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Tip leads to new search for Haleigh Cummings
Updated: Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010, 7:00 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010, 5:55 PM EDT
<snipped>
Search crews are out looking for Haleigh Cummings after a tip was received on Tuesday morning. Authorities said they were searching for evidence in her disappearance which could be located along the St. Johns River. Cummings has been missing for more than a year. Tuesday's search is in an area near Misty Croslin's parents' home on CR 309 and Shell Harbor Road in Satsuma, Florida.

Sheriff Jeff Hardy said that officials are conducting interviews with the family in addition to the search.

Haleigh's father and mother -- Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield -- her grandparents and her great-grandmother, Teresa Neves, were among those called to the jail. Misty Croslin, Haleigh's former stepmother, was in St. Johns County Jail on drug charges unrelated to the case; however, she was released on Tuesday.

Hardy declined to confirm or deny if Haleigh has been found. The area where police are now searching was searched about a year ago. Several law enforcement boats have been traveling along the river near the boat ramp at the end of Shell Harbor Road. Deputies are also going door-to-door, talking to people in the area.

The Florida Times Union is reporting that a break in the case may have come Croslin. Robert Fields, attorney for Croslin, told the newspaper that Croslin may have "shed some light" on the person responsible.


*Video Included In Article!

Article:
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/cummings_case/041310-Tip-leads-to-new-search-in-Cummings-case
 
New Tip Leads To Search For Missing Fla. Girl
Nashville Man Questioned Last Year In Case

POSTED: 5:12 pm CDT April 13, 2010
UPDATED: 6:12 pm CDT April 13, 2010
<snipped>
At this point, investigators are not saying much about the tip, which led them to a new part of the Saint John&#8217;s River near the child&#8217;s home.

In the days following her disappearance, the FBI questioned a Nashville man, Joseph Overstreet.He is the cousin of the woman, Misty Croslin, who was last seen with Haleigh. Croslin is the former wife of Hayleigh's father, Ronald Cummings.

Overstreet was in Florida at the time of Haleigh's disappearance.The FBI still has his clothes from that night but has never identified him as a suspect nor a person of interest.

On Tuesday, he was at his home in Antioch. He wasn't willing to talk but his mother did offer a comment. &#8220;We have not heard anything from anybody in Florida. I know the little girl is still missing. We've not heard anything. My son is at home, not doing anything, bothering nobody. People continue to bother him,&#8221; said Overstreet&#8217;s mother.

Overstreet's mother said on Tuesday that police haven't talked to him in six months.


Video: New Tip Leads To Search For Missing Fla. Girl 1:36
http://www.wsmv.com/video/23141651/index.html

Article:
http://www.wsmv.com/news/23141306/detail.html
 
Haleigh Cummings: Is there a break in the case?
posted by halboedeker on April, 13 2010 6:40 PM
<snipped>
The good news about Nadia Bloom was the top story on most 6 p.m. newscasts. But WOFL-Channel 35 focused on a possible break in the saga of missing Haleigh Cummings.

&#8220;Sources close to the investigation tell me that they have a person in custody,&#8221; WOFL&#8217;s Kelly Joyce said from Putnam County. &#8220;That person told them that they could find Haleigh&#8217;s body at the bottom of the St. Johns River here today, and I&#8217;m told they found something, but the Putnam County Sheriff&#8217;s Office isn&#8217;t saying what they found.&#8221;

WESH-Channel 2 relayed images of the St. Johns search via its new HD chopper.

In the WESH report, an unidentified authority could be heard saying that detectives had private discussions with the family today.


Article:
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/en...gh-cummings-is-there-a-break-in-the-case.html
 
Timeline of events in Haleigh Cummings case
Published: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 7:04 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 7:04 p.m
<snipped>
This timeline shows events in the case of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings:

Feb. 9, 2009 &#8212; Family members say Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, 5, is last seen at about 10 p.m. at her Satsuma home, 202 Green Lane, in south Putnam County.

Feb. 10, 2009

* 3 a.m. &#8212; Misty Croslin, 17, Ronald Cummings&#8217; live-in girlfriend, wakes up to use the bathroom at around 3 a.m. On her return, she says she notices Haleigh is missing.

* 3:30 a.m. &#8212; Haleigh is reported missing to the Putnam County Sheriff&#8217;s Office soon after Haleigh&#8217;s father, Ronald Cummings, 25, returns home from his job at PDM Bridge in Palatka.

* 9:30 a.m. &#8212; A nationwide Amber Alert is issued for Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings.

* A back door at the mobile home is found ajar, propped open by a cinder block, and no initial signs of forced entry are discovered, according to Putnam County sheriff&#8217;s officials.

* More than 130 officers from at least 10 county, state and federal law enforcement agencies continue the search for Haleigh Cummings. They converge on Satsuma, population 5,500, located about 10 miles south of Palatka.

*Much more at link!
**10-Page Timeline!


Article:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...e=Timeline-of-events-in-Haleigh-Cummings-case
 
Search for Haleigh Cummings in Satusuma Area Ends for Night
Created: 4/13/2010 4:35:05 PM
Updated: 4/13/2010 8:47:53 PM
<snipped>
The search for Haleigh Cummings is over for the night and will resume in the morning, officials said around 8 p.m.

The search reached a level not seen in months today as an undisclosed tip led searchers to an area of the St. Johns River at a public boat ramp south of Satsuma.

"No, we haven't found Haleigh," Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy this afternoon. But vowed to search for "as long as it takes."

"Be patient with us," he said. "Let us go ahead and do our job."


Video: Sheriff Hardy Talks 04/13/10 Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77826757001

Video: Family Gathers at Palatka Jail 04/13/10 5:30 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77863861001

Video: Search Continues Near Satsuma for Haleigh Cummings 04/13/10 5 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77843474001

Video: Community Wants Answers in Haleigh Cummings Disappearance 04/13/10 5 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77871109001

Video: Haleigh Cummings' Family at Putnam County Jail 04/13/10 5 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77830288001

Video: Haleigh Cummings' Family Leaves Sheriff's Office 04/13/10 6 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77863874001

Video: Officials Search Near Satsuma in Haleigh Cummings Case 04/13/10 6 p.m. Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77843498001

Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=154696&catid=3
 
Cops Search Florida River in Search for 5-Year-Old Haleigh Cummings
Haleigh Cummings Has Been Missing Since February 2009

April 13, 2010
<snipped>
Investigators today combed the St. John's River for Haleigh, who disappeared from her father's home in Satsuma, Fla., in February 2009. Satsuma is just 60 miles south of Jacksonville.

Calls into the Putnam County Sheriff's office were not immediately returned but, Lt. Johnny Greenwood told ABC News affiliate WTLV in Jacksonville that they were acting on a tip, but he declined to provide more details because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.

The search ended for the day at 8 p.m., but police said investigators would be back at the river on Wednesday to resume the effort. "No, we haven't found Haleigh," Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy told WTLV, but he said police would continue the search for "as long as it takes."

Hardy said he met today with members of the young girl's family.

"The conversations we had were between me and the family," Hardy said.


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Article:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/cops-search-florida-river-missing-haleigh-cummings/story?id=10365897
 
Satsuma Residents: 'It's Just Heartbreaking'
Created: 4/13/2010 8:05:00 PM
Updated: 4/13/2010 8:34:20 PM
<snipped>
"In the last year, every place we go into has got the signs here about Haleigh," said Dean Ellis. "It's just heartbreaking to think that somebody's done something to this child."

Haleigh, who was 5 when she disappeared in Feb. 2009, has never been far from Satsuma's hearts and minds, residents said, and it's time to relieve the community.

"Putting it to rest one way or the other (so) that this can be over with because it's such mental anguish for this whole community..." Ellis said. "If there's not going to be any good news, I think, closure is the only news that will make a difference."

Sherlain Moody's 10-year-old daughter attended school with Haleigh. "All the teachers, they're all still wearing the pins and stuff," Moody said.

Her daughter still doesn't understand what happened to her classmate, she said. "She's been just kind of sad a little bit, just sad, asking 'What happened to Haleigh? Where's Haleigh, Mom?'"


Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=154711&catid=3
 
Video: The Search For Haleigh Ends For The Night 4:12
After the search for Haleigh Cummings commences on a specific stretch of the St. Johns River, the sun sets on a day of scavenging and searching the murky waters.
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23143418/index.html

Video: Haleigh's Family Asking For Prayers 3:10
As the search for Haleigh Cummings continues, families everywhere are being asked to pray for the loved ones of Haleigh in hopes that the nightmare of her disappearance will end.
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23143621/index.html

VIDEO REPORT: Two Little Girls, Two Different Stories 6:32
http://www.wftv.com/video/23143723/index.html
 
Authorities have interviewed another one of Misty Croslin's relatives in reference to Haleigh Cumming's disappearance.

Croslins's cousin, Joe Overstreet, was interviewed late Tuesday night. The 20-year-old lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

~snip~

Overstreet spent the evening with family and friends. Then around 11:30 Tuesday night his attorney, Shawn Sirgo, showed up.

The two talked outside Overstreet's home for 20 minutes and then left in his attorney's car.

First Coast News followed the two to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in Nashville.

Overstreet and his attorney were escorted inside. Less than 45 minutes later, Overstreet was out and on his way back home.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=154726&catid=3
 
Haleigh search heats up, recovered items brought anthropologist to river
"Snip" By Larry Sullivan http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/04/14/news/news01.txt
Published: Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Divers searching for Haleigh Cummings on Tuesday apparently recovered items that brought a University of Florida anthropologist to the St. Johns River south of Satsuma.


The search was triggered by a tip received on Monday, said Lt. Johnny Greenwood. Authorities are tight-lipped about tip.

"Due to the sensitivity of this investigation, the name of the person providing the tip and the physical evidence alleged to be in this area will not be released," Greenwood said.

The Shell Harbour camp area was not searched when Haleigh vanished 14 months ago, Greenwood said.

Authorities also refused to say what divers found and, whether Haleigh's case has shifted to a homicide investigation.

"That is a decision that will be made later, said" Sheriff Hardy.

Hardy also met privately with Haleigh's family members, including her father, Ronald Cummings, for "some private conversations."

Officials refused to confirm or deny that possible human remains were recovered Tuesday but did say the search was scheduled to resume today.

About 5 p.m., a truck from the university drove through the checkpoint. The vehicle was from the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory, which the school says provides "forensic anthropology services for medical examiners and coroners."

The lab has been involved in several high-profile cases.

The truck left about 7:30 p.m. and officials did not say whether human bones had been found.



Carl Brown, who lives in the neighborhood, said a deputy yelled at him to leave when he walked toward where the search was launched.

"We're taxpayers and we live in the community and we have a right to know what's going on," Brown said. "He screamed at me just like I was a dog."


As divers worked, other searchers covered the shore with dogs specially trained to find dead bodies and police boats equipped with sonar followed search patterns across the river.

Several containers of items recovered by divers were loaded onto boats and taken to shore.

Visibility was poor in the water, Lt. Ben Allen of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Tuesday night.


On Tuesday Misty Croslin was brought to the Putnam for questioning, then returned to the jail in St. Augustine. She did not meet with Haleigh's relatives.



Brown said, Misty Croslin, "used to live two blocks from here" with her parents.

Brown said another resident told him he saw Croslin carrying a trash bag nearby in the days after Haleigh was reported missing.
 
Authorities in Tennessee Question Misty Croslin's Relative About Haleigh's Disappearance
Created: 4/14/2010 4:34:08 AM
Updated: 4/14/2010 4:39:53 AM
<snipped>
Croslins's cousin, Joe Overstreet, was interviewed late Tuesday night. The 20-year-old lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

He has been interviewed by police before. His mother, who says she is also Croslin's aunt, told First Coast News Tuesday afternoon her family had not heard from police in months. "My son is at home not doing anything, not bothering anyone and people continue to bother him."

She says it's been six months since police contacted her son. But that all changed Tuesday night.

Overstreet spent the evening with family and friends. Then around 11:30 Tuesday night his attorney, Shawn Sirgo, showed up. The two talked outside Overstreet's home for 20 minutes and then left in his attorney's car.

First Coast News followed the two to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in Nashville. Overstreet and his attorney were escorted inside. Less than 45 minutes later, Overstreet was out and on his way back home.

"I did get a phone call from an agent in Florida. He asked if I could accompany Joseph to speak with them," says Sirgo.


Joe Overstreet
genthumb.ashx


Video: Croslin Relative Questioned In Tennessee 2:31
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=77987163001

Article:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=154726&catid=3
 
Lead brings new search for Haleigh on St. Johns
The search with divers and investigators is expected to resume today at sunrise.

Published: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 10:42 p.m.
<snipped>
At about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, a van with the University of Florida's C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory left the search area, but Putnam sheriff's spokesman Johnny Greenwood said the van was being kept on standby at the scene in case it was needed to identify any remains that might be found.

The search was being conducted at a waterway and surrounding woods in the Satsuma area of the county, the Sheriff's Office said, but it would not provide the exact location.

Most law enforcement had dispersed from the vicinity of the search area by 8 p.m. Tuesday and left without issuing a statement. Greenwood said late Tuesday that the search would resume at sunrise today and would include divers from various agencies.

A resident on Shell Harbour Road, off County Road 309, south of the girl's Satsuma home, said officers had been searching in the area since overnight. The woman, who did not want to be named but said she has lived in the area about two years, said officers have gone door-to-door in the neighborhood, getting residents' names and asking if they have seen a newer model, gray van in the area.

The Sheriff's Office reported it did not release the location to "prevent unnecessary congestion from onlookers" and also reported that the name of the person who provided the tip as well as what "physical evidence" is supposedly at the site would not be released.

*Much more at link!

Article:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...ead-brings-new-search-for-Haleigh-on-St-Johns
 
Ex-FBI Agent Says He Solved Haleigh Case
POSTED: Wednesday, April 14, 2010
UPDATED: 12:07 pm EDT April 14, 2010
<snipped>
"Monday was the culmination of this 10-month investigation I've been doing," said Steve Brown, now a private investigator working for Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield. "We presented this to the Putnam Country Sheriff's Office and the FDLE, and with their cooperation, finally got the final details of what transpired in that trailer on Feb. 9th."

Brown said he knows what happened to Haleigh, and evidence prosecutors need to prove it is what investigators are searching for in the river near the Shell Harbor Boat Ramp -- about five miles south of where Haleigh disappeared. "I can tell you, but I won't," Brown told Channel 4's Bruce Hamilton. "I can't tell you anything, at this point, that I think will compromise the police investigation."

While Brown wouldn't say who the Putnam County Sheriff's Office considers suspects, he said he does not think Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, had anything to do with her disappearance. He could not say the same for Misty Croslin, the teenage babysitter who put Haleigh to bed that night and would go on to marry, then divorce Ronald Cummings.

"Misty certainly knows what happened in the trailer that night," Brown said.


Video: Former FBI Agent Claims To Have Solved Haleigh Case
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23145771/index.html

Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23147800/detail.html
 
Haleigh search heats up
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 1:43 AM EDT
<snipped>
Sheriff's divers searching for Haleigh Cummings on Tuesday apparently recovered items that brought a University of Florida anthropologist to the St. Johns River south of Satsuma.

Tuesday morning saw a dramatic increase in activity in the lingering case with dozens of officers from several law enforcement agencies converging on the Shell Harbour boat ramp in South Putnam. The intensity of the search was similar to how lawmen initially responded to Haleigh's disappearance. It was clear that investigators expected to find something on Tuesday.

The search was triggered by a tip the Putnam County Sheriff's Office received on Monday, said Lt. Johnny Greenwood, a spokesman for the department. But authorities were tight-lipped about what the tip specified. Officials refused to confirm or deny that possible human remains were recovered Tuesday but did say the search was scheduled to resume today.

About 5 p.m., a truck from the university drove through the checkpoint. The vehicle was from the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory, which the school says provides "forensic anthropology services for medical examiners and coroners." The lab has been involved in several high-profile cases. The truck left about 7:30 p.m. and officials did not say whether human bones had been found.

Brown, the neighborhood resident said Haleigh's babysitter, Misty Croslin, "used to live two blocks from here" with her parents. Brown said another resident told him he saw Croslin carrying a trash bag nearby in the days after Haleigh was reported missing.


Article:
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/04/14/news/news01.txt
 
New developments in Haleigh Cummings case
Last Update: 6:55 am
<snipped>
This isn't the first time Joseph Overstreet's name has come up in the Haleigh Cummings case. The 20-year-old cousin of Misty and Tommy Croslin admits he was in Satsuma when 5 year old Haleigh disappeared. But his attorney denies Overstreet knows anything about what happened to the little girl.

"He has no knowledge of what happened to the child and he's heartbroken too," said Shawn Sirgo, Overstreet's attorney.

Sirgo said that's exactly what Overstreet told investigators when he was brought in to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation late Tuesday night. He met with agents from Florida for about 45 minutes, maintaining his innocence.

"Its honorable the dedication that they've put into this case and they're just doing what they're job is," said Sirgo. "They are trying to gather all the info they can gather."


Video: Search For Haleigh: New Info 4/13/10 4:47
Police are searching a new location for clues in the case of missing Haleigh Cummings.
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh: Family 4/13/10 3:13
INVESTIGATORS ARE WORKING A TIP AND ARE BACK ON THE GROUND SEARCHING FOR HALEIGH CUMMINGS
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh 4/13/10 3:28
Dive teams are focusing on a dock in Putnam County as they continue their search for missing girl, Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh: Waiting for Word 4/1/3/10 5:00
A SEARCH IS UNDERWAY THAT COULD TURN UP ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HALEIGH CUMMINGS
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=5

Video: Search for Haleigh: Family 4/13/10 3:24
A NEW SEARCH FOR HALEIGH CUMMINGS HAS JUST ENDED FOR THE NIGHT
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=5

Article:
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/conten...igh-Cummings-case/jL0qVq1gBUWZBnaSQomMmg.cspx
 
Satsuma neighbors watch search for Haleigh
Last Update: 12:55 am
<snipped>
Kristina and Amanda Birkett spent most of the day Tuesday on their boat dock getting an up close look at the search. "It's just been divers all day," said Kristina. It is not what the Birkett sisters wanted to see or hear. "It's disgusting. It disgusts me," said Kristina. "It's just not right that she could be here. She belongs home with her family."

Carl Brown also lives in the area and got a chance to get up close to the search Tuesday. He was out getting his mail in the morning when he heard there was a development in the case. "We saw the police officers and they said they were looking for Haleigh becuase Misty used to live about two blocks away," he said.

Brown walked to the Shell Harbour boat ramp at the end of his street and snapped a few photos. He got to see what even the media couldn't see. "They've got dive teams, four or five of those in and out of the water, boats going back and forth and several cadaver dogs," he said.


Video: Search for Haleigh: Neighbors 4/13/10 4:11
Neighbors in Putnam County are taking an active role in helping law enforcement search for missing Haleigh Cummings
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=5

Article:
http://www.actionnewsjax.com/conten...earch-for-Haleigh/ITE874kSC06rvO9tsmkq1A.cspx
 

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