The Putnam County Sheriff’s department has been conducting a three-day search of the St. Johns River this week based on information provided to them in a tip. Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy has explained that through subsequent interviews they obtained information that led them to investigate the river near the Shell Harbor Boat Ramp south of Satsuma where little Haleigh went missing over a year ago. The Putnam County Sheriff’s department also reclassified the investigation from that of a missing person case to a homicide investigation.
In a press conference yesterday Sheriff Hardy stated that several items have been recovered from the river bottom – one is a large box seen in news videos of the search – but at this time the department cannot state whether any of the items recovered are connected to the Cummings investigation. Whether it is based on the tip, information from the subsequent interviews or from items since recovered from the river, Sheriff Hardy stated yesterday the department no longer believes little Haleigh Cummings is alive.
Concurrent with the river search, a former FBI agent, Steve Brown, gave an interview with WKMG in which he stated he was the one that provided the tip to the Sheriff’s department that led to the search. Mr. Brown claims that he has been conducting a 10-month long investigation into the disappearance of Haleigh on behalf of Crystal Sheffield, Haleigh’s mother. In the interview with WKMG Mr. Brown definitively stated he knows what happened to Haleigh on February 9, 2009, the night she disappeared.
While Mr. Brown was careful not to reveal any of the specific information he knows, or has shared with the Sheriff’s department, he did make some telling statements during the interview. Mr. Brown does not believe that Ronald Cummings, Haleigh’s father, had anything to do with what happened to her that night. But he could not say the same thing about Misty Cummings, Ronald’s girlfriend at the time and babysitter of Haleigh on the night Misty claims Haleigh just disappeared while Misty slept. In fact, Mr. Brown states:
Misty certainly knows what happened in the trailer that night.
Mr. Brown also goes on to state that he believes an arrest is soon to come and while there may be additional people involved in the overall crime (be it the death, or disposal of Haleigh) he states:
…but as to who killed Haleigh, that’s not going to be a big surprise.
Of course, the “not going to be a big surprise” statement, for a lot of people, would be if the person accused is Misty Cummings. Misty’s statements since the night Haleigh disappeared have been inconsistent. And, as an indicator that law enforcement believes she knows what they are looking for in the St. Johns River, Misty was brought in handcuffs to the boat dock and was seen on news footage talking at length, while handcuffed and in her jailhouse issued blue scrubs, with officers at the search location.
If Mr. Brown does, indeed, know what happened to Haleigh and was the person who was able to tip the authorities on information that led them to conduct further interviews and the search, then there the search is, indeed, for a specific item…whether it be the body of Haleigh or a murder weapon, but something pitched into that river either on the night Haleigh was murdered, or very shortly afterward. Mr. Brown states:
It was there. Fourteen months later, I don’t know what’s going to be there.
Let us hope that the Putnam County Sheriff’s department finds what they are looking for so that the person or persons involved in the murder of Haleigh Cummings can finally be brought to justice, and the injustice committed against Haleigh revealed and made public record.
Valhall.
Related articles:
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23136873/detail.html
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23163877/detail.html
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23150613/detail.html
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