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Amber Alert -- Haleigh Search Draws 500 Leads

Monday, February 16, 2009 5:17:43 AM
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Amber Alert: Haleigh Cummings

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SATSUMA -- Search teams were back out Sunday, on land and on the water, searching for missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, who disappeared from her home Monday night.

At a 4 p.m. news conference Sunday, Putnam County deputies said nothing of significance was found on the sixth day of the investigation.  Chief Deputy Rick Ryan said he was confident investigators left no stone unturned in the search area near Haleigh's home.

Ryan said the search team has about two more areas to investigate Monday before concluding the ground search.

“This is not CSI  We can’t wrap this up in an hour, we wish we could,” Ryan said.

Investigators have received well over 500 leads. However, officials said some of those leads have been from people who are trying to get back at someone, for example: "An ex-wife trying to get back at a husband."

Officials said several people have inquired about Chad Reynolds, a sexual predator who disappeared from Marion County.

Ryan said although Reynolds has ties to Putnam County, investigators do not believe he is connected to Haleigh’s disappearance.

Family Puts Aside Feud

Meanwhile, the rift between Haleigh's family members could be over for the time being.

The family feud could be seen from the first day Haleigh disappeared, when her grandparents on her mother's side questioned stories Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, and his girlfriend, Misty Croslin, first gave to detectives when the girl vanished from her Putnam County home.

Croslin told detectives she went to the bathroom, and that when she returned, the girl was gone.

Haleigh's younger brother was also in the same bed with Croslin and Haleigh.

Grandmother Marie Griffis apologized Saturday as both sides came together to celebrate Haleigh's brother's birthday, and to search for the missing 5-year-old.

"We're going to unite for Haleigh, and tomorrow is Junior's birthday," Griffis said. "He'll be 4 years old."

The Sheriff's Office suspended a dive operation Saturday after a dive team turned up nothing related to the case in a thorough, five-day search of the St. Johns River near Haleigh's home.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said more than 250 volunteers joined the dozens of law enforcement officers in the search effort Saturday, including members of Texas Equusearch, but did not find anything.

A spokesman said news Friday that investigators discovered items of interest in the home turned out to be false.

Investigators said the family is cooperating with the investigation. 


More On The Search For Haleigh


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