Sykes sentence FIFTEEN years/ Rest of the Cummings/ Croslin gang still in jail/ Ron's trial date set for July 19/ Attorney James Werter: Tommy Croslin claims Haleigh Cummings died in her own home

Bounty Hunter Wants to Get Misty Croslin Out of Jail
Jessica Clark Taren Reed Created: 2/3/2010 9:50:00 PM Updated: 2/4/2010 8:46:24 AM

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- A well-known bounty hunter said he wants to find Haleigh Cummings by getting Misty Croslin out of jail.

Leonard Padilla said he'll pay Croslin's bail to get her out.

"Given the situation, she might be forthcoming with information that maybe she hasn't disclosed," said Padilla in a telephone interview with First Coast News Wednesday.

He was referencing information about Haleigh Cummings, a little girl missing for a year now.

Haleigh disappeared from her father's Satsuma home in February 2009. Misty Croslin was babysitting her and was the last one to see the child.

Padilla said if he were to get Croslin out of the St. Johns County jail and he started working with her attorney, she would tell Padilla what she knows.

"I'm assuming that she wants to divulge further information that she probably hasn't -- as of right now -- in order to locate the child," Padilla explained. "I think she has some stuff that either she has given to law enforcement and they haven't given it up or she has information that would lead to the child's return."

Padilla said he had the same motive with the Caylee Anthony case in Orlando. He wanted to find the missing toddler.

The California-based bounty hunter paid to get Casey Anthony out of jail. However, once she was out, she didn't talk to him.

Padilla said he believes the Haleigh Cummings case could be different.

"You know, I keep thinking as a result of whatever is going on in Satsuma, that maybe the child is being held and somebody knows where the child is. Obviously the person that would be able to start the ball rolling is Misty," Padilla said.

However, due to new drug charges announced Wednesday, Misty Croslin's bond was raised from $950,000 to $1,350,000.

Padilla said that would not be a problem. "It could still be worked out."

Padilla said he will get involved if Croslin's attorney asks him to do so.

Ultimately, Padilla said the goal is to find Haleigh, even if it means paying a lot of money to get the last person to see her out of jail.

video here:

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=151565&catid=3

Padilla needs to stay out of this! He's had his 15 minutes of fame w/ the Caylee case, accomplished nothing and now it seems like he once again wants to be the *hero* and is sure that Misty will spill her guts to him?? At best he's delusional! I sure hope that he stays completely out of this and NO ONE bails Misty, she's sounding real scared & that's exactly what she needs to feel!
I don't think that she even knows what happened that night that Haleigh went missing - after a 3 day drug binge, it wouldn't surprise me... I just wonder if an accredited hypnotherapist under the right conditions could help regain those memories?? If no one bails her, if she cooperates with LE, if she *really* can't remember would LE would consider hypnosis?
I'll say that at least her Dad seems to be telling her the right thing now, to tell the truth but that whole family is so messed up, who knows.....
I don't really think that Ron knows what happened to Haleigh. He was beyond stupid to leave Misty with his kids and the worst happened... what an idiot. He's a hot head so I think that's why he's always threatening to kill someone over Haleigh - I don't think any of these people are educated in either common sense or schooling....
Let's just hope against hope that Padilla keeps his nose out of this one!

Jail Call: Misty's Brother Blames Her

Uncut Audio:
Hank Croslin Jr. Calls Brother From Jail on this link

In a jailhouse phone conversation released Friday, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., the brother of Misty Cummings, said he's in jail on drug trafficking charges because he got caught up in what was going on with his sister.
Croslin was arrested 2 ½ weeks ago along with his sister, Misty, Ronald Cummings, the father of missing 6-year-old Haleigh Cummings, and two other people in an undercover prescription drug trafficking sting.

In the phone calls, Croslin said he's facing prison time unless he helps investigators find Haleigh, who disappeared from her Satsuma home last February.

Hank Croslin Jr. made his first appearance in court in St. Johns County on drug trafficking charges.
"I try to sleep, but every time I close my eyes, I see my family," Croslin said in a phone call to his brother Tim Croslin. "Misty brought some dude over to the house one night and wanted me to get her some rocksies. So I (expletive) went and got her some rocksies. I talked to someone I knew and got her some pills."
The conversation soon turns to Haleigh.
Tim: Do you think any of this (expletive) would happen to you if this (expletive) wasn't going on in our lives about Haleigh?
Hank: No! Hell, no!
Hank: They weren't after me. They was after Misty and Ronald. I just got caught up in the middle of it because of my (expletive) sister.
Another theme in Hank's phone calls is how much time he may be spending in prison.
"The damn police said I'm facing three years in prison unless you can help us find Haleigh," Hank said. "I said, 'I can't help you find nobody, I don't know where she is.'"
As the brothers continue to speak, Tim warns Hank they need to be more careful about what they have to say.
Tim: We need to watch what we're saying on these phones because Nancy Grace is going to be playing all of our phone calls.
Hank: Oh, well.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/22478342/detail.html

Oh well, she is getting ready to play them now.

Did he get Misty "roxies" the night Haleigh went missing is the question.

These people are all so stupid to talk like this when they know they are being monitored. And every other word is "F". There is no respect. Who says the "F" word to their own grandmother?

It's like their whole life is surrounded by pills, drugs and jail. And the "F" word.

:lol!: They live in Florida "The Sunshine Law state" Of course NG is going to play them over and over and over again.

by Wrapitup Today at 8:07 pm Oh well, she is getting ready to play them now.
Did he get Misty "roxies" the night Haleigh went missing is the question.

He did!

So I (expletive) went and got her some rocksies. I talked to someone I knew and got her some pills."

"Who says the "F" word to their own grandmother?"

Would the most polite descriptive word be "uncouth"?

"BJ in OR"]

by Wrapitup Today at 8:07 pm Oh well, she is getting ready to play them now.
Did he get Misty "roxies" the night Haleigh went missing is the question.

He did!
So I (expletive) went and got her some rocksies. I talked to someone I knew and got her some pills.

------------------
But Tommy did NOT specifically state the night Haleigh went missing. And, if she was so tired from partying for 3 days - wouldn't she want to go right to sleep? They just said on NG that Misty called TN asking her to watch the kids/telling her she would pay her. Evidently, that did not happen. I am confused.

TerryRose wrote:"Who says the "F" word to their own grandmother?"

Would the most polite descriptive word be "uncouth"?

That's too polite, Terry Rose. They probably don't even know what the word "polite" means....or uncouth.

On Thursday, St. Johns County released almost an hour's worth of redacted audio recorded from Croslin's phone conversations with family.

EXCERPTS FROM JAIL VISIThttp://www.ocala.com/article/20100205/ARTICLES/2051007/1001/NEWS01?Title=Figures-tied-to-Haleigh-s-case-expect-prison-time

In one segment, recorded at an unspecified date, Croslin can be heard telling a man she addresses as her brother that she thinks she will be going to prison.

"You know I'm going to be taking a ride, Timmy; I'm going to be going to prison," Croslin says. "... Bub, I'm going to prison, I'm telling you. ... Eight trafficking charges."

"How long you think you're going to do?" her brother asks.

"Probably about 21 years. ... Tommy's going to prison, too," she says, possibly referring to her other brother, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., 23, who was charged with one count of trafficking in prescription medications in connection with the January drug sting. Hank Croslin Jr. is being held in the St. Johns County jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.

"We're all going to prison," Misty Croslin says later in the phone call.

In a recording released earlier by the Flagler County jail, Ronald Cummings could be heard reaching the same conclusion while talking with a newspaper reporter.

"Oh, no, I'm going to DOC. I'm going to prison. No if, ands or buts," he says in the recording made on Jan. 24. "... I said, there's no if, ands or buts, I'm going to prison. ... Did I put myself in a bad spot? Of course I did."

If convicted on all charges, Misty Croslin faces more than 74 years in prison and Ronald Cummings more than 43 years, law enforcement sources have said.

Palatka attorney Robert Fields, who represents Misty Croslin, told The Sun on Thursday that "the new developments are unfortunate. My goal is to do what I can for Misty."

"As her lawyer, it's not how I wanted to start my day," Fields added in regard to the release of the audio recordings.

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office first released video recordings on Wednesday that showed Misty Croslin talking with her parents, Hank Croslin Sr. and Lisa Croslin, during recent jailhouse visits.

"Misty, don't be lying about nothing because all it's going to do is bury you deeper," Hank Croslin Sr. could be seen telling his daughter. "The Haleigh stuff has got to come to an end. It has to, Misty."

Authorities and family members have said they hope the arrests lead to a break in the Haleigh case.

Meanwhile, a California bounty hunter who was involved in another high-profile case has offered to bond Croslin out of jail if she gives him information about Haleigh's whereabouts.

Fields said Thursday he would advise Misty Croslin to reject Leonard Padilla's offer. "I'm going to advise her against it because I think it would really hurt her," Fields said.

Padilla helped bail Caylee Anthony's mother, Casey Anthony, out of jail in Orange County - hoping she would help him find the girl, which she did not do. Caylee's remains were later found, and Anthony's bond on a murder charge has been revoked.

http://jacksonville.com/news/timelines/haleigh-cummings

That picture really does say it all.

I was sooooo happy to see Misty in jail. I still remember her strutting through that airport terminal with those sunglasses perched on her head like some kind of movie star.
Personally I don't think she will ever in a million years admit what happened to little Haleigh. I think hell will freeze over.

Why do I believe that? Because they would throw the book at her and she knows it.

If she tells or doesn't tell she will sit in jail but jailtime will be a whole lot easier if other inmates are not sure..from no confession.

If LP interfers with this one he should be shot. He is what they said before a "publicity hound".

by jeanne1807 Today at 10:15 am If LP interfers with this one he should be shot. He is what they said before a "publicity hound".

I like Media Whore! :lol!:

I just ran across this picture. I had forgotten about the tattoo.....the artist should have his license yanked!

The tattoo cost $400.00 and according to Ron was paid by someone else. The tattoo reads “daddy’s little girl, always”.

Didn't he say it was still healing? I can't imagine it healing to the point where it looks a thing like Haleigh. Guess he can stare at it in prison. He might strain his neck. Can't have that!!!

She looks so grotesque on his arm, OMG, I hate to look at it. She is so much more beautiful than that!

by TerryRose Today at 9:52 pm She looks so grotesque on his arm, OMG, I hate to look at it. She is so much more beautiful than that!

Hate to be the one to break it to you......it's on his LEG!

BJ in OR wrote:

by TerryRose Today at 9:52 pm She looks so grotesque on his arm, OMG, I hate to look at it. She is so much more beautiful than that!

Hate to be the one to break it to you......it's on his LEG!

-----all the worse place to put a pic of a beloved, it seems to me.

by TerryRose Today at 10:30 pm

BJ in OR wrote:

by TerryRose Today at 9:52 pm She looks so grotesque on his arm, OMG, I hate to look at it. She is so much more beautiful than that!

Hate to be the one to break it to you......it's on his LEG!

-----all the worse place to put a pic of a beloved, it seems to me.

Consider the owner of the tattoo and it becomes crystal clear!

That's why I said he'd have to strain his neck to look at it. It's on his calf muscles. It looks horrible!!!!!!

by Wrapitup Today at 10:52 pm That's why I said he'd have to strain his neck to look at it. It's on his calf muscles. It looks horrible!!!!!!

Maybe he always carries a mirror with him.

I remember that tattoo and it made me sad that someone could botch a tattoo that bad, but then again it was wrapped in plastic and could have made it look distorted? Are there any clearer pix of the tattoo out there?

Thnx for the explanations. I couldn't figure out the location, and now that you have said it was wrapped..
Still imo, it is SICK remembrance of his daughter...

Amazing the LP THINKS he can get anything out of Misty. Donna already did the spy routine and got nothing, (but maybe she was only interested in drug connections) and for crying out loud, LP has already made him known to these people, HOW does he THINK he can get anything. Keep her in jail, put on the pressure. Apparently her family feels she knows more than she has told.

It would be interesting to know why Mother Teresa left Ron to be raised by his grandmother. What is it with that Satsuma bunch? Amber's and Ron's baby is being raised by Amber's grandmother, too. Does anyone have custody of their own children in that town? Sure would love to have the scoop. Maybe someone will write a book. :geek2:

BJ in OR wrote:It would be interesting to know why Mother Teresa left Ron to be raised by his grandmother. What is it with that Satsuma bunch? Amber's and Ron's baby is being raised by Amber's grandmother, too. Does anyone have custody of their own children in that town? Sure would love to have the scoop. Maybe someone will write a book. :geek2:

I have not read that before. Did I miss it? Teresa did not raise Ron?

I posted two long articles yesterday morning and I can't find either one of them. This isn't the first time that it's happened.....my posts are disappearing. I'll post both again.

Teresa Neves is certain of one thing. Before the disappearance of her granddaughter, Haleigh Cummings, the woman who cared for the little girl and her younger brother, Junior, was caring and responsible.

"She loved them," Neves, 50, said of Misty Croslin. "There was no doubt in my mind about that."

Today, Haleigh's paternal grandmother says she doesn't know who Croslin has turned out to be. "I feel that somewhere in those two or three days before Haleigh went missing, she took a wrong turn in life, and that brought her to where she is today," Neves said of the young woman her son dated, married and has since divorced. "I do not feel she is the same person she was when I first met her. It's like night and day."

As for her son, Ronald Cummings, 26, Neves wouldn't talk about the current criminal charges against him, but acknowledged he has made mistakes in the past.

Despite his early missteps, however, her son had moved forward and worked to care for his children, she said.

"He was a very, very intelligent person. He has a very high IQ," Neves said of her son. "He has made some mistakes. You know what they say, they that can cast the first stone. I say that everybody makes mistakes in life. Ronald straightened out his life. His main focus has mainly been his children."

By all accounts, the lives of both Croslin and Cummings showed signs of trouble even before Haleigh's disappearance brought on the scrutiny of law enforcement and the media.

Before her recent arrest on drug charges, Croslin spoke about a Tennessee relative she claimed had "messed" with her when she was younger. In an interview last year, she said she wasn't going to school, and though she had signed up for GED classes, she never attended.

Before his daughter disappeared, Cummings had been arrested on minor drug charges in Putnam County and had cases filed on other allegations involving traffic violations, wildlife violations and trespassing.

Officers later announced he was not a suspect in Haleigh's disappearance, and a Department of Children and Families investigation cleared him of any abuse involving his children.

In a jailhouse interview last month, Cummings told a newspaper reporter that people have developed their own, inaccurate impressions of him.

"I get tired of being judged by people who just look at me," Cummings said. "I'm glad I'm not such a judgmental person."

While officers have said they do not consider Cummings and Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, suspects in the girl's disappearance, officials have said Misty Croslin's words don't match physical evidence or other accounts from the night Haleigh vanished. And her comments to the media early in the case, when she described what she remembered of the hours before the girl disappeared, have varied.

Croslin's sister-in-law, Lindsy Croslin, described the young woman as "a good girl" and "fun-loving."

"She just got caught up in this," Lindsy Croslin said.

"Misty has never been a leader. She puts her foot in her mouth sometimes," Lindsy Croslin said.

Haleigh's maternal grandmother, Marie Griffis, 44, sees something different. If Griffis were alone with Croslin, she said she might try to shake the truth out of her. In the end, though, she said her heart goes out to the 18-year-old.

"Her life spiraled. The mother in me sees the little girl whose life was shattered even more," Griffis said.

Misty Croslin has said she grew up in Michigan and that she lived in different parts of Florida for about seven years.

Lindsy Croslin says she first met Misty and her brother, Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., in Flagler Beach while they were in school. Hank and Lindsy Croslin have been together about eight years now.

"People would just go to the beach and hang out," Lindsy Croslin said. "I met him up there. Me and Misty became friends before me and Tommy even started dating, and so she was like the sister I didn't have as an only child."

Eventually, after she married Tommy Croslin in 2007, they all ended up in Putnam County. Lindsy Croslin's grandparents had a house in Satsuma, and she thought it would be nice to move somewhere else for a change of scenery, she said. Her husband's parents also ended up in Putnam County and had their own place.

At one point before Haleigh's disappearance, Misty Croslin and her parents, Hank Croslin Sr. and Lisa Croslin, moved in with Misty's brother and his wife after Hank Croslin Sr. was involved in a car accident and the family "lost everything," Lindsy Croslin said. Hank Croslin Sr. was hit by a drunken driver, she said.

As she had since high school, Misty Croslin watched her sister-in-law's children. Meanwhile, Misty Croslin's two brothers and father worked together at an electric company.

After the vehicle accident, Lindsy Croslin said Hank Croslin Sr. wasn't rehired at the job because he couldn't work.

He has several medical problems, one of the reasons he has been seeing different doctors and not because he was intentionally "doctor shopping" as was alleged by officers when he was arrested in November, she said.

Those who know her say family has always been at the center of Misty Croslin's world.

That sense of togetherness is part of what Lindsy Croslin, whose family previously had included just her and her father, said she fell in love with when she met Misty and Tommy.

"I thought it was so neat that (Tommy's) parents had been married since 16 and were still together. I thought it was neat that they had a mom and dad," Lindsy Croslin said. "That's how their upbringing is, very close - they all stick together. They all watch out for each other."

From jail in an interview recorded with a reporter, Ronald Cummings described his ex-wife as a friend and said little else about her. He said the only two women he has tattoos for are his daughter and mother. He also confirmed he has a new girlfriend.

He credited his late maternal grandfather, Myles Kirby Sykes, who had retired from the Florida Department of Agriculture, with teaching him "the basics," such as being good to women and children.

"He always took care of me. He was just a good all-around guy," Cummings said. "I'm sure that he wouldn't be happy that I'm in here."

While his grandfather died in 2002, Cummings has remained close with his grandmother, Annette Sykes, 65, who along with her husband helped care for Cummings when he was younger. Cummings said his father was not around much when he was growing up.

Cummings was born in Palatka and later lived in Central Florida, his mother said. He played baseball and football when he was younger.

Cummings said he later graduated from school in the Wildwood area.

When Cummings was with Crystal Sheffield, 24, his now ex-girlfriend, she became pregnant with Haleigh. To support the baby, Cummings said he left ITT Tech, where he had been studying for months and was pursuing a computer technology degree.

His career since, he said, has been in construction. Work became harder to get once Haleigh disappeared and the economy worsened, he said.

Cummings said having steady work and being a good provider later helped him win custody of his children when he and Sheffield vied for Haleigh and Ronald Jr.

Today, with his father in jail, toddler Ronald Jr. is living with Sheffield.

The night Haleigh vanished, Cummings was working a late shift at PDM Bridge in Palatka. Video camera footage from PDM Bridge confirms he was at work that night. Cummings is no longer employed there.

Cummings met Misty Croslin through her baby-sitting, both he and his mother have said. Living in Satsuma then, she had been taking care of her nieces and nephews, who didn't live far from where Cummings and his children were staying.

Cummings and Croslin ended up marrying on March 12, 2009, about a month after Haleigh's disappearance. Seven months later, they were divorced in mid-October.

In jail, Cummings was asked by a reporter why he put himself in a bad spot with the new drug charges. "I don't know man. I don't even know," he said.

To pass the time, Cummings said he has been reading the Bible in jail. "I've been going to church since I was knee-high to a grasshopper," he said, citing Bible verses that he said give him "a little hope."

Neves said her son shares her focus.

"If they get something out of Misty and this is what it cost him, this is all we care about ... Haleigh coming home," she said.

But Neves also worries about what will happen if Misty Croslin has been telling the truth or can't remember any more information about the night her granddaughter vanished.

"Law enforcement has spent a year waiting to be able to question her to be able to find out what she knows. If they're wrong, we've wasted a year," Neves said.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100207/ARTICLES/2071006/1002?p=6&tc=pg

Ronald Cummings was already a volatile man with a drug-related past when he met Misty Croslin, a defiant, barely educated teenager who moved in nearby.

Before they came to define the troubling story of Cummings' 5-year-old daughter, the pair now jailed on trafficking charges lived in a world surrounded by drugs and marked by mistrust, family and others recalled in interviews.

Haleigh disappeared from southern Putnam County a year ago Wednesday.

In the years leading up to that night, Cummings, now 26, had fathered three children and been arrested on drug charges but escaped prosecution. Croslin was a Michigan transplant who quit going to school in the sixth grade and ran off to New Jersey at 15.

Now Cummings and Croslin are awaiting arraignment on the drug charges after undercover investigators orchestrated a series of narcotics buys in December and January that also netted a friend of Croslin's, one of her brothers and a cousin of Cummings.

The arrests end nearly a year that was both sad because of Haleigh and tawdry in the lives it exposed to a national audience.

Ronald

Cummings and his 17-year-old girlfriend had been together for a short time when Haleigh disappeared. They'd met months earlier in their Satsuma neighborhood and seen each other at the school bus stop at the end of Tyler Street where Haleigh was dropped off with Croslin's nephew.

They had also talked when Croslin baby-sat Cummings' youngest son, who lived with a former girlfriend. Croslin warned Cummings he needed to gain custody of the baby because she said the child's mother was a drug abuser who would sometimes disappear and abandon the boy with whoever had him.

Soon Croslin was baby-sitting for Haleigh and Cummings' 3-year-old son, Ronald Jr.

The two became a couple but the relationship was rocky on the Monday night that Haleigh went missing. Croslin spent the weekend partying, although she was home by the time Cummings went to work Monday evening. But Cummings was angry and repeatedly called her brother that night, demanding to know where she was when he couldn't get her on the phone.

Anger and a sense of remoteness had marked Cummings for years, said his grandmother Annette Sykes, who reared him and his sister until Sykes' husband became debilitated by Alzheimer's. Annette and Kirby Sykes had guardianship of the two children beginning when Ronald was 3. He moved out as his grandfather became increasingly ill and was back with his mother, Teresa Neves, in Sumter County by the time he was a young teenager.

After Cummings graduated from high school in Leesburg, he and his girlfriend moved back to Putnam County. They went to his grandparents in Welaka, where his girlfriend became pregnant, but Cummings had changed, his grandmother said.

"He just had a dirty mouth," she said. "He was very disrespectful."

She attributed his ill manners to a bad crowd but found that as her husband - the man Cummings called "Daddy" - worsened and died, her grandson changed, too.

"He doesn't really want anybody to be close to him, I don't think," she said.

Cummings never saw much of his birth father, who lives in Putnam County, she said.

"Everything Kirby did at home, Ronald was right with him," Sykes said. "Every step Kirby took."

Cummings was never the same after his death in January 2002, she said.

From jail, Cummings said his grandfather had been a guiding force in his life.

"He taught me the basics, you know, be good to your women and your children," he said. "Work."

He said he learned right from wrong from his grandfather, and the importance of respect.

"I'm sure he wouldn't be happy I'm in here, that's for sure," he said.

His most serious arrests started after high school.

In October 2001 he was arrested after a Crescent City man said he was threatened at a stoplight and told he would be killed.

He was charged with drug possession in 2002 and 2004, both times after drugs were found with him in cars.

Charges were never prosecuted, according to court records.

Crystal

In Leesburg, Cummings had lived with his mother and Crystal Sheffield, a 14-year-old who came from Putnam County where she met the year-older Cummings.

Sheffield, who would be the mother of Haleigh and Ronald Jr., left school in the ninth grade to be home-schooled but never went any further.

Her mother, Marie Griffis, said her daughter was supposed to visit Cummings in Leesburg for a weekend but never came home. Mother and daughter were not often in touch for the next two years, and Griffis said she sometimes did not know where Sheffield was.

"When Crystal was with him, she didn't have much contact with me," Griffis said. "She never called me. When I called her, she didn't return my calls."

Sheffield, who now lives in Baker County on property beside her mother and stepfather, said drugs including pot and cocaine were part of the lifestyle she and Cummings shared while they were together.

She said Cummings only worked some and the two lived with his mother until they moved in with Sykes in Putnam before Haleigh was born.

"He just didn't like my family," Sheffield said. "He just kind of kept me away."

Sheffield became pregnant with Haleigh at 17. She and Cummings never married but lived with Sykes until their son was born 18 months after Haleigh.

Life with Cummings was difficult, Sheffield said. He was controlling and could be erratic, sometimes with guns.

"I've watched him put a gun in his mouth in front of me and Haleigh," she said.

After separating in 2005, Cummings was given custody of Haleigh and Ronald Jr. because he had a job with health insurance.

Misty

Cummings and the two children were living together when he met Croslin in 2008.

Sykes' first impression of the petite teen came from the children.

"The kids adored her and she seemed to adore them back," Sykes said. "I mean they'd cry to go back to her."

Sykes said she saw another side of her grandson's girlfriend in the months after Haleigh vanished, when Cummings, Croslin and Ronald Jr. moved in with her.

"You can't threaten her or do anything to her emotionally or mentally that will affect her," Sykes said. "She doesn't have the ability."

Sykes said even repeated interrogations by investigators had little impact.

"When the sheriff's department was threatening her and doing all their doings and stuff, it didn't faze her," she said.

Sykes said Croslin's childhood may have dulled her emotionally.

"She basically was here, there and yonder," Sykes said. "I don't reckon she knew from one day to the next where she was going to be."

Croslin was born in Michigan, but the family of five moved to where her father, Hank Croslin Sr., could find drywall work, her parents said. They spent time in Tennessee, her mother's home state, and Colorado before moving to Florida.

When their daughter was in the sixth grade, they were living in Flagler County.

"I'd send her to the bus stop," her mother, Lisa Croslin, said. "She'd never get on the bus. If it was a day she wanted to go, she'd go. If it was a day she didn't want to go, she would hide."

"She can't read," her father said. "She was behind in class just like all of us."

Reading disabilities run in the family, he said.

"I can't read at all," he said.

At about 15, Misty bought a bus ticket under a false name and moved to New Jersey with a boyfriend. After several months and with the help of a social worker, she was found and brought home.

About that time, the Croslins moved to Putnam.

Her father said she began hanging out with Kristina "Nay Nay" Prevatt and Amber Brooks, who is the mother of Cummings' other son.

Both Prevatt and Brooks have drug arrest histories. The weekend before Haleigh disappeared, Misty was with Prevatt.

"That's where all the trouble started, hanging around Nay Nay and Amber," her father said.

He said he couldn't convince her to distance herself from the new crowd. Misty was more trouble than the Croslins' two sons, he said.

"She was the wildest one," he said. "She was."

On Feb. 9, the night after Croslin returned to Cummings' mobile home from the weekend of partying, Sykes dropped by. She said she was upset that Croslin had gone off and left her grandson without anyone to watch over the two kids.

"I was mad because Ronald let her come back," she said. "But it's his house. There wasn't nothing I could do about it other than be mad."

By the next morning, Haleigh was gone.

<< Annette Sykes Cummings' grandmother, she and his grandfather were guardians of Ronald for nine years.

>> Teresa Neves Cummings' mother, she lived in Sumter County where her son and his girlfriend Crystal Sheffield stayed with her through his high school years.

<< Crystal Sheffield Haleigh's mother, she never married Cummings but now lives in Baker County and has custody of their son.

>> Marie Griffis Sheffield's mother, she said she had little contact with her daughter who was 14 when she went to live with Cummings in Leesburg.

<< Hank Croslin Sr. Misty's father, he said his daughter was the most unruly of his three children.

>> Hank Croslin Jr. Misty's brother, he was arrested in the same undercover drug operation as Cummings and his sister.

<< Lisa Croslin Misty's mother, she said her daughter refused to go to school around the sixth grade.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-02-07/story/a_year_since_haleigh_vanished_ronald_and_misty_lost_their_way_long_ago_1

by lindamarie Today at 1:47 pm

BJ in OR wrote:
It would be interesting to know why Mother Teresa left Ron to be raised by his grandmother. What is it with that Satsuma bunch? Amber's and Ron's baby is being raised by Amber's grandmother, too. Does anyone have custody of their own children in that town? Sure would love to have the scoop. Maybe someone will write a book.

I have not read that before. Did I miss it? Teresa did not raise Ron?

Here you go, Linda.....

Annette Sykes Cummings' grandmother, she and his grandfather were guardians of Ronald for nine years.

Thanks BJ. Yes I wonder why as well.

Maybe TN was hooked up with a 'man' that did not want to be around children, and she put the man first. How many times have we all heard that one over the years?? Whatever went on in Ron's childhood must not have been a real positive learning experience to prepare him for manhood. Or his role models were not a good influence on his life. Ron's poor kids!!!! Maybe they will break the mold and turn out to be productive, straight adults.

More:

Anger and a sense of remoteness had marked Cummings for years, said his grandmother Annette Sykes, who reared him and his sister until Sykes' husband became debilitated by Alzheimer's. Annette and Kirby Sykes had guardianship of the two children beginning when Ronald was 3. He moved out as his grandfather became increasingly ill and was back with his mother, Teresa Neves, in Sumter County by the time he was a young teenager.

We need a book!

that explains a lot. But why would Teresa let her Mother take care of Ron's kids? That Great Grandma paid her dues and is to old to be raising kids.

However we did get two audio files of a rather upset Ronald Cummings. In the first tape it is not clear who he is talking to. But there are lots of great sound bites. Could this be the new ’stripper’ girlfriend?

In the second call he is talking to his grandmother Annette Sykes.

Once again the word redaction goes through my mind. It is clear that all of then have been redacted, and one wonders what the edited material said?

Even stranger, In tape one we have Ronald making comments that just blow my mind. When asked about the Jail phone system and why it is so expensive he offers this great response:

Usually I make one free call and I am out, bonded out, but not this time.

Whoever Ronald was chatting with wanted to know about the current jail phone system. He goes on to explain that each call costs almost $10. Hell at that markup rate I want to start offering phone service to my local Jail. I am thinking of offering free long distance $1 a call, and I would still be making lots of money.

Ronald goes on to ask this unknown caller (could it be his new flame the exotic dancer?)

Can you call my mother?

In a rare show of concern Ron explains that he does not want to “burn up all your money”.
Money becomes another big factor as Ron goes on to explain about how his commissary money followed him from Flaggler, however his mail is still trying to catch up.

Not done with his whining he comes out with a comment that likely will upset a percentage of the jail population:

I am in a pod with a bunch of Stinking Mother F*****g N*****s

I suspect that Ron needs to stay in isolation while vacationing in the Putnam County motel. His comments have likely rebounded on him, and there is little doubt that there are one or two people that would like to talk to him.

According to Ron he is locked in his cell for all but 15 mins per day. During that 15 minutes he is free to have a shower and make a phone call. In a great way to endear himself to the staff he refers to them as ‘pecker heads’. I am sure that the ‘pecker heads’ have listened to this conversation, bad move Ron!

I could go on and on about this call, but I will not. Listen for yourself. (on the link)

http://www.bloggernews.net/123774

From inside the St. Johns County Jail, Tommy Croslin - Misty Croslin's brother - talked about the missing person case of Haleigh Cummings.

Seven phone calls between Tommy Croslin and his brother Timmy have been released.

In them, Tommy tells his brother, "I want to get out of here so bad. I'd do anything to get out of here. I wouldn't sell my soul, but I'd do anything else."

Tommy Croslin was arrested with his sister and former brother-in-law, Ronald Cummings, on drug trafficking charges in January.

In one phone call, Tommy Croslin explained he suspected the buyer was an undercover agent.

"Misty brought this dude over to the house, alright, and wanted me to get us some roxies. So I [expletive] went and got him some roxies. I called someone I knew and went and got him some pills," Croslin said.

In the past year, investigators have questioned Tommy Croslin about Haleigh Cummings who disappeared from her Satsuma home nearly a year ago.

It appears that questioning continues.

Tommy Croslin told his brother over the phone, "The police said, 'You're facing three years in prison unless you help us find Haleigh.' I said, 'I can't help you find nobody. I don't know where she is.'"

Tommy Croslin also faces burglary charges.

Timmy Croslin: You think this, any of this [expletive] would've happened to you if this [expletive] wasn't going on in our life about Haleigh?

Tommy Croslin: No. Hell no. How long did I do stuff before and nothing happened?

Timmy Croslin: I know. That's what I'm saying. I think they're just out to get us.

For now Tommy Croslin remains in jail in protective custody.

Last week, bounty hunter Leonard Padilla offered to pay Misty's bail if she would reveal any information about Haleigh's disappearance. Today, the family gathered for the one-year anniversary of the girl's disappearance. The family said the hurt is still the same and their feelings haven't changed.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=151759&catid=3

Man, I wish ya'll could see our newspaper it's almost ALL about Haleigh on this anniversary. The front page and three pages inside. It's not anything new, but it has the whole timeline and pictures. You can read the front page story though. http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/02/09/news/news01.txt

Haleigh Cummings – More Tapes From The Jail
Posted on February 8th, 2010
by Simon Barrett

We actually were expecting some sound files of Donna Brock to be released. That did not happen. Sources close to the investigation are telling us that her phone conversations are still being redacted. Hmmm ones has to wonder what those redactions might be.

However we did get two audio files of a rather upset Ronald Cummings. In the first tape it is not clear who he is talking to. But there are lots of great sound bites. Could this be the new ’stripper’ girlfriend?

In the second call he is talking to his grandmother Annette Sykes.

Once again the word redaction goes through my mind. It is clear that all of then have been redacted, and one wonders what the edited material said?

Even stranger, In tape one we have Ronald making comments that just blow my mind. When asked about the Jail phone system and why it is so expensive he offers this great response:

Usually I make one free call and I am out, bonded out, but not this time.

Whoever Ronald was chatting with wanted to know about the current jail phone system. He goes on to explain that each call costs almost $10. Hell at that markup rate I want to start offering phone service to my local Jail. I am thinking of offering free long distance $1 a call, and I would still be making lots of money.

Ronald goes on to ask this unknown caller (could it be his new flame the exotic dancer?)

Can you call my mother?

In a rare show of concern Ron explains that he does not want to “burn up all your money”.

Money becomes another big factor as Ron goes on to explain about how his commissary money followed him from Flaggler, however his mail is still trying to catch up.

Not done with his whining he comes out with a comment that likely will upset a percentage of the jail population:

I am in a pod with a bunch of Stinking Mother F*****g N*****s

I suspect that Ron needs to stay in isolation while vacationing in the Putnam County motel. His comments have likely rebounded on him, and there is little doubt that there are one or two people that would like to talk to him.

According to Ron he is locked in his cell for all but 15 mins per day. During that 15 minutes he is free to have a shower and make a phone call. In a great way to endear himself to the staff he refers to them as ‘pecker heads’. I am sure that the ‘pecker heads’ have listened to this conversation, bad move Ron!

I could go on and on about this call, but I will not. Listen for yourself. The link is here.

Simon Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/123774

Wrapitup wrote:

"BJ in OR"]

by Wrapitup Today at 8:07 pm Oh well, she is getting ready to play them now.
Did he get Misty "roxies" the night Haleigh went missing is the question.

He did!
So I (expletive) went and got her some rocksies. I talked to someone I knew and got her some pills.

------------------
But Tommy did NOT specifically state the night Haleigh went missing. And, if she was so tired from partying for 3 days - wouldn't she want to go right to sleep? They just said on NG that Misty called TN asking her to watch the kids/telling her she would pay her. Evidently, that did not happen. I am confused.

In the phone conversation he said "one night"...
The more I think of it, Ron should be charged with child endangerment. He knew Misty had been 'F'd" up for three days, was needing more pills, hungover , yet he still left his kids with her?? If we had a babysitter show up at our house in that condition we would stay home!!!! He should have asked Grandma Sykes or TN to stay with the kids that night.

trishd54 wrote:Man, I wish ya'll could see our newspaper it's almost ALL about Haleigh on this anniversary. The front page and three pages inside. It's not anything new, but it has the whole timeline and pictures. You can read the front page story though. http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/02/09/news/news01.txt

Thanks, but no photos or other pages, wish we could read them all too. Thanks.

Well, I tried obviously with no luck to copy and paste them here, guess that's why I have to have a subscription lol

Whats this about Ron having a new girlfriend?
A stripper? Where was that printed, I missed it!

I just read an entry from art harris - does anyone know where Misty's latest jailhouse tape can be seen?

Ron really makes my blood pressure go up on the scale. TN his mother makes it go up too. Come to think of it that whole Satsuma gang. Sorry trishd..not you.
Mother Teresa treats Ron like a baby. He acts like spoiled baby. If that jail population ever gets hold of him he will be toast. He is one cocky b......!

I was suprised to hear Haleigh wanted TN to babysit that fateful night. TN was probably putting on those high heels and heading out. Who did Misty think was babysitting when she was on her binge? Where did Misty get money to offer to pay TN to babysit...by the way????

I feel so sorry for the normal and decent people who live in Satsuma. I am sure there must be a few. Can you imagine living there?

Why yes I can!!

I just read the rest of the threads as I was behind on the posts. Misty cannot read? Adult illiteracy can explain a lot too. There is so much disfunction here
its unbelievable - why did TN not raise her children?
How did Misty get to even the 6th grade without being able to read? I can believe that Ron has a high IQ but
but many sociopaths are above in IQ. If its true that he was going to school, and had to quit, its no excuse to take the path he did. He had family support his grandfather had a good job and they seemed like decent people so theres just no excuse there. He took
the easy way and he has a screw loose too IMO.

If you want to waste a lot of time - listen to Ron's calls to his "girlfriend" that I posted at 7:49 or here:

FYI Ron did get his GED, not an excuse though, just info