November 6, 2012

On April 26, 2009 at approximately 6:30 p.m., a woman and her husband believed they witnessed the missing child HaLeigh Cummings at the Tiger Express gas station in Brunson, South Carolina.

The witnesses reported to law enforcement what they had seen. They called it in to America's Most Wanted. They also sent the information to Florida Attorney Mark Nejame.

READ REPORT

The couple reported seeing HaLeigh Cummings in the custody of a man and a woman. When the man noticed HaLeigh had been recognized, he made the child lay down on the floor boards of the car. The vehicle exited the gas station, turned, and continued in the direction of Florida.

A few hours later…

On April 27, 2009 at 12:47 a.m., a 911 call was made. Assistance was being requested at a commercial facility in Satsuma, Florida called the HaLeigh Bug Center. The caller was Sara Sheffield – she was requesting medical assistance for her sister, Crystal Sheffield, HaLeigh’s mother.

Sara Sheffield reported to responding deputies that a man dressed in black had been lurking around outside the HaLeigh Bug Center. She told the officer her sister fell down and hit her head and was having a seizure.

I interviewed the Sheffield family’s private investigator, William Staubs regarding this event. In fact, I interviewed most every professional working for Crystal Sheffield at the time. Each person provided me riveting details of a very dramatic event.

Every person I interviewed described a chaotic bloody scene.  One rendition of events included several men being present, (multiple) babies crying, adults screaming and arguing, family members arriving and leaving, paramedics interacting with licensed professionals, and sheriff’s deputies questioning witnesses.

All of my interviews regarding that matter were recorded on audio. I possess audio proof of all the statements by each witness. For purposes of this column, I am going to focus on what Staubs told me.

William Staubs told me he was present and spoke face to face with a police officer. Others I interviewed also claimed to have spoken with paramedics and police officers. Others even claimed to have witnessed Staubs speaking to a police officer.

The alleged interaction between witnesses, and, police officers and paramedics, will become very relevant as you will see.

William Staubs told me the Sheffield girls had a baby in the building, and he discussed how they handled that situation.

William Staubs: “…and then there was a concern as I recall as to where this little child would end up going too – they had a cute looking baby – so they decided to give it to somebody else yadda yadda yadda I can’t – the story is kind of sketchy there as far as what I remember, but they turned the kid over to somebody else”

Timothy Holmseth: What kid?

William Staubs: “The baby. Some baby. They were babysitting some baby or something They had to get rid of this baby, and I think it was the new kid that, if memory serves me correct it was the new child that Crystal and her boyfriend have there. I can’t remember what his name is off the top of my head but I said well is it – and I gave – I’m not watching the kid - I’m not sitting here watching the kid so they called and somebody else came and picked up the child and then Crystal was transported to the hospital…”

LISTEN TO WILLIAM STAUBS’ ENTIRE STATEMENT

 

The audio you listened to contains a complete, consecutive, un-edited statement from Staubs (with the exception of a redacted name) regarding the April 27, 2009 event at the HaLeigh Bug Center.

Staubs describes arriving at the same time as another vehicle, which itself contains several occupants. They then found Crystal Sheffield bleeding profusely. He says approximately five minutes passed, and then he heard the sirens approaching.

Five minutes - make note of that - FIVE MINUTES.

Staubs talks about getting a towel for Crystal Sheffield who is still bleeding. He also describes Sara Sheffield walking him through what she claimed happened. He examines a hatchet he finds. The group then confers about what to do with a baby that is present at the scene. It is decided a relative should be called to come and pick the child up, which is then done.

But remember, he heard the sirens approaching within five minutes.

There is a problem with what Staubs is saying. The problem is in the police report and there is no escaping it. The police report only reports Sara and Crystal Sheffield as being present (Crystal was erroneously referred to as Crystal Cummings in the report). Other than police officers, the only other witness listed is the neighbor man.

Not only that – there’s NO BABY. The police report says there were NO MINOR children present.

What does this mean?

If you take the police report at face value, William Staubs was not present when the police arrived, nor was any of the other people that told me they were present.

They had all split the scene – with the baby.

Staubs said they decided to have a cousin come and pick the child up. In a seperate interview he told me he personally put the child in a car in front of the HaLeigh Bug Center.

Staubs said he spoke with Crystal Sheffield’s mother, Marie Griffis, to make sure it was okay to send the child away in a vehicle.

Staubs said he heard the sirens five minutes after his arrival. So, when did all this telephone activity regarding the ‘baby’ take place? What Staubs descibes is 'calling' someone well after midnight (presumably waking them up) and asking them to come and pick up a baby. He then has the entire task being accomplished before the approaching the sirens arrive. .

Remember, he heard the sires appraching within five minutes of his own arrival.

The police report stated no minor children were at the scene.

Do you find it strange that Staubs told me a story that didn’t add up? Well hold on to your socks, because I am going to tell you what happened when I first tried to get a copy of that police report.

In the fall of 2010, I telephoned the Records department in Putnam County to request all available documentation on the event that took place per the 911 call on April 27, 2009.

Guess what?

The computer system contained no record whatsoever of the event. According to the computer system where all the records are kept – the whole thing NEVER HAPPENED.

LISTEN TO TIMOTHY HOLMSETH REQUEST POLICE REPORT FROM RECORDS DEPARTMENT

 

Yep.

I had to fight it out with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and involve the FBI before they suddenly ‘found’ it.

An exstensive account provided to me by a second legal professional that purported to be present at the scene was deliverd by the United States Postal Service to Major Gary Bowling at the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.