Web Site Hit Counter

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Police follow new leads in search for Haleigh Cummings

(CNN) -- Investigators are pursuing several new leads in the case of a missing 5-year-old girl in Florida, they said Tuesday.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office on Monday night searched the neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, who vanished a week ago. Deputies also searched surrounding neighborhoods.

Authorities said the girl may have been abducted.

Officials wouldn't release any details on the leads.

"Those leads, like I said, are as a result of doing the neighborhood canvass last night, and we will be following up on those leads today," said Capt. Steve Rose of the Putnam Sheriff's Office.

Rose said investigators also conducted a checkpoint in the area last night.


Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, 17-year-old Misty Croslin, told police she was watching Haleigh when she went missing sometime before dawn February 10.

Cummings shares his double-wide mobile home with Croslin, daughter Haleigh and a 4-year-old son in Satsuma, east of Gainesville. He has said that when he returned home at 3 a.m. ET, he was surprised to see Croslin awake and asked her why she was up.

Croslin waited until Cummings came home to phone 911 about the girl's disappearance, though it's unclear how long that wait was, authorities said. Police said last week that Croslin had tucked the girl and her brother into bed at 8 p.m. before going to sleep at 10. The girl, boy and Croslin usually sleep in the same bed.

Officials said they originally thought Haleigh may have wandered outside on her own but are now certain that she was abducted.

No comments: