that LE has not come right out and said that the Dad, GF, or bio Mom are all cleared. It speaks volumes to me that LE still states that the whole world is suspect.

I do not know who is responsible for little Haleigh's disappearance. None of us do. Nothing would surprise me in this case. LE, the FBI, TM & TES know what they are doing and I have great faith in all of them. I firmly believe they will find out who is responsible for Haleigh's disappearance. I just want Haleigh to be found, then everything else will follow. There has to be evidence that will be found with Haleigh that will lead LE to the guilty person(s).

 

[Wise Old Owl]

And I hope parents shouldn't have to apologize for having some standards! Afterall, we're not talking about socio-economic standards, we're talking about the safety and stability of the children. And as much as possible, minimizing risks. Parents who associate w drug users, sellers etc are automatically exposing their children to risk. If nothing else as parents, we can at least reduce the pool of strangers, and substances, w which our children come into contact. JMO
:

**snipped and bolded**

I respect what you are saying but I have to ask. Do we know FOR SURE that this dad and gf were associating with drug users and/or sellers? Almost ALL of dad's drug charges were before any of the chidlren were born. There has been no proof, no admission by LE, no nothing to say that Haleigh was "exposed" to drugs, drug dealers, drug users, etc.

We discussed dad's job the other night - being a crane operator he is bound by OSHA and the company's standards of random drug testing and I can bet he had to pass a drug test BEFORE being hired. And nowadays they don't just do a "pee" test - they do hair testing which goes back over a year and tells exactly what drugs were used.

I just think we need to remain clear on the facts of this case and so far there have been NO FACTS presented that Haleigh (and Jr.) were exposed to drugs or drug usage.

 

[Trino]

Many posters here live in a much different environment than Haleigh's dad and cannot understand their lifestyle. For anyone who wants a comparison, try NM. While I don't know
how individuals interact with LE, you can drive side roads around I 25 and see mobile homes like this with junk yards for a hundred miles. It's a fact of a hard life. This does not mean the people don't love their children. This deserves this to be national news with less concentration on the familly situation.

 

[LaLaw2000]

I would not wish suffering upon any parent. But again, there is a huge difference between "judging," and being an advocate of children who's genuinely concerned about the welfare of children, and the influences they're exposed to. No need to be ashamed, I should think everyone--parent or no--should be concerned with that. JMO



And I hope parents shouldn't have to apologize for having some standards! Afterall, we're not talking about socio-economic standards, we're talking about the safety and stability of the children. And as much as possible, minimizing risks. Parents who associate w drug users, sellers etc are automatically exposing their children to risk. If nothing else as parents, we can at least reduce the pool of strangers, and substances, w which our children come into contact. JMO



(bold mine) Not "semantics" at all. Far from it! The sad part is we're getting a "bird's eye view" of just 2 children's caregivers and circumstances, of one parent-centered, child-unfriendly world. It's not just them. Our children are perishing for a lack of wisdom... And we want to pretend everything is fine in the case of this little missing girl. Shouldn't we be asking ourselves as a society if not as parents how we might better protect our children? Whether we should maybe try to identify some high-risk situations and warning signs sooner? Does a parent need to be witnessed physically abusing or smoking crack w their kid before a child's wellbeing is considered so long as it's ONLY the adult possessing, selling or under the influence of [heroin, meth fill in the blank] or being violent w someone else, so long as, what, as he hasn't been beating or giving the drugs to the child... yet? The risk factors in Haleigh's/Jr.'s situation are too numerous to list. If that's what the law or "court" said, I say the law AND the court's an a**. JMO
arrot:

:clap:

So very well stated, kiki the parrot!

 

[panthera]

I remember the public trying to ridicule and run down Mark just because he left his child with his family (where he lived) and went to his girlfriend's home that night. A horrible cruel thing to do to him and his family since he is a good person with long hair and was very angry at first like a real man should be concerning his daughter. Anyone like Hayleigh's dad who would go so far as to sleep in a tent and refuse to leave is thumbs up in my opinion even if he does smoke and at least at one time was alledged to have done some drugs.

I so agree. I remember a lot of people thought ML must have had something to do with little Jessie's disappearance because of where he lived and how he looked. Now look who's been all over the country to get Jessica's law passed! I don't think RC had anything to do with Haleigh's disappearance, just that his g/f's age might have played into allowing the wrong person(s) over to the house, or accidentally leaving the door unlocked. I do think if family wasn't involved that whatever happened it was more likely somebody who knew Haleigh lived there and RC was at work at night. MOO

 

[nancy botwin]

And much of his record should not even be listed. A legal eagle can weigh in. But the impression I get is even though the drug charges were dropped, it was up to Ron to pay an attorney and go through court...again to have it removed. Some of what's being taken into consideration IMO, is unfair.

Lack of a criminal background didn't save Caylee.

Ronald's record suggests that it's likely he served as an informant for LE--
His biggest drug charge in 2002 was ordered Nolle Prosequi -- "do not prosecute or pursue" and then he seems to reoffend and violate probation several times, only to experience very light sanctions and "deferred prosecution" dispositions. IMO his case outcomes and repeated reoffenses during probation periods would normally have resulted in incarceration or a more substantial penalty.

Initially, the media links area only showed his record through 2002-- but it's more extensive.
You can see it here: http://www.putnam-fl.com/clk_apps/crim_dkts/frame.php
Search under "Name" with the term cummings%

There's also a dropped restraining order or domestic violence related item in the civil docket. (dropped because the alleged victim (Haleigh's mother) chose not to pursue the matter.

I think the possible informant angle could be important because he likely has a lot of enemies.

I think the custody situation could also provide motive-- it seems like Haleigh's mother lost custody because she didn't appear for a hearing or challenge Ronald, IMO not necessarily because he was the most fit parent for the best interests of the child.

 

[not_my_kids]

The smoking bothered me too. Anyone who smokes in the house when children are present should be charged with abuse.

that's a little harsh.

 

[maureenv]

I have read every post from the very beginning. The moment I heard of the Amber Alert I came right over to the thread.

What really bothers me about this is that Haleigh was surrounded by people with a blatent disregard for rules and laws. That is on both sides of the families. The family members are the ones to be looked at first in a case like this (as we all know). It bothers me that LE has not come right out and said that the Dad, GF, or bio Mom are all cleared. It speaks volumes to me that LE still states that the whole world is suspect.

I do not know who is responsible for little Haleigh's disappearance. None of us do. Nothing would surprise me in this case. LE, the FBI, TM & TES know what they are doing and I have great faith in all of them. I firmly believe they will find out who is responsible for Haleigh's disappearance. I just want Haleigh to be found, then everything else will follow. There has to be evidence that will be found with Haleigh that will lead LE to the guilty person(s).

There are generations of dysfunction in this family and probably some surrounding families. I am wondering if LE has checked out any of the Step-Dads or Step-boyfriends of EVERYONE including grandmom's and grand(GF's)mom. I am saying this because I have heard of this happening MANY times! There is a VERY good chance that if Haliegh was abducted, she knew the perp. If there is a hinky relation there, others in the family know who that might be. It's time for them all to start piping up. Let's not kid ourselves, MOST families have a molester amoung them.

 

[indicat]

I so agree. I remember a lot of people thought ML must have had something to do with little Jessie's disappearance because of where he lived and how he looked. Now look who's been all over the country to get Jessica's law passed! I don't think RC had anything to do with Haleigh's disappearance, just that his g/f's age might have played into allowing the wrong person(s) over to the house, or accidentally leaving the door unlocked. I do think whatever happened it was more likely somebody who knew Haleigh lived there and RC was at work at night. MOO

I don't think the mobile home or the way the father looks has anything to do with it either. I think that the fact they lived by so many SO's with the actions of all the parent authorities involved left this child vulnerable.

ETA: my life experiances with diffrent couples in my life raises the hair on the back of my neck when I heard the dad say the g/f was a dumb biotch, in my experiance there is alot of dysfunction in realationships like this. Again, I don't think he directly had anything to do with his daughter's disappearance.

 

[Never4GetCaylee]

Well there were some very horrible things said about the Smart's and they were the complete opposite of this family, polar opposites. People looked down their noses at them.

Excellent point. And many comments in this case sound similiar to comments in the Jessica Lunsford case. Consider ANY family can be made to look bad, suspicious when put under the microscope.

 

[petresq_algc]

I remember the public trying to ridicule and run down Mark just because he left his child with his family (where he lived) and went to his girlfriend's home that night. A horrible cruel thing to do to him and his family since he is a good person with long hair and was very angry at first like a real man should be concerning his daughter. Anyone like Hayleigh's dad who would go so far as to sleep in a tent and refuse to leave is thumbs up in my opinion even if he does smoke and at least at one time was alledged to have done some drugs.

:clap:ITA! I also remember hearing and reading several negative opinions on him and his association with bikers, appearance, etc. It was all shown to be unfounded BS in the end. Even NG apologized to him about it.