>>MARY BAER: ONE WEEK AGO TODAY WAS HALEY CUMMINGS 18TH BIRTHDAY THIS EVENING. WE’RE
LOOKING BACK AT THE MISSING
CHILD INVESTIGATION THROUGH
THE EYES OF A POLICE OFFICER
WHO STILL STRUGGLES EVERY DAY
KNOWING HER DISAPPEARANCE
REMAINS UNSOLVED. >>TOM WILLS: AND THEN MANY YEARS LATER HE FOUND HIMSELF IN
CHARGE OF WHAT IT FIRST SEEMS
LIKE A SIMILAR CASE TRISTEN
BAILEY’S DISAPPEARANCE JENNIFER
WAUGH CAUGHT UP WITH SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY SHERIFF ROB
HARDWICK.
>> 5/9/2021 SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY. A 13 YEAR-OLD
GIRL IS REPORTED MISSING FROM
HER DURBIN CROSSING
NEIGHBORHOOD.
ROBERT HARDWICK WAS JUST 6
MONTHS INTO HIS NEW JOB AS
SHERIFF.
>> THE FIRST THINK IN MY MIND
WAS DRAMAS LIKE THIS CANNOT BE
A HAYLEY CUMMINGS CASE.
>> 11 YEARS EARLIER
2/10/2009. HAYLEY CUMMINGS WAS
REPORTED MISSING FROM HER BED
IN
PUTNAM COUNTY HARDWICK WAS A
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATOR ASSIGNED
TO THE CASE.
>> IT’S ONE OF THOSE CASES YOU
NEVER WANT TO HAVE IN YOUR
CAREER.
>> NOW HE HAD TO BOTH STARTED
THE SAME.
>> YOU ARE EXPECTING THAT PHONE
CALL THAT’S GOING TO COME BACK
AND GO. EVERYBODY’S CANCELED.
SHE WAS FOUND SHE WANDERED OFF.
>> BOTH TOOK
TERRIBLE TERMINALS. ME SEEMED
TO VANISH INTO THIN.
>> IN TO MEET STAFF MEETINGS WE HAD WERE LAW ENFORCEMENT SAT THERE AND CHOKED BACK TEARS AND
SHED TEARS BECAUSE WE HAD NO
INFORMATION TO PROVIDE TO
THE MEDIA. WE HAVE NO
INFORMATION TO THE TO PROVIDE
THE FAMILY.
BUT MOST IMPORTANT AS WE HAVE
NO INFORMATION PROVIDER
OURSELVES OF THAT WE WERE
MAKING ANY PROGRESS AT ALL.
WHEN WE SAY EVERY STONE WAS
TURNED OVER EVERY STONE WAS
TURNED OVER.
>> HARDWICK’S ASSIGNMENT WAS TO
INVESTIGATE THE LAST PERSON TO
SEE HALEIGH ALIVE. HER
FATHER’S GIRLFRIEND. MISTY
CROSLIN WAS BABYSITTING THE 5
YEAR OLD WHEN SHE DISAPPEARED.
>> INCONSISTENT SEASON. HER
STORY. MINIMIZATION OF
HER STORY MINIMIZING HER ROLE.
HER INVOLVEMENT BUT GIVING US A
STORY THE VERY BEGINNING THAT
WE ALL FELL 4 AND WORKED ON.
AND WHEN THAT DIRECTION BECAUSE
SHE’S THE LAST PERSON TO SEE
HER ALIVE.
>> A DIRECTION THAT EVENTUALLY
LED NOWHERE CROSLIN HE SAID WAS
LYING ABOUT SOMETHING BUT WITH
NOBODY. NO EVIDENCE. NO ONE HAS
EVER BEEN CHARGED AND HALEY IS
STILL MISSING. FAST FORWARD
11 YEARS. AND SHERIFF HARDWICK COULDN’T BEAR THE THOUGHT OF NOT FINDING ANOTHER YOUNG GIRL
WHEN TRISTON BAILEY WAS
REPORTED MISSING ON MOTHER’S
DAY. THIS TIME. THEY DID
FIND HER BUT IT WAS NOT THE
ENDING ANYONE HAD HOPED FOR
TRISTEN HAD BEEN STABBED TO
DEATH. HER 14 YEAR-OLD
CLASSMATE NOW CHARGED IN
CONNECTION WITH
HER MURDER. HARDWICK FINDS SOME
SOLACE IN KNOWING HIS
DEPARTMENT AT LEAST HELP BRING
JUSTICE TO HER FAMILY.
SOMETHING HE HOPES WILL HAPPEN
ONE DAY FOR
HALEY’S FAMILY. THE CASE NEVER
STOPPED MY MIND.
>> IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY.
>> IT STAYED WITH
HIM FOREVER.
>>MARY BAER: SO IF YOU HAVE ANY
INFORMATION ABOUT HALEIGH
CUMMINGS WHEREABOUTS OR WHAT
HAPPENED TO HER
12 YEARS AGO PLEASE CALL
NORTHEAST, FLORIDA, CRIME
STOPPERS BY DIALING 8, 8, 8,
277-8477. THE PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE TELLS ME IT’S STILL RECEIVES DOZENS OF TIPS
A YEAR. MANY ARE ONES THAT ITS
HEARD BEFORE BUT NEW ONES ARE
FOLLOWED UP. AND THIS IS
INTERESTING EARLIER THIS YEAR
IN MARCH THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE
SAID THAT IT RECEIVED A TIP OF
A PERSON WHO SAID SHE
IS HALEY AND LIVES ON THE WEST
COAST. THE FBI IS HELPING WITH
THAT INVESTIGATION. THE
PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
SAYS IT IS STILL WAITING ON
DNA RESULTS. WE HAVE TRIED TO
GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
THIS TIP, INCLUDING WHY IT’S
TAKING SO LONG TO GET THE DNA
RESULTS, IT’S BEEN 5 MONTHS
GIVEN THAT THIS IS SUCH A
HIGH-PROFILE CASE. WE ARE STILL
WAITING FOR ANSWERS AND WE WILL
KEEP YOU POSTED. JENNIFER WATCH
CHANNEL 4. THE LOCAL STATION.
>>TOM WILLS: IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE UNSOLVED
DISAPPEARANCE OF HAYLEY
CUMMINGS YOU CAN LISTEN TO JENS
PODCAST SERIES CALLED INTO THIN
AIR. YOU CAN HEAR IN THEIR OWN
WORDS, WHAT THOSE INVESTIGATORS