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Nancy Grace
Haleigh`s Father Announces Divorce From Misty
Aired October 06, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight, Satsuma, Florida. A 5- year-old little girl tucked into bed, five hours later, she`s gone, vanished, the back door propped wide open. Daddy comes home from the night shift to find not a trace of little Haleigh. The last person to see the 5- year-old alive that night, new stepmother Misty Croslin.
Bombshell tonight. Little Haleigh`s disappearance, the nine-month search for the brown-eyed 5-year-old and the finger pointing at the baby- sitter turned stepmom Misty Croslin all finally take a toll. D-I-V-O-R-C- E! That`s right, divorce. The two agree to formally split. But why now? Has father Ronald Cummings`s worst fears been confirmed, that new stepmother Misty Croslin implicated in the disappearance of his 5-year-old girl? Tonight, with us live, taking your calls, Ronald Cummings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MISTY CROSLIN, HALEIGH`S BABY-SITTER/STEPMOTHER: Last night at Chili`s.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he do?
CROSLIN: He got down on his knees and said, Will you marry me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The tensions are rising between Ronald and Misty. She`s taken off again. She needs her space.
RONALD CUMMINGS, HALEIGH`S FATHER: Focus on my daughter going missing and not what`s going on in my life besides my daughter going missing.
911 OPERATOR: OK, sir, let me talk to your wife. Let me get some information from her.
CUMMINGS: (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: OK...
CUMMINGS: (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: Can I talk to her?
CUMMINGS: (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: OK.
CUMMINGS: How the (DELETED) can you let my daughter get stole (DELETED)!
GRACE: Have you asked her what happened?
CUMMINGS: I ask her, but that -- I don`t get any answers from her about, you know -- I don`t see -- what she`s telling me is not inconsistent.
CROSLIN: They go out and look for the right person, maybe they would be -- have the answers, but they`re trying to get all the answers from me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Misty holds some information that could help do that?
CUMMINGS: I don`t think that she holds any information that`s going to find Haleigh.
CROSLIN: Everybody knows that I love Haleigh and Ronald and Junior. (INAUDIBLE) like Haleigh wanted.
TERESA NEVES, HALEIGH`S PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER: I have stated all along and I will continue to state that my grandchildren love Misty and that Misty loves my grandchildren.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Tonight, little Haleigh`s disappearance. The nine-month search for the brown-eyed 5-year-old and the finger pointing at baby-sitter turned stepmother Misty Croslin finally all take their toll. D-I-V-O-R-C-E, divorce. But what, if anything, does it mean in the search for Haleigh?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: Everybody`s probably going to take this marriage thing the wrong way, but it`s not -- it`s still focused -- everything`s still focused on Haleigh. This is what Haleigh wanted. She`s always talked about it.
911 OPERATOR: When did you last see her?
CROSLIN: It was about 10:00 o`clock. We were -- she was sleeping (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we need is for Misty to come back home and tell us the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel that Misty is the key to this investigation?
CUMMINGS: No, I don`t. I think they`re barking up the wrong tree.
NEVES: Ronald is doing the best that he can to encourage Misty to get with law enforcement and tell them anything she may have forgotten.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe that Misty was indeed home and that she`s been telling the truth?
CUMMINGS: Yes, I believe she`s telling the truth.
NEVES: I don`t care who it is! But we want Haleigh to come home!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you sit here, do you believe in your heart that they see you as a suspect?
CROSLIN: No, I don`t.
CUMMINGS: I don`t either. I talked to the lead detective. His name is John Rungen (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he said?
CUMMINGS: No, he doesn`t think that she`s a suspect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing earlier video from NBC`s "Today" show.
I want to go straight out to Marlaina Schiavo, our producer on the story from the very, very beginning. She`s joining us from St. Augustine, Florida. Marlaina, divorces happen every day. They`re a dime a dozen. Why is this significant?
MARLAINA SCHIAVO, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, this is significant because all along during this entire time, everybody`s been questioning Ronald. And they`ve been questioning this marriage and why now, why after the last person to see Haleigh gets married to the father of little Haleigh, and now after everything, they are splitting up. They`ve been saying for a long time that this has not been affecting them. They`ve been saying that they have not been fighting. They`ve been saying that, you know, Misty was on vacation when she went to Orlando. Now we know why she`s in Orlando this time. It`s because this marriage is ending.
GRACE: Joining us tonight exclusively and taking your calls live -- he`s not afraid of the light of the camera or answering your calls, he has taken a lie detector test we have been told that he passed -- the biological father of little Haleigh, Ronald Cummings. As you all know by now, Cummings, at work at the time little Haleigh goes missing, comes home to find not a trace of her. All he finds is his then girlfriend at home with her hands wide open. Where`s Haleigh?
Ronald Cummings, why now? Why a divorce now? Many people say your worst fears have been confirmed, that you along with the rest of the country believe that Croslin knows more than she`s telling.
CUMMINGS: Miss Nancy, I`m not sure that`s the case. It`s just we can`t go anywhere without being -- you know, it`s a hard -- it`s hard enough to be a married couple, and then we can`t go anywhere without being questioned or people staring at us or anything like that.
GRACE: OK. So you`re getting a divorce because people stare at you? I don`t believe that for one minute.
CUMMINGS: No, that`s not why I`m getting a divorce. I`m -- that`s a part of the reason why I`m getting a divorce.
GRACE: Then why are you doing it?
CUMMINGS: The two of us have -- the two of us have agreed to go separate ways. And if in the long run, something comes about Haleigh, then she can -- you know, it will be whatever, but I don`t -- I still don`t...
GRACE: Are you trying to say that...
CUMMINGS: ... believe that she -- go ahead.
GRACE: Are you trying to say, in the long run, you may get back together? In the long run, she may finally tell you what happened that night? In the long run what?
CUMMINGS: That, Miss Nancy, I`m not sure what`s going to happen in the long run. I can`t predict the future. But I would sure hope that just -- that with the family problems and everything else, it`s just -- it`s too much on the relationship.
GRACE: When you say family problems, are you referring to the fact that her family says she`s not telling the truth about the disappearance of your little girl, her mother, her brother, and others?
CUMMINGS: Well, it`s not only that. It`s also, you know, the fight and everything -- it -- it`s just everything.
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. With me, Ronald Cummings. Today, it is announced that he is divorcing girlfriend turned stepmother Misty Croslin, the last one to see this little girl alive, little Haleigh Cummings. The tip line, 888-277-TIPS -- 8477. There is a reward for help in finding little Haleigh. Her family still believes she`s alive.
Out to the lines. Brenda in West Virginia. Hi, Brenda.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. Welcome back.
GRACE: Thank you. Thank you. And I`m going to thank you again. But thank everyone for your prayers for my mother. I really appreciate that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. What I wanted to know was, why did they wait so long to search the pond? You know, that pond never went nowhere, and all this time was wasted. Why didn`t they search that pond within a few days?
GRACE: Good question. To Ellie Jostad, our chief editorial producer on the story. What about it, Ellie? We heard all these stories about this pond. Then not one but two letters emerged detailing an alleged party late that night when Haleigh went missing, a party fueled by drugs. There was an allegation little Haleigh accidentally ingested Oxycontin at that party, that she died, and that her body was disposed of in that pond.
Do I believe it? No. Simply because, Ellie, you know, a bunch of people at a party are not going to keep their yaps shut.
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Right.
GRACE: All right? That`s the only reason I don`t believe that story. Go ahead, Ellie.
JOSTAD: Right. Well, police won`t say that the letter was the cause of the search. They said they already knew about this pond, they`d searched around it in the past, and that they`d planned to do a more thorough search. So they won`t say there`s a cause and effect between that jailhouse letter and the pond being searched.
GRACE: Out to the lines. Porsche in Florida. Hi, Porsche.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I`m actually calling from California.
GRACE: Good to know, Porsche in California. Thank you for calling, dear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for taking my call, Miss Nancy.
GRACE: Yes, ma`am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, has anyone, the police or Mr. Cummings himself, have they -- I understand that little Haleigh has a medical condition. Have they looked into whether or not she was given her medication that night, and if so, perhaps that would give them a better timeframe of the last time, you know, that she was in the home?
GRACE: Now, Porsche in California, that`s an excellent question. To Ronald Cummings. He is taking your calls tonight on the heels of a divorce announcement in the last hours. He is splitting from girlfriend turned stepmother, the last person to see Haleigh alive. Her story has come under fire, Misty Croslin.
Ronald, was she on medication for the Turner Syndrome?
CUMMINGS: Miss Nancy, she was on medication, but at the time, the only medication she need was her Albuterol treatment, which came in a breather. So all she has to do is a couple squirts, and that`s it, so that her asthma is -- so she can breathe well and she`s not wheezing.
GRACE: Correct me if I`m wrong, Ronald, but the Albuterol, the inhaler, you can`t look at it and tell how much is in there, correct?
CUMMINGS: No, ma`am.
GRACE: So you don`t know if she used that before she went to bed or not. Was her inhaler still there?
CUMMINGS: Yes, ma`am.
GRACE: So the inhaler was still there.
Everyone, with me tonight, Ronald Cummings, the biological father and guardian of little Haleigh. The search is still on. But tonight, another wrench in the works, a divorce for Ronald Cummings and stepmom -- new stepmother Misty Croslin. We are taking your calls live. Ronald Cummings answering your calls.
As we go to break, I want to thank you for all of your thought and your prayers for my mother, Elizabeth. I`m happy to report that tonight she is stabilized. Once again, God answers prayers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: I loved her like she`s my own, and I`ll do anything to get her back!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big news in the search for little Haleigh Cummings. We`re hearing her father, Ron Cummings, and his teen bride, Misty, have headed for divorce.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ronald told her on Sunday that he wants a divorce. On Monday, he headed to St. Augustine, to his attorney`s office. And then by Monday afternoon, she was packing her stuff and she left town.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just being married, it can be stressful and there can be challenges. Add on top of that everything that they went through during their marriage. I think it would be virtually impossible for any couple to survive that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s the one that holds the key information to finding out what happened to this beautiful little girl. I mean, who was with her -- the last person with her? She was.
GRACE: Ms. Neves, I don`t mean to grill you, but it just doesn`t all fit together.
NEVES: To me, it`s a very dysfunctional family, and that`s the best way I can describe that.
CROSLIN: They go out and look for the right person, maybe they would be -- have the answers, but they`re trying to get all the answers from me that I don`t have.
GRACE: Have you asked her what happened?
CUMMINGS: I ask her, but I don`t get any answers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: What, if anything, does a divorce at this stage mean in the search for little Haleigh? Taking your calls live tonight, Haleigh`s father, Ronald Cummings.
Let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining me tonight out of New York, family law attorney, child advocate Sue Moss, out of Los Angeles, Eric Chase, defense attorney out of New York, renowned attorney Jason Oshins.
Straight to you, Sue Moss. Weigh in.
SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: He`s divorcing her before the prom. Maybe she`ll go with her felon mom. I mean, only Stevie Wonder didn`t see this coming.
But this should be a simple case. And that`s because Florida`s a no- fault state, which means either party is entitled to divorce for the asking. Unfortunately, because of Ron`s being laid off, there`s really no support issues. There`s probably no property to divide. And certainly, there are no children`s issue because the couple never had a child together.
GRACE: To Ronald Cummings. Ronald, who wanted the divorce, you or her?
CUMMINGS: I think we both agreed on it.
GRACE: Who brought it up first?
CUMMINGS: I did.
GRACE: And what did she say?
CUMMINGS: She agreed to it.
GRACE: Immediately?
CUMMINGS: Not really immediately, but pretty close to immediately.
GRACE: So at first, she did not want the divorce?
CUMMINGS: Not really.
GRACE: Eric chase, LA, what do you make of the fact that a lot of people speculated she wanted to marry Cummings so he could never testify against her? But in Florida, the law is very different than it is in a lot of other states. Explain, Chase.
ERIC CHASE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, she would have been very wrong if that`s what she assumed because in Florida, there`s an exception to the marital communication privilege, and that exception is if it involves harm to a child of one of the parents. She could have been forced -- I`m sorry, he could have been forced to testify about her if he knew anything. And by the way, Nancy, it doesn`t appear that he does know anything about Misty`s involvement in...
GRACE: Put up the lawyer. Put up the lawyer!
CHASE: ... Haleigh`s disappearance, but if he did...
GRACE: Chase, he`s divorcing her, all right? It doesn`t mean he was there at the time the child went missing. But certainly, he has heard varying and conflicting stories from Misty Croslin. I mean, I have and I`m 1,000 miles away. So don`t say he doesn`t know anything. OK?
CHASE: Well, you`re right. I mean, there`s...
GRACE: Maybe he doesn`t want to know anything.
CHASE: Well, there`s conflicting stories, but I haven`t seen anything, any evidence connecting Misty to her disappearance, other than the fact that she`s been unable...
GRACE: Oh, really?
CHASE: ... to retell the story the same way more than once.
GRACE: Well, you know, Jason Oshins, to me, that`s a problem!
JASON OSHINS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes.
GRACE: I`ve seen a lot of witnesses, a lot of witnesses, they`ll add to the story. They`ll say, Oh, yes, and I remember X and I remember it was a red car and it had glass (ph) packs (ph) or it had -- this was the tag number. But they don`t change the story. The story doesn`t change. I have a problem with the story changing.
OSHINS: Well, it`s...
GRACE: To me, that`s evidence.
OSHINS: Nancy, it`s the inconsistency. Any good investigator will tell you that over time, the consistency of the story, or for that matter, the inconsistency will continue to lead investigators...
GRACE: Put Chase back up!
OSHINS: ... towards targeting someone.
GRACE: Put the lawyers back up. Chase, did you hear that?
CHASE: Oh, I did. But you know, you were a prosecutor, Nancy, and you used to argue to juries...
GRACE: So?
CHASE: You used to -- you used to argue to juries...
GRACE: So?
CHASE: ... that your witnesses had problems keeping the story straight as they told...
GRACE: I know...
(CROSSTALK)
CHASE: ... time after time after time.
GRACE: I know that you`re going to make a point somewhere in there.
CHASE: And we don`t expect...
GRACE: I`m wading through it.
CHASE: We don`t expect witnesses to remember everything perfectly every time they tell the story.
GRACE: OK. Not what I said. I said the story changed. Ronald Cummings, did it ever disturb you that Misty Croslin`s story actually changed?
CUMMINGS: Yes, ma`am, it did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUMMINGS: I hope that they -- they find my child alive, obviously. But one way or another, I want my daughter to come home. I need some closure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: Haleigh will wake up at nighttime. She gets cramps in her legs, you know? She didn`t make no noise that night. I would have woke up if I heard any noise. I mean, I didn`t hear anything at all.
GRACE: You`ve been in the trailer, just like we have been, and somebody pounding on the front door, as close as her bed was to the front door, you would hear it.
NEVES: I tend to think that she was very exhausted, and I think the children would have been more likely to hear it.
CROSLIN: I mean, I was really exhausted that day, you know, really exhausted. When I lay down, I guess, you know, I just -- I was out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Joining us tonight, Ronald Cummings, taking your calls. Ronald, as we went to break, you told me that changes, even subtle, small changes in Misty Croslin`s story about the night Haleigh went missing, bothered you.
CUMMINGS: Yes, ma`am.
GRACE: What changes, if any, do you recall?
CUMMINGS: I can`t really recall the exact changes, and they`re real small. It`s not like she -- she pretty much tells me the same thing each time I ask her about it, so...
GRACE: Yes. Ronald, what did you make...
CUMMINGS: ... there might be a difference in the way that it`s worded, but -- what did I make?
GRACE: Ronald, what did you make of those letters that emerged detailing a party that night that the writer claims little Haleigh was at?
CUMMINGS: Miss Nancy, I didn`t make anything of them letters...
GRACE: OK.
CUMMINGS: ... because I`m -- I`m waiting on the detectives to call me and let me know, you know? I believe that...
GRACE: Well, I don`t make anything of it, either.
CUMMINGS: ... law enforcement will let us know.
GRACE: I don`t make anything of it, either, because you know a bunch of potheads at a party are not going to keep their yaps shut. They would have all been talking about that all up and down the street. OK, Ronald Cummings, let`s go to the lines. Are you ready?
CUMMINGS: Yes. Yes, ma`am.
GRACE: Jamie in Kentucky. Hi, Jamie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I love your show. And your mother`s in my prayers.
GRACE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a question for Ronald. I know if it was my child, I would use every tool available. And I`m just wondering, you`ve got these renowned psychics, I mean, they`ve got their own shows on the bio channel. I mean, has Ronald used a psychic or thought about trying to find one of these famous psychics to help him locate Haleigh?
GRACE: Good question. Ronald, I imagine that psychics have volunteered their services. Is that true?
CUMMINGS: Yes, ma`am, a bunch of them.
GRACE: Do they all...
CUMMINGS: None of them...
GRACE: ... say the same thing?
CUMMINGS: ... have been successful in finding Haleigh. No. Absolutely not.
GRACE: Have they tried?
CUMMINGS: They`ve tried. But everything they say -- we`re still without Haleigh, so...
GRACE: What were they saying? Did they actually come down and search?
CUMMINGS: Yes, there was a few that did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: They`ve been on me for six months. They haven`t left me alone for six months. I`ve been the one, the main focus. They just need to move on and look for the right person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD CUMMINGS, FATHER OF MISSING 5-YR-OLD HALEIGH CUMMINGS: I just got home from work. My 5-year-old daughter is gone.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: OK.
R. CUMMINGS: I need somebody to be here now. I`m telling you.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: Listen to me. Listen to me. We`ve got two officers.
R. CUMMINGS: If I find whoever has my daughter before y`all do, I`m killing them. I don`t care.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: That`s OK. OK.
R. CUMMINGS: I`ll spend the rest of my life in prison.
MISTY CROSLIN-CUMMINGS, RONALD CUMMING`S WIFE, LAST SEEN HALEIGH: I know I didn`t do anything to that little girl. I would never hurt her. I mean, they love me. They -- I mean, they look at me like their mom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ronald, do you feel that Misty has the key to this investigation?
R. CUMMINGS: No, I don`t. I think they`re barking up the wrong tree.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It`s definitely an issue that she`s 17 years old because she doesn`t have those adult thinking skills that a lot of us would have, even though she`s leading a very adult life.
BROOKS: The police have not -- still have not been able to put together a timeline on exactly what happened that night because of her inconsistencies.
GRACE: She took that police polygraph. I don`t believe she took -- she passed it the first time. I don`t believe she did. Now this one. Then there was that voice stress test. I mean, something is wrong with her story, Ronald.
R. CUMMINGS: I don`t know, Miss Nancy.
M. CUMMINGS: Everybody knows that I love Haleigh and Ronald and Junior. A family. Just like Haleigh wanted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last holdout, the last person that is really giving her an ability not to go out and tell the truth is Ron. It seems to me that they should put their foot down and tell Misty that the time for being vague is over.
GRACE: When you go to pick up your son and you see Misty, have you tried to speak to Misty Croslin about what happened that night?
CRYSTAL SHEFFIELD, MOM OF MISSING 5-YR-OLD HALEIGH CUMMINGS: No.
GRACE: Why?
SHEFFIELD: I -- can`t.
GRACE: Why?
SHEFFIELD: Because she was the last one to see our daughter and I just --I.
GRACE: I mean -- if somebody was the last person to be with my child, John David or Lucy, and police say they have the key to what happened, I would at least say what happened?
SHEFFIELD: Well, I haven`t seen her since the results. But I did talk to her on the telephone, and she was telling me she had no problem with me and that she didn`t have anything to do with our daughter going missing, that she was at home and all this stuff that everybody`s saying is lies about her. That`s the only time I`ve talked to her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: OK. Well, you know, you`ve got to take that with a box of salt because what do you expect the ex-wife is going to say about the new girlfriend? OK? That`s never good.
We are taking your calls live. To Jane Velez-Mitchell, host of HLN`s "ISSUES" and author of a fantastic new book we`re going to talk about shortly.
Jane, what about Croslin`s mother behind bars? They already put the squeeze on her brother, who coughed up quite a bit of information in a late-night jailhouse interview. Now mommy`s behind bars on a forgery of a check.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, ANCHOR, HLN`S "ISSUES", AUTHOR FO "I WANT": And she remains behind bars. And I think that the whole effort of law enforcement is to put the squeeze on this family because who would Misty confide in? If she was going to tell one person what really happened that night. Mama. Of course she would confide in Mama.
And what`s the best way to get ma to talk? Keep her behind bars. It worked with the brother. It will ultimately work with the mom although it will take longer.
GRACE: OK, Jane. The mom is now extradited from Tennessee to Florida. In a nutshell -- nutshell -- what did the brother cough up?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I mean, he essentially said he went over there that night, knocked on the door, and nobody was home at the crucial time when Misty said she had put the kids to bed but she was still up and there was a TV on. So it just doesn`t add up. The brother essentially completely busting her story wide open.
GRACE: With me right now, Mike Brooks, former fed with the FBI. Mike, thank you for being with us. Weigh in.
BROOKS: Nancy, you know, as law enforcement says, the only thing about Misty, the only thing consistent with her are her inconsistencies. Two failed law enforcement polygraphs right from the beginning. They wanted Tim Miller to come back and help them look again, and he says no, I`m not coming back unless you take a polygraph. She took a polygraph. She failed that also.
You know, there`s just all the pieces in this timeline from the very beginning just don`t add up. And if she wants to help law enforcement, then come back from Orlando, sit down with or without your lawyer, and tell the truth. Period.
GRACE: With me right now, exclusively, Ronald Cummings. Taking your calls. Now, that`s brave. Not just talking to the police but talking to the country, live.
Ronald, Mike Brooks makes an excellent point. Why won`t she come and sit down with police and talk to them?
R. CUMMINGS: That, Miss Nancy, I can`t answer for you. I`m sure that maybe her attorney can answer it for you. And hopefully that she will.
GRACE: Uh-uh. Uh-uh. No. You have to have talked to her about talking to the police. What did she say?
R. CUMMINGS: We have talked to her about talking to the police.
GRACE: What did she say?
R. CUMMINGS: She said she`s talked to them.
GRACE: They want to talk to her again. Why won`t she do it?
R. CUMMINGS: I have no knowledge of them wanting to talk to her where she wouldn`t do it.
GRACE: OK. Let`s go to Terry Shoemaker, attorney for Haleigh`s father, Ronald Cummings. OK. You know, I know, the police know, the rest of the country knows the police want to talk to Misty Croslin. It`s not a secret. So how can she say with a straight face that she does not know they want to talk to her?
Please enlighten me, Mr. Shoemaker. You`ve got a good reputation.
TERRY SHOEMAKER, ATTORNEY FOR HALEIGH`S FATHER, RONALD CUMMINGS, ANNOUNCING DIVORCE: Right. Well, I think everyone knows that the police would love to sit down and talk with her. It`s my guess that probably her attorney isn`t allowing her to do that, which, you know, isn`t uncommon in this type of situation.
GRACE: OK. Back to you, Cummings. Your lawyer knows police want to talk to her. So do not lie to me. You`ve never lied to me before to my knowledge. Don`t tell me you didn`t know police want to talk to her again. We all know it. We`ve talked about it on this show, on national TV.
Now, I`m telling you, police want to talk to her. Now, why is she back in Orlando and not speaking to police?
R. CUMMINGS: That I`m not sure, Miss Nancy. I already told you the same as what Terry said. It`s probably due to her attorney, his advice.
BRANDON BEARDSLEY, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY FOR RONALD CUMMINGS, MOWREY, SHOEMAKER & BEARDSLEY: She actually -- stopped by the Putnam County Sheriff`s Department today to inform them of where she`s going and where she`ll want to be if they wanted to speak to her.
GRACE: You know what? I didn`t get that whole thing. With me -- let me introduce you. Brandon Beardsley, family law attorney representing Ronald. Repeat, sir?
BEARDSLEY: My understanding is before she left for Orlando that she stopped by the Putnam County Sheriff`s Department and reported in and told them where she was going if they needed her.
GRACE: Did they try to question her?
BEARDSLEY: I don`t represent Misty. That was.
GRACE: Did they try to question her at that time?
BEARDSLEY: Not to my knowledge. All I know is what I was told. And of course it`s hearsay. But I was told from a reliable source that she did check in.
GRACE: Well, Mr. Beardsley.
BEARDSLEY: . before she left town. Yes, ma`am?
GRACE: Mr. Beardsley, this is not a court of law. So you know.
BEARDSLEY: I understand that.
GRACE: You don`t have to make your own objection on hearsay. All right? So I find it very difficult to believe that she was at the police station and nobody threw a question at her. But who knows? For all I know she went in and.
BEARDSLEY: Well, they can`t.
GRACE: . told a secretary.
BEARDSLEY: If she goes in and her attorney`s not there and they know she`s represented they can`t just question her. You know that.
GRACE: Well, you know -- yes, Mr. Beardsley. I know that. But when someone voluntarily marches alone into the police station. Repeat, voluntarily. Certainly you know, Mr. Beardsley, that even when one is represented by counsel if they voluntarily speak to police that is admissible in a court of law. Yes, no?
BEARDSLEY: Yes, ma`am. You are correct. But.
GRACE: We are taking your.
BEARDSLEY: Listen, all I -- all I know is what I was told. I don`t know if they questioned her or not.
GRACE: Well put. Out to the lines, Barbara in Missouri. Hi, Barbara.
BARBARA, CALLER FROM MISSOURI: Hi, Nancy.
GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?
BARBARA: I was just wondering why they aren`t looking at Misty`s brother more. He put himself at that trailer. Just because he said he knocked real loud and left does not mean he didn`t try the door. We know one of the doors was not locked because there was no break-in. So what if he went in, everyone was sleeping, and he took the little girl?
GRACE: To Marlaina Schiavo, what about him? He does place himself there.
MARLAINA SCHIAVO, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: He does place himself there. But to say that his door -- their door was not locked, we`re not entirely sure what happened that night. We know the door was propped open on the side of the house, but we don`t necessarily know who propped that door open. So we don`t know if the door was unlocked, Nancy.
GRACE: OK. We don`t know if the door was open. You know that`s not really knocking me out, Marlaina.
What about it? To you, Ellie Jostad. What do we know about the brother?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Well, we do know that the brother has spoken to police and they say that he is not a suspect, same with the rest of Misty`s family.
Police continually go back to their line they`ve said, especially since Haleigh`s birthday, that -- I`m sorry, rather, Misty is the person who holds the key, that she`s failed to give a detailed account of what was going on that night, and they want to know from any other citizen who might know what she was doing that night, they want them to come forward and speak to them as well.
GRACE: Leslie Austin, psychotherapist, New York, weigh in quickly.
DR. LESLIE AUSTIN, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: I`m not surprised Ron is being really careful. He doesn`t want to tick her off. She`s the only one that has a clue. She`s not going to talk either. She just wants to save her skin. Right now she`s walking in the street, she`s not in jail. Why would she talk to anyone? Like Casey Anthony.
GRACE: Well, Leslie Austin, once again you`ve made perfect sense.
Quick break, everybody. We`re taking your calls. Live with us tonight taking your questions, Ronald Cummings, Haleigh`s father, this on the heels of an announcement just hours ago -- divorce. What does it mean in this investigation?
And tonight a special congratulations to Liberty United Methodist Church, Macon, Georgia. Hearing the call to serve others. They are building a beautiful playground, redesigning, painting, and kicking off their very first parents` morning out to serve others.
Today, the most beautiful playground equipment, swing set, tunnel, steps, the works, have arrived on the scene. It`s love in action. And God bless the little children that are coming your way, Liberty Methodist.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. CUMMINGS: She can`t help that. She can`t help she was the last one to see her. Could have been any one -- any one of us and our children.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They`ve been married just shy of seven months. And today Ronald Cummings` lawyer told us he and Misty could be headed for divorce.
R. CUMMINGS: She had nothing to do with this. We`ve -- I had nothing to do with this.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Beardsley says the couple is under a lot of pressure because of rumors and speculation surrounding Haleigh`s disappearance. The pressure, he says, is just too much.
R. CUMMINGS: Came home this morning to find out that I didn`t have a child, that somebody stole my child. It`s not like a bicycle or a car. Somebody stole my child from me.
M. CUMMINGS: She`s gone. And that`s all I know.
TERESA NEVES, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING 5-YR-OLD, HALEIGH CUMMINGS: There`s a lot of tension. It`s very tough for strain on a relationship when there is something that you think maybe needs to be told and you`re not getting that information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Out to Jan in Ohio, hi, Jan.
JAN, CALLER FROM OHIO: Hi. Love your show, Nancy.
GRACE: Thank you.
JAN: I have a comment and a question.
GRACE: OK.
JAN: My comment is, I guess, that I feel Ronald is very vague in his answers as why he`s filing for divorce, and my question is why doesn`t he just step up to the plate and say that he feels her story is not true? Everybody else sees it. Why doesn`t he?
GRACE: Ronald Cummings, you want to take a shot at that one?
R. CUMMINGS: No, ma`am. Brian can take care of that.
GRACE: OK. Go ahead. Go ahead, Mr. Beardsley.
BEARDSLEY: Listen, this couple have been in the media spotlight for months. They can`t go to the grocery store together. They can`t go to the supermarket. They can`t go out and eat. And anytime they`re together they get scrutinized. And it puts a lot of pressure on a marriage. I don`t know of any married couple that their marriage could last.
GRACE: OK. You know Mr. Beardsley, no offense.
BEARDSLEY: . with all of this.
GRACE: You have a wonderful reputation. I`ve checked you out thoroughly. But nobody gets a divorce because somebody looks at them in the check-out line. All right? I`m not buying that for a minute.
What I am buying is that you guys don`t want to tell me why the divorce -- or if Cummings wants to admit he does not believe Croslin`s story. That`s his business. I asked the question. You guys didn`t answer. But I want to bring it back to Haleigh. A 5-year-old little girl is missing tonight.
To Dr. Gwen O`Keefe, pediatrician, founder and CEO of Pediatricsnow.com. PediatricsNow.com.
Dr. O`Keefe, thank you for being with us.
DR. O`KEEFE, PEDIATRICIAN, FOUNDER AND CEO, PEDIATRICSNOW.COM: My pleasure, Nancy.
GRACE: A child with Turner`s syndrome, what problems does she face if she`s still alive?
O`KEEFE: You know, Nancy, I`ve been thinking a lot about that. The - - there`s two issues here. The first is her asthma, and the second is her Turner syndrome. With her asthma I`m very concerned that she doesn`t have her inhaler.
With the stress of being missing and with the change in season right now, especially if she`s exposed to the flu, that is a gigantic concern. She`s likely experiencing some asthma symptoms, and without that inhaler she`s likely getting into trouble.
With the Turner syndrome we didn`t hear about any known issues, but those kids have issues with growth. They have issues with their endocrine systems. Even if she doesn`t have issues now, she needs very close monitoring of things like diabetes, possible heart problems, possible kidney problems, possible high blood pressure.
There`s a whole host of problems, including of her heart. So without very close follow-up, she could really get into trouble quickly.
GRACE: Ronald Cummings, along with lawyers Terry Shoemaker, Brandon Beardsley, thank you for being with us.
Mr. Cummings, I can say that tonight for the first time I don`t believe you. I think you do suspect your ex-wife, soon to be ex-wife`s story. I think you don`t want to discuss it in the midst of a divorce. Why? I don`t know that yet. But I`ll find out. Thank you for being with us.
Right now with me Jane Velez-Mitchell. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The Haleigh Cummings case. Did the little girl accidentally overdose on Oxycontin? We`ve got a copy of a letter that places Misty Cummings and little Haleigh at a wild drug-fueled party the very night she disappeared.
The author of the letter says she`s just paraphrasing a theory police got from somebody else. The writer of the letter essentially claims the whole story is a big lie.
Tonight`s big issue, keeping dark secrets. If Misty Croslin-Cummings does indeed know more than she.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You know, I`ve been reading my book, "Eleventh Victim," but forget about that. Here is Jane Velez-Mitchell, my friend, my co-worker, here on HLN.
Jane, I`m completely knocked out. You know what? There`s not a lot of ways to say it, but let me say it nicely. You`ve got a lot of guts.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, Nancy.
GRACE: You`ve got a lot of guts. Tell me about the book. "I Want," by Jane Velez-Mitchell.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I wrote this book because I struggled with a lot of problems. And why waste a problem? I`ve found solutions to problems.
GRACE: Wait, I`ve got to write that down.
(LAUGHTER)
GRACE: "Why waste a problem?" I`ve never thought about it like that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why waste a problem? Yes. I struggled with alcoholism for most of my life. I finally, by the grace of God, got sober 14 1/2 years ago.
GRACE: Praise the Lord.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you. Yes, praise the Lord. It was a miracle. And I don`t use that word lightly.
GRACE: Hold on, let me step back. How did you -- I mean, look at you, you`re young, you`re beautiful, talented, smart, education, the works. How did you get in the bottle?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I believe I have a genetic predisposition, which I describe in my book, which I dedicate to my father, Pierce Mitchell. My dad was a high-functioning alcoholic. So I think I had it in the genes. But I also saw it environmentally.
I didn`t realize people didn`t drink every night until I got out into the world and started to see that other people didn`t drink every night.
GRACE: You know what? That`s crazy. Because I never saw anybody drink until I went to college.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And that`s probably why you don`t have a problem.
GRACE: Somebody handed me a beer and I poured it into a plant because I thought it smelled bad. OK, now.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re lucky.
GRACE: So you grew in this environment and when did you realize -- what made you realize you had a problem?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I blacked out and that`s a classic hallmark of alcoholism. I wouldn`t remember what happened after a certain hour. And that was very, very terrifying.
In fact, you know, all these stories we cover. You and I, drugs and alcohol play such a huge role in them and that`s why I wrote this book, "I Want," because there are people, millions and millions out there, struggling with drugs and alcohol and they don`t have a clue.
And I went through this whole process, and if they read that process, they can save themselves a lot of hell and a lot of heartache, and take a shortcut to recovery and get sober. Because it only gets worse. The thing about alcoholism and drug addiction, it only gets worse, it`s progressive.
GRACE: And looking at you, I mean, nobody would believe you have ever had a problem.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the people who knew me way back when would, because they saw me in action, and I was very lucky, I didn`t get a DUI, but I was a lush.
GRACE: Jane Velez-Mitchell, you know what? She has a heart of a pioneer. Her new book, "I Want." I`m so proud of her and I`m so proud she`s with us tonight and she`s taking your calls.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Jane Velez-Mitchell, my friend and co-anchor here on HLN, new book, "I Want." You know, a lot of people keep their problems hidden. You know, my problems, I don`t want to talk about them, I don`t want the world to know my problems. What went through my mind and my heart in my deepest, darkest time, for instance, after my fiance was murdered. But you don`t care. You don`t care.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I really don`t. They say you`re only as sick as your secrets. And I`ve learned that the hard way covering crime. A lot of these crimes that you and I cover, Nancy, they`re based on top secrets. And to have a lie, you`ve got to cover it with another lie, then another lie and all of a sudden it explodes in your face.
And I feel like I want to reveal everything because I`m not shame- based anymore. I`ve done the best I can to try to deal with my problems. You know when I`ve recovered from alcoholism, sugar reared its ugly head and I had to deal with a sugar addiction, I had to deal with workaholism, which I still negotiate on a daily basis.
GRACE: Do you think.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I had to deal with co-dependency.
GRACE: . being a workaholic stemmed from the same reasons as the alcoholism?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, because what we try to do is self-medicate because we`re running from something. So when you take away the alcohol, you try to use something else. A lot of people, for example, use food, some people use sex, some people use gambling.
It`s all the same, really. That`s just the substance of choice. It`s the desire to escape and what we learn in sobriety is to sit through the feeling. And I describe that in my book, how I was taught by my mentors in sobriety how to sit through the feelings, the unpleasant feeling that come up and know that they won`t last forever, and that`s when you break through to the other side.
GRACE: Everybody, we have put Jane`s book on our Web site. You should get it at HEADLINE NEWS, HLN. I really hope that for any of you that are battling demons, that this helps you, "I Want," by Jane Velez- Mitchell.
Let`s stop and remember Army Private Adam Muller, 21, Underhill, Vermont, killed Iraq. Awarded many medals including Bronze Star, Purple Heart. Joined the army to pay off college loans, earned his degree. Loved music, his dogs, beer, car. Dreamed of being a cop. Leaves behind childhood sweetheart/wife Michelle. Parents James and Katherine.
Adam Muller, American hero.
Thanks to our guests and especially to you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
END
