WFTV.com News 

Story

Haleigh's Home No Longer A Crime Scene

Posted: 12:37 pm EST February 27, 2009Updated: 12:52 pm EST February 27, 2009

Haleigh's house in Putnam County had been cordoned off as a crime scene ever since she disappeared earlier this month. But Friday, the crime scene tape finally came down.

Haleigh Cummings' Green Lane home where she was abducted from in the middle of the night is no longer a crime scene. However, Ronald Cummings said he won't live in his home after knowing his little girl was taken out of her bed.


VIDEO REPORT: Crime Tape Comes Down
IMAGES: Tent Cumming's Family Is Living In

Meanwhile the search teams canvassed the thick wooded area for clues.
Cadaver dogs continue to search areas around the home of Haleigh Cummings Friday. Thursday one dog alerted on a nearby dumpster, but a thorough search found nothing.

The wooded areas are new to the cadaver dogs. The sheriff's office wants to make sure nothing was missed in the search.

Bryan Selzer and his dog Eli came from Jacksonville to aid in the search for Haleigh Cummings Friday afternoon.

"We're just doing a different area today. We're hitting mostly the wooded area that we are searching and again we are searching that for the second time to make sure that everything's covered," said Selzer.

Seven cadaver dogs searched the wooded area and investigators said they are trained to sniff out human remains. The specially trained dogs searched the Cummings' neighborhood Thursday and found nothing but rotting trash in a dumpster.

Selzer said going through the woods is more difficult than it looks.

"It just takes a lot longer; we have to take more breaks more often for the dogs to recover. But it's do-able but just takes longer," he said.

The trained volunteers said they'll be searching until the end of the day.


HALEIGH'S FATHER'S GIRLFRIEND TAKEN IN FOR QUESTIONING

Eyewitness News has learned that Misty Croslin, Haleigh's father's girlfriend was the last one to see the 5-year- old. Croslin was taken away for questioning again Thursday morning.

It's been nearly three weeks since the 5-year-old was taken out of her bed in the middle of the night. Deputies said Haleigh was home asleep with her little brother and father's girlfriend when the crime happened.


VIDEO REPORT: Misty Croslin Questioned
IMAGES: Tent Cumming's Family Is Living In
RAW VIDEO: Girlfriend Comments On Cousin

Meanwhile, seven cadaver dogs and nine officers were sent to search an area surrounding the home of missing five-year-old Haleigh Cummings Thursday. Deputies said the search was being conducted to make sure that nothing is overlooked.

The cadaver dogs and officers searched for human remains. Eyewitness News saw dogs sniffing along the panels underneath mobile homes in case a body was placed underneath.

Investigators believe Haleigh Cummings was taken from her home on Green Lane in Satsuma on February 9. Sheriff Jeff Hardy, as well as everyone involved in the investigation said they continue to hope that Haleigh is found alive and in good health.

Investigators said Thursday's search was not in response to leads received from the family or the public, but as a routine procedure that has proven itself in other missing child cases.

The canine teams are a part of Canine South, a non-law enforcement organization out of South Georgia that specializes in canine searches. The teams consist of cadaver dogs that specifically seek out human remains.

Investigators said more dogs will search the area again Friday.


FAMILY RELEASES HOME VIDEO OF HALEIGH

The family of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings hopes new home video will help people recognize her. The home video was shot Christmas morning at Haleigh's Satsuma home where she was last seen February 9.


HOME VIDEO: Haleigh Opening Presents

Haleigh's little brother's face was obscured in the video at the family's request. Her brother told his mother a man in black came into the bedroom and took Haleigh.

The reward for information leading to Haleigh is up to $25,500.

Click Picks
Video Clips
What do you get when you put a man's head on a baby's body and a baby's head on a man's body? It's a 'ManBaby,' possibly the freakiest way to tweak a family photo. View Images ››

Strange News Photos

From brilliant to bizarre, our 99-photo slideshow captures a variety of strange news. Photos are added often. Take A Look!

County-By-County News

Get Hyper-Local On WFTV.com

Visit our County-By-County section for the latest news headlines out of your county. » County-By-County

When you take videos or photos of Central Florida news or weather events, iWitness is your place to upload them. » iWitness

Visit your headquarters for county-by-county news and resources, and a place to share community videos and photos. » 9Central