This just in from The Sky 97.3’s TJ Hart – Simon
After a busy week in the Haleigh Cummings abduction case where the last person to see the 6-year-old Satsuma girl who’s been missing since February failed her 4th polygraph, a Bounty Hunter involved in the Caylee Anthony case Sunday made an open offer to assist Misty Croslin-Cummings, on a radio program.
Bloggernews.net’s Simon and Jan Barrett host a weekly internet radio show on Sunday afternoons at 4pm ET where the topic has been the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings. This Sunday’s panel included Emmy Award-winning journalist Art Harris, crime author Denny Griffin, Private Investigator WIlliam “Cobra” Staubs, Bounty Hunter Leonard Padilla and me, WSKY’s TJ Hart.
The program recapped the week’s events including Misty’s failed polygraph test and other tests that she requested Texas EquuSearch to conduct in an attempt to clear her name, accusations her brother Tommy may have been connected and his subsequent questioning and a fruitless ground search on a piece of land marked by a plastic rose.
After the recap, I challenged listeners to think for a moment from the perspective of Misty whose life has impacted by sexual abuse at the hands of family members, a low level of education, being raised by drug addicted parents and who just might have been threatened with lethal force the night of Haleigh’s abduction. I also brought up the idea that Misty might not need another polygraph or an attorney, but rather and advocate.
At that point of the program, host Simon Barrett injected Bounty Hunter Leonard Padilla into the conversation. Padilla agreed that Misty probably needs a friend right now.
I asked Padilla if he had any suggestions. He responded by offering his help to Misty if she wanted it.
Padilla suggested taking her away from her surroundings for safety reasons–perhaps flying her to Canada in order to get some straight answers and to provide her an attorney.
Journalist Art Harris added that Misty is fragile, scared and might be suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome right now.
Leonard Padilla is also a figure in the Caylee Anthony case in Orlando.
AUDIO: Exerpt from Bloggernews.net Blogger News on The Radio
TJ Hart
38 users commented in " Bounty Hunter Padilla Makes Open Offer to Haleigh Cummings Stepmom "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackMaybe having Misty “get out of dodge” would help her get it together. I don’t know if I think she is telling the truth or not but regardless, she has to feel really trapped in her situation. And she is basically taking the whole rap for everything whether it is deserved or not.
ha! You should be ashamed of yourselves Simon and Jan for allowing something like this to continue i.e. the stating of two of your biggest players in the game that they will take a lead person to Canada. How could you support such things?
Padilla just cannot stay out of the limelight!!
Simon, did i read it wrong? Some think that LP and me would what?, Has Misty been charged with any thing?, NO. so if she wanted to go to Africa or Canada with LP or anyone or any where else, she could. Who would be breaking the law? No One. They just can’t do it so Lenny said he would try and I support that. Now if she gets charged, it is over. Then it would be a crime to do this. She should come in out of the rain before she catches a case/cold.
Repost:
Cobra said,in August 31st, 2009 at 8:17am Mr. Simon, the show was a good one! I know I was there! Some of the commentors must have left the room several times. Passports? If THE GODFATHER said he would do this thing in Canada, best bet it can be done. OH yea, the part of the border lockdown and “black list” you got me with that one who ever you are. No more than you can stop those little sugar ants climbing around, you can’t lockdown the border. Ryan got over the border and it was hot at the time. There were more agents looking than the population of Putnam County, (well, there were a bunch.)
Some of your readers Simon are just unhappy folks in life and hate folks who do care and at all cost will try to find this child. We know that the side shows as they are called are no worse than Halftime at a game, start up bands while you wait for the Band that you paid to see. These events, “sideshows” play an important role in the entire case. There is no one begging to be locked up as they are confessing to this, nor are any movements at times in the case. It is not until through web sites and local gosip goes national, that we see movement. For months we have wanted Misty to do what she just did, reach out. She would not have done so, if the pressure was not so great. It is funny however that Misty would say something in those interviews that would cause the PCSO to interview her brother for a while! I would just remind folks that she has two brothers.
On another issue, one of your more gifted
commentors has asked several times what caused the fight that Misty and Ron had. The simple answer, she wanted a baby and when she told Ronald that she was pregnate and showed him her sister in laws sonogram, “i can’t spell for crap” He , Ronald, went besirk! Rolled her in a ball and threw her against a mirrow and broke it. (7 years if you don’t belive in the Good Book.) just my comment, as an ole folks saying goes.
As Nancy Grace and Sherman have said, we are civilians, whatever is necessary, whatever it takes, however folks like Tim Miller do it, DO IT! If LP The Godfather can do a little something something, let him do it! If you Mr. and Mrs. armchair quaterfinalist can do something other than attacking those who have gotten up and tried to shine that light into hell, where this case is, DO IT! But if you are one of those that hates me or anyone else who has PAID their dues, GET OVER ON THE OTHER SIDE AND STAY THERE> You are part of the EVIL Crew!
Final Comment, yes I know for a fact that the entire family and friends do read these comments and stories. As they do I pray God would move on their heart and “they” would go to whom “they” trust and get this resolved. That way all of us can take it easy on each other and the healing process can begin.
Simon, keep the fire lite, pour gas on it!
Cobra
I think you guys are missing a crucial point when you consider how to make Misty feel safe.
Lets go hypthetical for the rest of this post. A girl is not with a man for reasons that are clear to those outside the relationship. If children are in the mix you often feel responsible for them if you love kids even if they are not your own! What if your guy also gave you drugs. What if you were young and likely addicted so leaving would mean leaving everything you know and on top of that cold turkey. More importantly I would feel very insecure if I felt threatened by the man I relied upon to give me those drugs, overdoses happen far too often don’t they. I would fear for such a girls safety. I don’t know these people I am not saying this is factual but I know from personal experience that a girl in this position knows enough to fear, enough to make sure the person they rely on does not feel threatened by them in order to stay safe and now with all the outside offers of help coming in I would be shit scared if I was her.
OzzieGal said,in August 31st, 2009 at 10:57am I think you guys are missing a crucial point when you consider how to make Misty feel safe.
Well, how do we make her feel safe? We can’t give her drugs, But we can get her intervention. We can protect her, but not in Ron’s home.
She may need to talk to one of our female agents, as a friend as a protector. Tell us since we don’t want to miss anything crucial. And as you I for one am concerned for her safety. And have been since all fingers point to her timelines.
Cobra
If anyone truly cares about Misty’s safety I’d recommend they start protecting her NOW!
If there is someone who does not want her to talk, they may well attempt to stop her before she can.
I’m afraid that this nationally advertised offer of help – as generous and well-intended as it is – may result in (for example) someone taking a shot at her OR the one thing no one can protect her from – a beating or serious threat to her life behind closed doors in her own home.
And if Misty decides to accept such an offer, please be sure to have a very good female agent there at all times. Misty may prefer to talk with a female and it would protect Mr. LP (or whoever) from any false accusations (you know the kind I mean).
I don’t know if anyone else is including this as a possibility but what if someone has Haleigh and is threatening to hurt/kill her if Misty talks? None of the solutions anyone has come up with so far address that. (And no nationally-advertised ones ever will).
Well that is a true point there Cobra.
Misty is not safe as long as she is in the same house as Ron is.
He is a violent man and if he starts to believe she has anything to do with Haleighs dissapearance he just might snap and hurt her really bad.
In his drug abused mind he can start to think and believe she killed that little girl.
This case is getting weirder and weirder by the day.
One day you think there is going to be a breaktrhough and the other day the water of truth is more black than the day before.
I would like to thank you for providing another point of view in a case that is at a stalemate. I feel ashamed. I never once thought that Misty could possibly be a victim in this case. And I so very ashamed to admit that, given some of the crap I have personally been through. Not being one who easily thinks outside the box, and one who is also too easily led by others opinions that I don’t like to listen to mainstream talk radio stations, this sure does cast some possible light into the shadows of this case.
I am an optimistic realist. I hold out hope that Haleigh will be found alive, but my conviction to that hope wavers. But if Misty IS a victim, perhaps she can still be saved. The pictures of her have always troubled me. Her expression is not ever clear. I wrote it off to hiding something, but people usually do a better job of looking distraught, even when they are covering something up. No, her expression is one of a troubled child.
An analogy for someone living in the life hypothetically portrayed here. It is like living in an egg. You are constrained to life which is in that shell, you cannot see out of that life. There is nothing outside of your life. You have no idea what life is like outside that shell, just that it is foreign and scary. You feel there is nothing ‘out there’ for you. You know no one out there – it is truly frightening.
Once you are out and look back, you cannot understand how you ever fit inside that shell.
If she is in a situation like is proposed, she is probably in more danger now than ever before. The more public interest there is in her, and in getting her out, is extremely dangerous for her. If those around her fear exposure, she too will disappear.
If someone is really willing to get her out of there, support her, get her deep counseling – then it needs to be done now.
Just hope she really is the victim if someone is going to do all that, and that you’re not being taken for a ride, only to have charges brought up against you.
Tough call. But she does need to be shown a way out, if indeed that is what she needs.
Cobra, if you are still here, what did you mean when you said you might have more charges put on you when you go to court Thurs.
I THINK L.P. A.K.A. THE GODFATHER NEEDS TO GO AWAY. HE’S SO DARN SHRUD AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED.PLUS HE TALKS WAY WAY TOOOO MUCH.
COBRA AND L.P. ARE SO DIFFERENT IMO L.P.WANTS TO BE IN EVERYTHING HIS NAME CAN BE HEARD.IMO HE DOES NOBODY NO GOOD EXCEPT HIMSELF!!!!IF IWAS MISTY I’D RUN SO FAR AND SO FAST FROM THAT PHONEY L.P. INNOCENT OR GUILTY.HE’S
T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!!!!! AGAIN JMHO
Right on, Cobra! Just hope the ball keeps rolling….the down part of the hill is approaching.
m2c said,
in August 31st, 2009 at 11:30 am
I don’t know if anyone else is including this as a possibility but what if someone has Haleigh and is threatening to hurt/kill her if Misty talks? None of the solutions anyone has come up with so far address that. (And no nationally-advertised ones ever will).
Very good point m2c. Definitely something to think about.
It’s time to beging thinking of others…there are thousands of other missing children that need our attention just as much as Haleigh Cummings. Many, many people continue to speculate about each Cummings family member, each investigator, each clue, what he said, what she said, and so on & so forth.
The fact is that probably there are children missing from homes in your very own communities who also need a voice and someone to search for and be concerned for them. Put feet onto those typing fingers and begin helping the children from your community. Get involved with organizations in your community to protect the children and help the children afflicted with drug & alcohol-addicted parents. There may even be a child in your own circle of relatives that desperately needs a voice. They may be “slipping through the cracks”…please help them.
Some of us have been thinking of other missing children all along, Diane. Blogging about one does not exclude any other.
The article we are blogging under here is about Haleigh Cummings so it’s very appropriate. And blogging does not mean people aren’t doing anything else. Some of our bloggers joined the search for Haleigh in February and others participated in the search for Caylee Anthony in Orlando before her remains were found.
Some of our bloggers are very active in their local communities and national organizations.
We’re here right now because we don’t want anyone to forget Haleigh the way thousands of other missing kids have been forgotten.
Possibly because people thought “it was time to begin thinking of others”
I have no problem thinking of all of them. And I think that helping one IS helping all in a way.
If people had kept talking about Jaycee Dugand when she went missing maybe she would have been found a lot sooner than 18 years later. Maybe the neighbors or the cops would have had her in their minds when they saw weird activities at that guy’s house or the officer that visited there stayed in the front yard (did he even KNOW the guy was a sex offender on lifetime parole?).
Apparently LE needs us to remind them that we care and this is a huge part of what we want them to stay on top of. AND Jaycee’s situation shows how important neighbors and other community members are, too.
So if you want to stop talking about Haleigh so you can join a search in your area or do something else to help missing kids, that’s fine.
Meanwhile some of us can do more than one thing at a time.
I agree, here is one http://www.johnnygosch.com there are others missing too, heck I know that best. The sad part is that we can’t fix or find anyone without help. We have to help where we can when we can as these missing children are our future and our most precious resource. While the animals run wild, we attack others who want to help in anyway they can. Let us stop with the attacks and join together with a single voice to speak up and stand up for the little ones! If you have found yourself wanting to help, let’s not give up on this child before we set our sites on another one or another hundred, They all need our help, let us continue to preserver to prevail in finding and helping these children. To all of you that feel that way, continue. If you find this is not in your blood, stop and rest while we who are driven continue the good fight.
As to whom asked the question as to my charges, on Thursday Sept. 3 they may add a firearm charge to my current charge. I don’t know of anyone else that has so much on the line as I do, but sometimes that is what it takes to find the truth. I do not care what the charges are, they are all bogus. Haleigh is still missing bottom line. Let’s be part of the solution to help find her and stop attacking those who may not get right all the time, but want to be a part of the recovery.
Cobra
I think it is about time that laws were changed involving our children. If parents are complete drugged out morons, they should not be allowed to keep their kids just because they gave birth. We treat our animals with more dignity than that! Getting these babies away from the idiots while they are young will give those children a much better chance at having a decent life free from so many mental hang ups. Kids are not possessions and parents are not entitled to destroy a life just because they brought it into this world. That thinking is were all the problems begin. We will never be able to make progress against domestic violence, drug addition, juvenile delinquency, etc. as long as we continue to enable the cycle to continue. We can do something by reaching out to our representatives and voicing our opinions. They won’t listen until voters speak!
nanaof4 – You are SO SO right!
But I have heard so many professionals in various fields regarding children insist that the best place for the children is with their parents. I’m talking about alcoholics, drug addicts and those who have beaten, burned etc their children. And if the charges have not been proven in court yet sometimes the children are returned. Then later, after a little time away while the parents do their jail time or attend some “meetings” or go to a recovery center (successfully or not) the children are reunited with the parents (and most of the time it happens all over again). Makes me sick.
M2c I agree with you it is sickening but at the
same time so many kids are abused & or neglected
in foster care. There is such a need, what is the solution?? Treece
treece, like a lot of things there isn’t any one solution because the disastrous situation is the result of so many snaffoos and failures and problems.
Every aspect of caring for children who are in bad situations needs an overhaul (IMO). And all those pieces are so interwoven it’s hard to know where to start. One place I guess is for enough people to start and continue to demand changes from Congress down to the local Departments of Child and Family Services. Some laws may need changing, gosh knows money is needed (what better use can our money be put than to kids IMO – but many disagree).
IMO one of the problems with foster care is that there aren’t a lot of GOOD people willing to do it. For lots of reasons. Some are: Often before children are sent to foster care the courts have given the family abusers ten more chances to change and by the time the child gets to foster care he or she is so damaged that they can be behavior problems or basically beyond “repair.” Another is that it’s heartbreaking to care for abused children for two weeks or a year and then watch them be sent back to their abusers! And the third is that children are removed from the home, sent to foster care, returned home, then go back to foster care – but a DIFFERENT home – so the children and foster parents never have any consistency and the children become more damaged. It’s shameful! And then there is a horrible lack of oversight of the foster parents. Plus lack over oversight of the parents who’ve abused their kids and gotten them back. Near where I live the DCFS has been overhauled again and again for more than a decade! And not too long ago a mother, who was in and out of the courts, who DCFS had been “helping,” who had mental issues, had said she could not care for her children, was totally ignored for nearly a year and they found the chldren’s bodies in the bathtub. In another case the foster parent had moved a few miles away and was not checked up on and had horribly imprisoned and abused the child. No one had bothered to check up on her!
This is slightly different – but same lack of DOING THEIR JOB – is the situation with Jaycee Dugan! The guy served 10 years of a 50 year sentence plus a five year sentence for abduction and sexual assault. He was an SO. He got out with parole for life. The sum total of oversight for him seems to have been his calling his parole officer or showing up. And more than a decade later when a neighbor called police about seeing tents in the backyard etc, the cop that showed up stayed out on the front lawn! SO’s on parole do NOT have the right to privacy (I believe). Cops can check out their homes. So again, incompetence, or insufficient systems to alert patrol officers that the person they’re about to talk to is an SO and may need a closer look? I mean come on! Things CAN be done a whole lot better all the way thru the system but they’re not. We’ll just have to demand it – everywhere and every opportunity we get. Sorry for the long-winded response. You can probably tell I’m beyond disgusted and enraged by this.
m2c said alot of truth. good for you, long winded or not, you said it for me too! We have to Keep on Keep’n on. Thanks for your input m2c.
Cobra
Crap, what happened? good thing yours did not post twice m2c. oops
Cobra
Edited by Jan: LOL Cobra, I fixed it… night everyone! God Bless All! Say your prayers for little Haleigh. Cobra you are in my prayers too!
Yes m2c you said alot of truth and expressed what
a big problem it is and needs all of us doing our
part to help with it. Thanks for caring. Treece
Lock her up away from Ronald and his family and you might get the answers,because i think that bunch of creeps have her scared out of her mind,and is afraid to tell what she knows,or she is just plan dumb.If Ronald isn’t there to give the answers maybe she can think for herself.
Misty Cummings is innocent. The sheriff in this case is obviously not up to date with how survivors remember events especially at Misty’s age. Further more putting the notion out to the world that Misty is the one responsible creates tunnel vision. This may cause someone who thinks they heard or seen something to not report it based on the notion that Misty is the one responsible. The sheriff is so busy trying to prove he is right that he has gotten away from doing the right thing for Haleigh, leave all options open. Tim of Equisearch has made a serious error in judgment. The test should of been left up to the FBI. Further more there not always reliable. When it comes out that Misty is innocent it will under mind confidence in Tim and his company. He has gotten away from what his mission is. Misty is innocent, I just know it, in my heart of hearts I believe this to my core. Stay strong Misty trust in God he will sort this out. Art there is no Stockholm, that is a label. If you were in the cold wild you would put on a coat to survive right? Its just surviving
God Bless Haleigh and all her families
What I mean is; lets say 2 people are taken to the cold wild, one by a kidnapper one by a tour guide. The tour guide gives the person a coat, that person is just putting on a coat on, just doing what a person would do to survive. The kidnapper gives a coat to the person and that person is relating and has stockholm. Different situations require different means of survival. It does not mean a person actually relates to their abductors in terms of approving or understanding them, it’s just surviving.
Could Olivia Benson please get involved in this?
No offense but if le knows she IS not telling the truth why don’t they put her in jail. She may have not hurt Haleigh but why on earth don’t they charge her for lying? Why keep going down this path? I am so tired of children missing and murdered. It amazes me how this family just seems to go on, no big deal. I can assure you if my child was missing and my husband was less then honest his azz would be in the street, so what is Ron hiding, why is he okay with his wife’s continuous lies? I don’t think Misty needs to get away, I think a cell would help her find the truth. When the truth finally comes out, then protect her until then she is aiding in this little girl being missing! Maybe we should just increase taxes so people who lie can take a little vacation so they can decide if they want to tell the truth wth is wrong with people we are talking about a 6 year old missing not the family pet!!! Sick.
J you need to google “stockholm syndrome”, yes it is real and victims can bond, feel sorry for and sometimes even grow to love their captor.
I do agree with you that Misty is a victim & needed to be rescued a long time ago. The system, the schools, the world has failed her.
I would like to bring her home just to love
her, to treat her like one of my kids, help her
heal up. She definitely needs some true pure love from adults that have no agenda for her.
BUT that does not mean she is totally innocent
here and that she is not hiding something. I
do not think she hurt the little girl herself
but I do think it is possible she is to scared
to tell what all really happened that night.
Just my thoughts, have a good day.
Treece
They call me J said:
The ONLY thing Tim M did was pay for tests that Misty wanted to take. It’s not his responsibility how they turned out.
Sorry, I said that (above) in response to what J said at 12:52 am.
Padilla is nothing but a media showboat!! He’s only involved in the FL cases for his own fame and name!! I would NOT trust him or anything that comes out of his mouth…
I think that if they did arrest Misty (on any charge that would keep her for more than a few hours, anyway) she would be protected. What better protection than solitary confinment in the county clink with 1 or 2 officers with eyes on you at all times. That might just kill 2 birds with the one stone. Misty safe AND pressured to give all info she really knows.
I don’t think Misty trust le. I think she
might be scared to talk to them and that’s
why she turned to TM to help her. Now she
feels he betrayed her. Who could she go to?
I am not saying all of le is bad, but if Misty
fears just one in le she could not feel safe
with them. I am not saying TM betrayed her
but I can see how she would feel that way.
She was reaching out for help and has had more
heat instead of any relief. Who does she have
to trust? her husband? her parents? it is sad!
If my child was missing I would trust le. But then again I wouldn’t harm or murder my child, nor would I cover for someone else. Everyone acts like Misty is this poor misunderstood little girl,she holds the key to a missing 6 year old. Since Haliegh went missing her life has stood still, Misty has got married, been to NY went to Orlando wake up!!! Her life is moving forward, Haliegh’s is not. Misty is a piece of white trash covering for someone maybe even her self…. I guess it’s okay that a 6 year old is missing because Misty had a hard life. She is a crack head!!!! Put her skank azz in jail I bet she will talk then.
I would like to say that after doing some research on this case online and following it on Nancy Grace I am starting to get a little suspicious of Ronald. It appears that he is very abusive and has some temper issues. I wonder if he has ever taken any anger management classes and why they are letting Ron Jr. remain with them.
If you watch Rons dimeaner in these videos and listen to what he says and some of his actions and answers to questions I believe he knows more than he is telling as well. I think Misty wants out of this relationship but does not know how and is scared. I know everyone thinks Padilla is a media hog but I actually respect the guy. Let him offer and who knows maybe he will help a girl out. But being 17 and doing all these drugs and with a disfunctional family sucks, she needs help.
Also check this out…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4fi4CGP89A
Cobra, I apologise for the delay in reply it is hard to find your way back to these sites when you don’t bookmark them.
I know you can’t offer her drugs but this does put you at a disadvantage as people generally are not going to quit in a stressful period of their life; they cannot imagine anything more scary because it is equivalent to a death threat to them.
My suggestion after a lot of thought is to not approach Misty directly UNLESS you can be sure to talk to her without anyone knowing (hangout at the shop and approach if she turns up there alone). She is already being cut off slowly from her family but there is likely one or two girlfriends she keeps contact with (for now at least) I would approach them in private as a last resort.
I would offer a place that is safe but close enough she would feel she could leave, if she chose to. Let her take a friend if she wants. Is there any way you can make the methadone program available to her? She would not withdraw then but would have a lot more control on her life to get to a stage where she could quit but importantly would also be able to talk coherently without symptoms associated with drug use or withdrawals. Just throwing some ideas around.
I do suggest someone find a way to communicate with her privately, give her a beeper or a mobile set to silent or if she isn’t even ready to deal with you just give her an alarm bracelet that she can set off whenever she needs help with the promise you will come running; and whatever you do don’t rush her or she will shutdown.
Cobra, I apologise for the delay in reply it is hard to find your way back to these sites when you don’t bookmark them.
I know you can’t offer her drugs but this does put you at a disadvantage as people generally are not going to quit in a stressful period of their life; they cannot imagine anything more scary because it is equivalent to a death threat to them.
My suggestion after a lot of thought is to not approach Misty directly UNLESS you can be sure to talk to her without anyone knowing (hangout at the shop and approach if she turns up there alone). She is already being cut off slowly from her family but there is likely one or two girlfriends she keeps contact with (for now at least) I would approach them in private as a last resort.
I would offer a place that is safe but close enough she would feel she could leave, if she chose to. Let her take a friend if she wants. Is there any way you can make the methadone program available to her? She would not withdraw then but would have a lot more control on her life to get to a stage where she could quit but importantly would also be able to talk coherently without symptoms associated with drug use or withdrawals. Just throwing some ideas around.
I do suggest someone find a way to communicate with her privately, give her a beeper or a mobile set to silent or if she isn’t even ready to deal with you just give her an alarm bracelet that she can set off whenever she needs help with the promise you will come running; and whatever you do don’t rush her or she will shutdown.
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