The disappearance of five-year-old HaLeigh Cummings is one of Florida’s most disturbing and enduring unsolved missing-child cases.
HaLeigh disappeared from her father’s mobile home in Satsuma, Florida, during the early hours of February 10, 2009. Her father’s teenage girlfriend, Misty Croslin, was the last person known to have seen her.
Despite an enormous search, national media attention, multiple people being investigated and several conflicting accounts of what happened, HaLeigh has never been found.
HaLeigh Ann-Marie Cummings was born on August 17, 2003. Her parents are Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield.
There are a lot of people involved in this case and it’s a complex family tree. We will introduce background on those involved as we go through this chronologically.
Ronald Lemyles Cummings (HaLeigh’s bio father) was born on October 29, 1983. He was born and raised in Florida. He was primarily raised by his paternal grandparents.
According to reporting by the Florida Times-Union, Ronald’s mother was living in Atlanta when he was young and struggled to arrange suitable childcare. After an incident in which Ronald became lost in the woods while under a babysitter’s supervision, his grandmother Annette Sykes assumed a greater parental role.
Ronald became involved with Crystal Sheffield when they were both teenagers.
Before HaLeigh disappeared, Ronald did have a criminal history.
He was arrested in 2001 over an alleged threat to kill someone. In 2002, 2004 and 2005, he was arrested for drug related offenses.
Crystal gave birth to HaLeigh when she was around 17 years old. 18 months later she and Ronald had a son, Ronald Jr.
HaLeigh had Turner syndrome, a genetic condition. Turner Syndrome affects 1 out of every 2,500 live female births. Turner Syndrome’s symptoms may include, but are not limited to: restricted growth of the long bones and ovaries, heart defects and vision problems, multiple birthmarks, and swollen fingers and toes. Most people with Turner’s Syndrome don’t grow to be more than four and a half feet tall. HaLeigh required hormone treatments and monthly visits to a cardiologist and an endocrinologist due to her condition.
The couple separated around 2005. Ronald sought full custody of both children. He raised concerns that Crystal was a cocaine user and that he believed she was unable to manage HaLeigh’s medical appointments.
Crystal disputed aspects of Ronald’s parenting and also alleged that he had been violent towards her. She sought a protective order at one point, but that case was dismissed.
In December 2005, Ronald was awarded full custody of both kids. Crystal was granted visitation every other weekend.
Ronald had a third child at some point in time – a son. Details about this child are not public. We do know that this child had another mother – not Crystal – and that he has special needs. It appears that Ronald did not have custody of this child.
HaLeigh was described as a sweet little girl who enjoyed playing with makeup and her computer. Her favourite food was macaroni and cheese. HaLeigh attended Browning-Pearce Elementary School.
Around September 2008, Ronald met Misty Croslin. Misty was 16 and Ronald was 24.
In terms of Misty’s earlier life, she was said to have grown up in a troubled family environment. Her parents are Hank Croslin Sr and Lisa Croslin. She has an older brother – Hank Jr.
Misty’s childhood was reportedly marked by instability, financial hardship and allegations of sexual abuse.
In later court proceedings, she described:
– Being sexually abused from a young age.
– Living in tents and campgrounds with her family.
– Having to care for an elderly relative as a young child.
– Running away from home as a teenager.
She reportedly left school around sixth grade and struggled with reading and writing.
They were both living in Satsuma, Florida. Satsuma is an unincorporated community in Putnam County—has a population of approximately 5,752 to 6,837 residents.
They apparently met through arrangements involving HaLeigh’s school bus stop.
Ronald asked Misty to babysit his youngest child – the son who did not live with him.
They ended up getting into a romantic relationship and Misty moved into Ronald’s home. By February 2009, they had been together as a couple for around 5 months.
Ronald had a job working second shift as a welder at a bridge manufacturing company.
He and Misty had a tumultuous relationship. They reportedly fought often. Shortly before HaLeigh disappeared, the couple fought and Ronald allegedly threw Misty’s clothes outside at one point.
Despite the argument, Misty returned to the trailer where they all lived. Ronald had to work on the evening of February 9 and Misty was said to be looking after the children.
In terms of what happened earlier that day, we know HaLeigh came home from school on the school bus. Ronald collected her from the bus.
She spent some time riding her bike with neighborhood kids. Ronald left for his shift in the late afternoon.
Between around 5pm-7pm, the kid ate dinner with Misty on the porch.
According to Misty’s initial report, HaLeigh went to bed that night at 8pm. Misty said she went to sleep in the same bed at 10pm. HaLleigh’s younger brother was also said to be sleeping in the same bed.
Misty would later change her story and say that the kids were in the same room, but not in her bed.
Misty would later say that she woke up just before 3am to get a drink. She noticed HaLeigh was no longer in the bed. She said she began searching the trailer for her. Misty would tell investigators that the rear door was open and a block or brick had been positioned there to keep it ajar. She would later insist that the door had been locked when she went to sleep.
After Misty discovered HaLeigh was missing, she said she tried to contact Ronald by phone.
Ronald finished his shift and headed home. He arrived back after 3am on February 10, 2009. He would say that he was pulling into the driveway as Misty tried to call him.
He said he realised something was wrong because Misty was standing at the front door at an unusual hour.
According to Ronald, she told him the back door was open and HaLeigh was gone.
According to CNN, a 911 call was made to report HaLeigh missing at 3.27am. The Charley Project lists the time of the call as 3.37am.
Misty told the operator that she had just woken up, the back door was open and that HaLeigh was missing.
Ronald could be heard in the background, becoming increasingly agitated.
The original incident report states that the first responding officers arrived at approximately 3:40am.
Deputies found Ronald standing in the driveway.
He was described as visibly upset.
According to the responding officer, Ronald said that Misty told him HaLeigh was missing. He repeatedly said that someone had taken his daughter and expressed threats to whoever may have taken her. He also said that she would not have left the home by herself as she is afraid of the dark.
Police began searching the property and found no sign of forced entry.
Ronald called his mother Teresa Neves, and she went to the home. She gave police a school photograph of HaLeigh.
Police quickly sprang into action and brought a dog to the home. At approximately 4-5am, a dog tracked a scent from the rear door of the trailer.
According to the report:
The dog tracked directly out of the rear door.
It followed a wooded path.
Officers located what appeared to be a small child’s footprint in the dirt.
The trail lead towards a pond.
The trail then returned towards Green Drive.
Officers continued along nearby residential streets, including Monroe Avenue and Buchan Circle.
The track eventually continued towards Buffalo Bluff Road and a railway crossing.
The dog was eventually unable to continue following the trail.
As dawn broke, more family members started to become involved. HaLeigh’s bio mother Crystal was informed about her disappearance.
Authorities kept searching for HaLeigh. They searched woods, ponds and other waterways.
An Amber Alert was issued for HaLeigh on February 10, 2009.
A Florida AMBER Alert has been issued for HaLeigh Cummings who was last known to be sleeping in her home, in the area of Hermit’s Cove in Satsuma, FL, on the evening of February 9, 2009.
HaLeigh was discovered missing during the early morning hours of February 10, 2009. She may still be in the local area.
Her clothing description is unknown.
HaLeigh has a 4 inch round birth mark on the lower left side of her back and a birthmark in front of her left ear. In addition, HaLeigh’s ears are also pierced.
Her clothing was officially listed as unknown on the AMBER Alert, despite the original police report recording a pink T-shirt and tan shorts.
Police would later find the shirt. They would not say where but Misty would later say she found it in the laundry pile when she was able to re-enter the house.
Over the coming days, hundreds of people joined the search for HaLeigh.
Over 4000 tips were sent in to authorities.
According to ABC News, Putnam County police and Texas EquuSearch scaled back their intensive search after approximately one week.
According to the Charley Project, HaLeigh’s little brother told investigators that a man dressed in black had come into the home and taken his sister.
In March 2009, Misty and Ronald got married. Ronald stated that he thought HaLeigh would have wanted them to do so. Misty was 17 at the time and Ronald was 25, so they needed to get permission from Misty’s family.
Both Crystal and Ronald retained attorneys after HaLeigh vanished. Through her rep, Crystal accused Ronald of child abuse and neglect.
On June 26, 2009, police searched the property of HaLeigh’s maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis. The property is in Glen St Mary, Florida and it spanned 30 acres.
This search happened based on information given by family members in interviews. They said they knew that animals had been buried on the property and investigators wanted to make sure that nothing was overlooked. Crystal was living at the property at the time. Shel told reporters that any search was welcome because she wanted her daughter found.
The search involved over 40 police officers, professional divers and cadaver dogs. The search uncovered animal remains, including bones from a horse, cows and goats.
No human remains or evidence connected to HaLeigh were found.
Misty was repeatedly questioned in relation to HaLeigh’s disappearance. It was questioned if she was actually home at the time that HaLeigh vanished. Investigators have been publicly skeptical of Misty’s story, stating she failed four polygraphs and one voice stress test, and changed her story multiple times; they described her accounts as “consistently inconsistent.”
By October 2009, Ronald had told Misty that he wanted a divorce.
Ronald cited the enormous stress surrounding HaLeigh’s disappearance, the media attention and the difficulties in their relationship.
He also expressed concerns about Misty’s changing accounts of what happened on the night HaLeigh vanished.
Interestingly, Ronald said publicly that he couldn’t predict what might happen between them in the future, but that they needed to go their separate ways.
In January 2010, five people were arrested as part of an undercover prescription-drug trafficking investigation.
Misty Croslin, 18 – six counts of trafficking prescription medication.
Ronald Cummings, 26 – three counts of trafficking prescription medication.
Hank ‘Tommy’Croslin Jr. – Misty’s brother.
Hope Sykes – Ronald’s cousin.
Donna Brock – Misty’s friend.
The arrests happened after an undercover detective purchased medications including Oxycodone and Hydrocodone.
Investigators alleged the group sold approximately $3,999 worth of prescription drugs across seven separate transactions.
The transactions occurred at several locations, including:
– A McDonald’s in Palatka.
– A St Augustine rest stop.
– Second Avenue in Welaka.
– Highway 17 in San Mateo.
Misty was reportedly involved in all seven transactions, while Ronald was involved in three.
After Misty was arrested, she and Tommy began making accusations against Joseph ‘Joe’ Overstreet – a cousin to both her and Tommy.
Joe was originally from Tennessee and was in Florida at the time that HaLeigh vanished.
Their accounts suggested that Joe went to Ronald’s home on the night of February 9, 2009, looking for a firearm, and that HaLeigh was subsequently taken from the property.
Misty said that Joe and Tommy had come to the trailer looking for a semi-automatic machine gun.
When they failed to find the gun, Misty said they became angry and she was threatened with a knife. She said she covered herself with a blanket as she was frightened. Misty said that Joe put HaLeigh in a black bag and took her from the property. She said that she initially lied to police about what happened as she was scared of her cousin.
Misty has also said that Joe sexually abused her when she was a child and had been involved in criminal activity his whole life, although he is not registered as a sex offender.
Tommy would give more information about Joe’s alleged actions. He said that HaLeigh was strangled inside the home. He then said that he and Joe took HaLeigh towards the St Johns River before disposing of her in the water.
In April 2010, Misty’s grandmother, Flora Hollars, told Nancy Grace that Tommy had spoken to her from jail and described a yellow rope being used to tie HaLeigh.
According to Florda, concrete blocks were attached to the rope and HaLeigh was dropped into the St. Johns River.
Joe was questioned by the FBI in April 2010.
Joe’s lawyer, Shawn Sirgo, maintained that his client had nothing to do with HaLeigh’s disappearance.
Joe also spoke to reporters.He was visibly emotional when questioned about the accusations and denied involvement.
He said that if he knew who had taken HaLeigh, he would go directly to police.
Police took Misty to the river in April 2010. She was photographed while standing on the dock with investigators.
During the operation, reports emerged that two cinder blocks had been recovered from the river.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that items had been taken for forensic examination but did not confirm that they were connected to HaLeigh.
The sheriff said about the search: “We’re willing to take the effort and time to look for the needle.”
The St Johns River in Florida is alligator habitat, including the stretch around Satsuma and the Shell Harbor Boat Ramp area where investigators searched for HaLeigh.
Misty reportedly pointed out an area of the river to investigators.
She later disputed the suggestion that she had identified a specific location where HaLeigh’s body was deposited.
The search lasted several days, but no remains were found.
As investigators continued questioning the family, the accounts about Joe, Tommy and Misty became increasingly difficult to reconcile.
There were conflicting explanations about:
– Who had entered the property.
– Who had actually seen HaLeigh being taken.
– Whether Tommy had been present.
– Whether HaLeigh was alive when she was removed.
– Whether she had been strangled.
– Whether she had been placed in a bag.
– How her body was supposedly transported to the river.
Misty’s grandmother also relayed a different version in which Misty had allegedly struck HaLeigh in the head and Joe and Tommy disposed of her body.
In April 2010, Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy held a press conference. He announced that authorities no longer believed HaLeigh was alive.
“Over the past few weeks, information has been obtained by investigators that lead them to believe that HaLeigh Cummings is most likely deceased.”
“At this point, I’m comfortable in going ahead and calling this a homicide investigation.”
Joe was arrested in August 2010 following a tip about an alleged assault and attempted robbery. During the investigation, officers found marijuana plants growing in his backyard.
Joe was charged with manufacturing marijuana and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. He was released on bond.
In terms of the undercover drug arrests that happened in January 2010, Ronald and all of the other defendants (except Misty) pleaded guilty. They were all sentenced to 15 years in prison. Misty pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 25 years.
We are going to jump ahead slightly here in terms of chronology to let you know about the inmate status of those involved in the case.
Ronald was released from prison in 2022. He was arrested later that year for resisting an officer, battery, obstructing the police, possession of drugs, possession of drug equipment, possession of marijuana and a traffic charge for possession of drugs. He pleaded no contest in November 2024. He was sentenced to another 6½ years in prison on April 8, 2025.
His sentence carries an 85% minimum service requirement. With credit for time already served in custody, his projected release is estimated at approximately 2028.
A January 2026 Florida appeal was unsuccessful.
Misty isn’t scheduled for release until at least 2031.
Back to what has happened in HaLeigh’s case in the last few years.
In 2022, a transient person came forward and claimed to be HaLeigh. Investigators traveled to Oregon to collect DNA and the person was found to not be HaLeigh.
In 2024, to mark what would have been HaLeigh’s 21st birthday, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a new age-progression image.
The Crime Stoppers reward was still $15,000 for information leading to an arrest in 2021.
HaLeigh’s great-grandmother passed away from cancer in May 2023. She made an emotional plea for information about Haleigh, saying she wanted to know what had happened before she died.
She said: “I just want that little bit of peace, that little bit of knowledge. That’s all I’m asking for.”
In February 2025, the sheriff’s office acknowledged the 16th anniversary of HaLeigh’s disappearance.
They highlighted that HaLeigh would now be 21 years old and could potentially be:
– Attending college.
– Studying at a technical school.
– Starting a career.
– Living independently.
They also confirmed that the case continued to be classed as a homicide.
SOURCE LIST
https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Haleigh_Cummings
https://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/06/haliegh.trailer.crime.scene
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2009/10/19/stub-203/15969656007