we look back at ten years since
five-year-old hailey Cummings was last
seen we are getting unprecedented access
to what investigators were hearing back
then what they thought and who they were
investigating in her disappearance the
Putnam County detective in charge of the
missing persons case is now retired and
talking candidly with news for Jax this
morning he unravels why he believed the
story that they were being told just
didn't add up now to understand why he
says that you need to listen very
closely to what misty Crosland the last
person who saw Haley told investigators
and us about what happened February 10th
2009 when the little girl vanished into
thin air
I got no cuz I had to use the bathroom
but it didn't make it
I seen the kitchen light on a tearful
mystique Roslyn insists that open back
door was closed hours earlier when she
laid down to sleep next to Haley
Cummings and the five year olds little
brother the 17 year old was dating the
children's father and was home alone
with them while he was at work a
stranger comes inside the house and and
picks up the little girl and takes her
out and leaves a little boy there it
makes no sense
John merchant was the detective in
charge of Haley Cummings missing-persons
case for the Putnam County Sheriff's
Office in 2009 I would think that to
prop a back door open with a concrete
block and you know it's it was a metal
outswing door as I recall something had
to make some noise but no one woke up
not misty not Haley not her little
brother merchants revealing to us now
other inconsistencies in the teenager's
account of what happened her story
chains about the location according to
the police report written that night
misty said the children were sleeping in
her
bed.but merchant says she told them
later that hailey was in her own bed
when she discovered she was gone this is
the layout of that bedroom ten years ago
you see Hailey's toddler mattress
against one wall to the right is where
her father and misty slept where
merchants says the teen initially said
all three were in bed and there's
something else
remember this I've got it because I had
to use the bathroom but it didn't make
it except in the police report misty
told them she woke up to get a drink
there is no mention of the bathroom
merchant believes misty was not being
truthful about what happened she had it
stuck in her mind that she has she had a
story she wanted to tell us yet she was
tripping up clearly often and you know
that comes with you know telling the
truth is easy telling a lot it's not
nothing it's not easy at all merchants
was never able to prove mystique Roslyn
was lying about the details of that
night and with no physical evidence or
any sign of hailey despite an exhaustive
week's long search misty was never
charged for any wrongdoing in fact to
this day she insists as she did when we
interviewed her two days after the
little girl disappeared that she had
nothing to do with it they got tunnel
vision once they focused on misty they
forgot about everything else tomorrow
morning at 7 Hailey's grandmother had
her own theory was there anyone else
that you thought could have possibly had
something to do with her disappearance
absolutely that was a man and a trailer
that lived in the woods right behind the
house why he was quickly ruled out and
then tomorrow night starting at 5:00
these three investigators revealing to
the public for the first time what they
believe may have happened to hailey
Cummings don't miss our continuing
coverage of our special report into thin
air
[Music]
so many unanswered questions I have to
tell you I've been doing this a long
time was the police reporter for a long
time sitting down with those three
investigators now that they've retired
and they're no longer involved in that
case is just fascinating all the things
that they heard all of the things they
heard the things that they couldn't
prove the stories that they were told
it's just unbelievable
I can't imagine their frustrations but
that's a question for another day let me
go back to the inconsistencies in
Misty's stories what's the family think
about that yeah it's interesting because
you know obviously misty was very close
with Ronald side of the family
grandmother great-grandmother Haley's
you know relatives and you know I asked
them that question when I interview them
and they said they never saw anything
but love compassion kindness between
misty and both of the kids and they say
that Haley adored misty so honestly they
don't know what to think they don't know
who to believe which is why his you know
her great grandmother said you know they
got tunnel vision on misty and she feels
like they made you miss something we'll
have more on that story of course
tomorrow and Bruce as we've mentioned
you know every day this week we do want
to remind people that somebody knows
something as we discussed it's a matter
of whether or not that person will pick
up the phone and make that call and you
can do that by calling the Crimestoppers
tip line at eight eight eight two seven
seven tips there is a fifteen thousand
dollar cash reward if you're called a
Crimestoppers with information leads to
an arrest