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NANCY GRACE

Sheriff Says Haleigh Investigation Now Homicide

Aired April 15, 2010 - 20:00:00   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 girl tucked into bed, five hours later, she`s gone. Daddy comes home from the night shift to find not a trace of little Haleigh. The last person to see her alive, new stepmother Misty Croslin, who goes on to flunk four -- one, two, three, four -- polygraphs and a voice stress test. Little Haleigh`s father, Ronald Cummings, and baby-sitter-turned-stepmother Misty Croslin both handcuffed, booked. Charges, drug trafficking.

Something or somebody leads search teams, cadaver dogs, scuba divers, helicopters to comb the St. John`s River into the night. Croslin roused rousted out of her private jail cell yet again, taken in cuffs down to the docks of the St. John`s. We have the video, Croslin standing there in handcuffs, motioning out to the water, pointing out a specific spot to police. As the search for 5-year-old Haleigh goes on, a human ID crime lab vehicle arrives on the scene, family gathers at the Putnam County jail.

Bombshell tonight. Police announce 5-year-old Haleigh likely dead, evidence pulled from the muddy waters of the St. John`s has been discovered and dredged, an arrest on homicide imminent as the search for little Haleigh`s entire body and a murder weapon goes on. Is there finally a break in the search for Haleigh? Have the 5-year-old girl`s remains been found. Did Misty Croslin finally crack?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Items have been recovered at the search site.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Searching a murky river...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do have a search going on...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... for any sign of Haleigh Cummings.

JEFF HARDY, PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF: Information has been obtained by investigators that lead them to believe that Haleigh Cummings is most likely deceased.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Misty Croslin also appeared to be on the scene...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We really would not care who it implicates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... in handcuffs, pointing out something for investigators.

HARDY: At this point, I`m comfortable to go ahead and say I`m going to call it a homicide.

RONALD CUMMINGS, HALEIGH`S FATHER: If somebody has something to do with it, let them fry. So be it.

GRACE: They didn`t bring Joe down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You didn`t do it.

JOE OVERSTREET, MISTY`S COUSIN: No.

GRACE: They didn`t bring Tommy Croslin out of the jailhouse, that we know of.

TOMMY CROSLIN, MISTY`S BROTHER: I said, I can`t help you find her body. I don`t know where she is.

GRACE: They brought Misty Croslin down to the docks to show police a specific spot in the St. John`s River.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All along, she`s saying she didn`t know anything.

MISTY CROSLIN, HALEIGH`S BABY-SITTER: I don`t know where she is!

I`m not hiding anything.

I don`t.

There`s nothing to break me of.

There`s nothing!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now she is pointing out what may have happened that night that Haleigh went missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just by virtue of the fact she`s standing there pretty much implies that she`s provided information to this law enforcement agency to where this child was disposed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Misty has any involvement in this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t think Misty did, but I`m not going to say that she didn`t.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. I`m just receiving in my hand information -- sources are now saying police know what the murder weapon is, OK? So that gets rid of all speculation that this was just an accidental death, sources now saying -- unnamed sources saying police know what the murder weapon is, the murder weapon that killed 5-year-old little Haleigh Cummings. Police announcing in the last hours the 5-year-old little girl, defenseless in her own home, is likely dead, an arrest on homicide imminent as the search for little Haleigh`s entire body and a murder weapon goes on. Did Misty Croslin finally crack?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Told people it`s going to be just a matter of time.

GRACE: Who cracked?

MISTY CROSLIN: I`m not hiding anything.

GRACE: Who cracked?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she`s come to realize that, you know, she`s in trouble.

GRACE: Is Haleigh Cummings at the bottom of the St. John`s River?

HARDY: ... divers in this water every day. They have searched in zero-zero conditions using their bare hands.

GRACE: Did she die at the hands of Misty Croslin?

MISTY CROSLIN: I didn`t do anything with -- to that little girl. I would never hurt her.

GRACE: What scenario could have possibly have happened?

HANK CROSLIN, MISTY`S FATHER: I think they need to go get Joe and lock him up.

TOMMY CROSLIN: Put him in jail.

I don`t know why she`s making up (INAUDIBLE). She probably knows something.

MISTY CROSLIN: That`s all I know!

HARDY: The investigative team has identified persons of interest in this case.

MISTY CROSLIN: Everybody`s, like, Famous Misty Croslin!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police have brought her to the river to show where she saw this child go into the river.

LISA CROSLIN, MISTY`S MOTHER: You better be honest with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are helicopters floating above her head.

MISTY CROSLIN: They`re going to know. They`re going to know. I just got to wait until I can -- my lawyer is ready.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The key to what happened to Haleigh lies with Misty.

LISA CROSLIN: If you knew anything, you`d have done told him -- I mean, why would you set there if you knew something?

MISTY CROSLIN: It`s going to hurt two people.

CHELSEA CROSLIN, TOMMY CROSLIN`S WIFE: That we care about?

MISTY CROSLIN: Kind of. Or one, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are hearing information right now that police are now -- our sources are saying police do know the murder weapon for which they are looking. That should end all speculation that this was an accidental death, this little girl was -- took a pill by accident and died. That scenario has been floated many, many times. We are taking your calls live.

Joining us out of Satsuma, Florida, Natisha Lance. Natisha, you`re on the scene. What`s happening?

NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, big news coming out of Satsuma today. As you just said, police announce that Haleigh Cummings is likely deceased. They also went on to say that officially, this is a homicide investigation. They also said that there are persons of interest in this case. However, they are not naming those persons of interest. And they also said that although there have been reports out there that an arrest is imminent, they say that they are hopeful that an arrest will come sometime soon. Then they were also asked, is Misty Croslin still the key to this investigation, and to that, Nancy, they said, Absolutely.

GRACE: OK, let`s talk about what police have said in the last hours in their official presser, their press release. Back to you, Natisha Lance. I notice that they keep saying -- and I`ve gotten the release verbatim here in my hand, Natisha. They say that rumors have spread a suspect has been taken into custody as a result of this investigation. That is not true.

Now, clearly, Misty Croslin, Ronald Cummings and brother Tommy are all behind bars as a result of a drug investigation. Clearly, this does not address them. It says nobody`s in custody as a result of this investigation, the dredging of the river. So it could very well be one of them, although I still say it`s not Ronald Cummings. What about it, Natisha?

LANCE: You`re absolutely right, Nancy. And I don`t think it was any coincidence that it was written in the manner in which it was written. They also, Nancy, talked about the tip that led them to the St. John`s River. A question was posed to them, What did that tip come from inside the jail? They did not answer that question. However, there is still speculation that that tip came from either Misty Croslin or Tommy Croslin.

GRACE: Jean Casarez joining us, legal correspondent, In Session. Jean, what can you tell me?

JEAN CASAREZ, IN SESSION: Well, let me respond to what Natisha just said. What we did learn tonight is that they said that people are starting to cooperate, people are starting to talk. They`ve got a lot of time to sit and think. So that tells us right there it`s Misty or Tommy that gave this tip.

But I think one of the most amazing things that came out of this press conference today that we have never heard before is when posed with the question, Could Haleigh Cummings have been murdered right there at the water, the response was, That is a reasonable conclusion.

GRACE: Which would explain the lack of any blood or DNA evidence there in the home where she was last seen alive. We are taking your calls live.

But joining me right now is a very special guest joining us tonight in a primetime exclusive. With us tonight is Misty Croslin`s grandmother. It is also Joe Overstreet`s grandmother. It is Ms. Flora Hollars joining us out of West Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Hollars, thank you for being with us.

FLORA HOLLARS, MISTY`S AND JOE`S GRANDMOTHER: You`re very much welcome.

GRACE: Number one, Ms. Hollars, let me tell you that not only myself but my staff have become very attached to little Haleigh and have been praying for her and thinking of her ever since we learned that she had disappeared, and our thoughts have been with you and the family.

HOLLARS: I pray for her every night.

GRACE: Ms. Hollars, tell me about Joe Overstreet. Repeatedly, Misty Croslin has referred to him as being responsible for Haleigh`s disappearance. You have been around him from this -- throughout this entire time. How has his behavior changed since he came back from Florida when Haleigh disappeared?

HOLLARS: His reactions are completely different than it was before he went down there. He`s not the same kid that he was when we went down there. He has a different attitude toward life and all. He just don`t care.

GRACE: Ms. Hollars, how does he react when you come into the room wearing a Haleigh T-shirt?

HOLLARS: Well, it`s my daughter that normally comes into the room wearing one, and he`ll normally turn around and walk out.

GRACE: Has he ever talked to you about the night Haleigh went missing?

HOLLARS: No, ma`am.

GRACE: Have you asked him?

HOLLARS: Not really.

GRACE: Why?

HOLLARS: He just throws his hands up and says, "F" it, and then he`ll get up and walk away.

GRACE: Did Tommy Croslin call you from behind bars? And if so, what did he say?

HOLLARS: He told me he was crying. And he says, Nanny, I`ve got to break down. I`ve got to tell somebody. And I told him, I says, Tommy, I know in my heart exactly what you`re fixing to say. He says, Nanny, what do you mean? I said, Are you going to tell me that Joe did this? He says, Yes, Nanny, Joe did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARDY: We`re hoping to make an arrest in this case. Let`s be real about this, OK? Number one, you know, this case has been going on for 14 months. People are finally starting to talk. Where that`s going to lead us, I don`t know, but we`re going to follow it to the end. And we`re -- yes, we`re trying to make an arrest. We`re trying to bring somebody to justice for this little girl right here and her family. And that`s what this is all about here today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think Haleigh died in this area?

HARDY: It`s our belief that this -- that that`s a very real possibility. We are working on building a case. That`s what we`ve been doing for the last 14 months.

CUMMINGS: I know somebody took my little girl!

HARDY: I`m comfortable to go ahead and say that I`m going to call it a homicide.

CUMMINGS: Some sorry piece of trash that will be wasted when it`s all over!

HARDY: Haleigh Cummings is most likely deceased.

CUMMINGS: If I find whoever has my daughter before you all do, I`m killing him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want whoever took her to let her go.

CUMMINGS: I don`t care. I`ll spend the rest of my life in prison. I`m telling you, you can put it on record and I don`t care.

CRYSTAL SHEFFIELD, HALEIGH`S MOTHER: I just want my baby home.

HARDY: The investigative team has identified persons of interest in this case.

MISTY CROSLIN: What do they mean, that our life is going to be more than hell now than it was for this whole year?

HANK CROSLIN: For the next few weeks, because they`re going to wrap it up in the next few weeks.

MISTY CROSLIN: Well, I hope they do.

TOMMY CROSLIN: Leave me alone. I got nothing to say to you lying people.

HANK CROSLIN: I know for a fact Tommy -- Tommy ain`t got the heart. Tommy, he -- I don`t give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) what anybody says. Tommy had nothing to do with that (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

TOMMY CROSLIN: If I knew something, you`d know a long time ago. Leave me alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joe Overstreet has been a person who Misty Croslin and it appears her brother have been pointing the finger at for possibly the death of Haleigh Cummings.

OVERSTREET: I lost a lot of (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overstreet absolutely steadfastly, categorically denies any responsibility for Haleigh`s disappearance.

HANK CROSLIN: If I find out somebody did hurt Haleigh, I`d be the first one to put a bullet in them, I don`t give a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) if it`s my son or who.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Joining us tonight is a very special guest, a guest who has been through hell. With us is Flora Hollars. That`s Misty Croslin and Joe Overstreet`s grandmother.

Ms. Hollars, you have heard now three different versions of what happened the night Haleigh went missing. What is the most recent version you have been told?

HOLLARS: What I was told by Misty this morning was that Tommy and Joe took Haleigh and wrapped a yellow rope around her and carried her to the dock and tied a brick around the bottom -- the other end of the rope and throwed her into the river. Now, that come from Misty`s mouth into my ear.

GRACE: This morning?

HOLLARS: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: Could I ask you why they would have done that? Joe Overstreet and Tommy Croslin, why they would have done that? Had they allegedly molested Haleigh?

HOLLARS: That I don`t know.

GRACE: Why would they just throw her in the water?

HOLLARS: I don`t know. (INAUDIBLE) continue to talk to Misty, she`s going to tell me.

GRACE: OK. What is the second version you were told about Haleigh`s death?

HOLLARS: I was told that Misty had knocked her in the head and killed her and that Joe and Tommy got rid of her.

GRACE: Knocked her in the head with what, a cinderblock?

HOLLARS: No, just a piece of wood or something, is the way that it was put to me. But I didn`t believe that when I heard it.

GRACE: Who told you that?

HOLLARS: It come from one of them in Florida, is all I can say.

GRACE: Did they say why Misty would have struck 5-year-old Haleigh?

HOLLARS: No, they didn`t.

GRACE: OK. Ms. Hollars...

HOLLARS: (INAUDIBLE) overdose.

GRACE: What was the first story you were told about Haleigh`s death?

HOLLARS: First thing that I was told was that Joe had killed her. That was the first words that I was told.

GRACE: Why was -- why did he kill her in the first version?

HOLLARS: That I don`t have any idea. I don`t even know whether she was dead when she hit the water or not.

GRACE: Who told you the first version?

HOLLARS: Oh, that may have came from Misty. I`m not sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARDY: People have started to cooperate. That`s why I`ve told people it`s just going to be a matter of time. And we`re going to accept any cooperation that we can get. So again, it`s a good thing. People are starting to talk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARDY: Information has been obtained by investigators that lead them to believe that Haleigh Cummings is most likely deceased. I`m going to call it a homicide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators searching for a missing Florida girl are back at it at the St. John`s River in Satsuma, Florida, today, the third straight day that divers have gone looking for signs of Haleigh Cummings.

MISTY CROSLIN: We told them every...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Before we go to the lines, I want to go back to Ms. Flora Hollars, joining us tonight in a primetime exclusive. This is Misty Croslin and Joe Overstreet`s grandmother. Ms. Hollars, again, thank you for being with us.

HOLLARS: You`re welcome.

GRACE: And my question regarding the three versions you`ve been told -- who knows if any of them are true -- that you were told in each of these scenarios, where was Croslin? In the first scenario, the one that Croslin told you this morning, where was Croslin when everything happened?

HOLLARS: She didn`t tell me that.

GRACE: She just said that Joe Overstreet killed Misty -- killed Haleigh?

HOLLARS: He and Tommy -- she said Joe Overstreet and Tommy wrapped the rope around Haleigh and carried her to the dock at the St. John`s River and put a block around the other end of the rope and throwed her in the river.

GRACE: But what, Ms. Hollars, could be their possible motivation for killing a 5-year-old girl?

HOLLARS: That`s something that I don`t know! There`s three grandkids of mine that`s involved in this, and I don`t know why! But I`d sure like to know why. They have no remorse or something. But nobody decided to say anything until I broke Tommy on the phone Sunday. And yes, I`m the one that called the detectives. And yes, I`m the one that sent them to the river!

GRACE: Well, God bless you. God bless you for finally bringing some peace to this case. I pray to God in heaven that it does. Ms. Hollars...

HOLLARS: I hope so.

GRACE: Ms. Hollars, when Joe -- excuse me -- when Tommy Croslin calls you from the jail crying, what did he say happened?

HOLLARS: He was crying. And I told him, I said, You failed your lie detector test, didn`t you, Tommy? He says, Yes, I did. And I told him, I says, Now it`s time for it to come to a head. I want to know right now. In my heart, I already know. I said, Did Joe do this? He says, Yes, Nanny, Joe did. But he never implicated himself at that time. Misty`s the one that implicated Joe and Tommy.

GRACE: Did Tommy Croslin...

HOLLARS: Misty is coming clean.

GRACE: Did Tommy Croslin tell you what happened, other than he just killed her?

HOLLARS: That`s all he said.

GRACE: I want to remind everyone that according to police, none of the three -- Croslin, Tommy Croslin or Joe Overstreet -- are persons of interest or suspects in Haleigh`s disappearance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF HARDY, PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF: Items have been recovered at the search site. Haleigh Cummings is most likely deceased. And I`m going to call it a homicide.

We`re hoping to make an arrest in this case.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They have not named any suspects in the 5- year-old`s disappearance.

HARDY: However, the investigative team has identified --

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HOST: We are taking your calls, live out to Linda, Virginia.

Hi, Linda.

LINDA, CALLER FROM VIRGINIA: Hi, Nancy. I just got a couple of things I want to say. First of all, I honestly believe that God puts angels here on earth and I do believe you`re one of them.

You keep these cases alive, Nancy. And we thank you for it. You give a voice to those who can no longer speak. And thank you.

GRACE: Linda, I promise you, the angels in heaven are crying right now that you compared me to them. But thank you. I`m going to take it and just run with it because I`ve never gotten that kind of compliment before. Thank you.

What`s your question, dear?

LINDA: Well, my question is -- there`s another thing, too. By the way, the twins look just like you. I just thought I`d say that.

(LAUGHTER)

GRACE: Now that`s a big compliment. Because I think Lucy and John David are the most beautiful things I have ever seen in the world.

LINDA: And they really are. Here`s my question, Nancy. Maybe your years as a prosecutor, you know, and the psychologist, psychiatrist and all that you had on the show.

Nancy, it seems more and more to me that these beautiful little children, that these heinous acts are committed. Why is it these monsters have the children -- their remains left so close to their homes? It appears that way to me.

GRACE: To Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, author of "Dealbreakers." If you take a look at it, I mean, think about what she`s saying. You have Caylee Anthony, 15 houses from the Anthony home. You have Haleigh Cummings, apparently -- although her entire body has not yet been found -- a few miles south of the home there in the St. John`s River.

I mean, it even applies to adults. There you have Scott Peterson throwing his wife in the water where he always goes fishing in the San Francisco Bay. Why?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF "DEALBREAKERS": And most children who are murdered are disposed of within a quarter mile of the family home. And most victims are victimized in or around their home.

And I think it`s because that these monsters, as Linda called them, these perpetrators, they have so much hatefulness and rage towards the child that that`s all they can think of. They don`t have big-picture thinking. They don`t think that what they`re doing is wrong or that they`ll be caught or anyone will ever discover them.

They`re just in the moment with the child. And I`ll tell you what. The person who has the most motivation towards murder is Misty Cummings. She is the noncustodial caretaker. And when a noncustodial caretaker murders a child, usually it is to get back at the other parent.

It is a revenge sort of thing. And I don`t think she wanted to take care of this child. I think she was envious towards this child. She did not want to take on the responsibilities of motherhood.

And remember when the drug bust went down. Who was the ringleader? It was Misty. Misty was the ringleader. So it would make sense that she might be the ringleader in this scenario, even if all three were involved.

GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, Eleanor Odom, felony prosecutor. Her specialty is crimes on women and children. Renee Rockwell, defense owner, Atlanta. Peter Odom, defense attorney, Atlanta.

Weigh in, Eleanor.

ELEANOR ODOM, PROSECUTOR: Nancy, this is a perfect case for the death penalty because you`ve got at least two people if Ronald and Tommy Croslin are found --

GRACE: Not Ronald.

E. ODOM: I mean, Joe, sorry.

GRACE: Joe Overstreet and Tommy Croslin.

E. ODOM: If those two actually did what the grandmother said, then that is death penalty material, and I think if they find some good evidence, the state should go for it.

GRACE: And of course, Renee Rockwell, Misty Croslin -- would have been under 18 at the time of the incident. Under our U.S. Supreme Court rulings, she cannot face the death penalty.

RENEE ROCKWELL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That`s right. But I would be curious to know how old the other two are. And Nancy, what the grandmother just said and what it`s all going to boil down to was -- if this is what happened, was the child alive when she was thrown over with the brick and the rope?

It`s incredible. And I agree with Eleanor. Death penalty.

GRACE: OK. I don`t think it all hinges on whether she was alive when she hit the water. If that`s true.

To you, Peter Odom, if this child were molested and then murdered because I can`t think of any other reason that they would want to kill this little girl. All right? Other than Misty Croslin rage. And again the three have not been named official suspects or persons of interest.

Weigh in, Odom.

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Frankly, Nancy, what`s being described is unfathomable no matter who you are. What puts the rink in the mist is, as you noted, if Misty Croslin cannot be put to death because of the United States Supreme Court scriptures, it`s going to make it very difficult for a jury to put accomplices to death, even if they are otherwise eligible.

GRACE: Yes, I don`t think they`re going to have a problem.

Our to Marlaina Schiavo, what else can you tell me?

MARLAINA SCHIAVO, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, the cops all said that Misty knows that she is in trouble, so -- and Robert Fields, her attorney, is saying that he thinks that now that she`s cooperating, the focus has shifted, which doesn`t really make much sense now that we`ve heard what her grandmother had to say tonight.

GRACE: Elizabeth, please put that shot of Misty Croslin out on the docks and her handcuffs motioning to police where they should look out in the water.

I`ve only got one problem in the picture. Where`s her lawyer? What about it, Eleanor Odom?

E. ODOM: Well, she certainly has every right to have a lawyer there, especially if the cops are questioning her. So that is a concern for this. Whatever she says, you might want to use that in a potential trial down the road. So you want any statement to be taken by the letter of the law.

GRACE: But the way around that is if she went voluntarily, Eleanor.

E. ODOM: And let`s hope that she did go voluntarily and that they have it on tape, and that she signed any waiver of her rights.

GRACE: Back to you, Jean Casarez, legal correspondent, "In Session." The police are wording all their releases very, very carefully. For instance, saying there`s nobody in custody as it relates to this investigation. The homicide investigation. That doesn`t apply to anybody in jail, for instance, on drug trafficking which will be Misty Croslin and Tommy Croslin.

JEAN CASAREZ, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": You`re exactly right. It`s a play on words. You know I`ve been analyzing and thinking about what grandmother is saying tonight.

And Nancy, do you realize that when Misty told grandma an account, it didn`t involve her at all. When Tommy told an account, it didn`t involve him at all. So no one is confessing their own behavior in all of this. They`re all attributing it to others in the group.

GRACE: We are taking your calls live with us tonight is Misty Croslin and Joe Overstreet`s grandmother, Miss Flora Hollars.

Straight out to the lines, Karen in Ohio. Hi, Karen.

KAREN, CALLER FROM OHIO: Hi, Nancy. I`m so happy to finally talk to you.

GRACE: Well, thank you for calling in. What is your question, dear?

KAREN: Well, first, I want to say I have to agree with Linda that you are truly an angel. I watch you every night and your babies are gorgeous.

GRACE: Thank you. When I leave this anchor chair, the first thing I do is go home and check on them. And to think that Ronald Cummings left his baby there -- two of them -- just like me, he comes home and one is gone.

And for all this time, Misty Croslin didn`t say a word, denied everything. While this child`s remains were soaking into the mud at the bottom of the St. John`s River according to reports.

What is your question, Karen in Ohio?

KAREN: My question is, if she was thrown into the water with all of the alligators -- if she were to be eaten, would there be any remains left after she was digested?

GRACE: Out to Heather Walsh-Haney, forensic anthropologist at Florida Gulf Coast University. The reality is that she would have drowned in just a few moments, but would there be fragments of bones? Could there be portions of bones in your estimation?

HEATHER WALSH-HANEY, PH.D., FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST (via phone): In my estimation, if we`re talking about her being submerged in the water, buried by the sediment of the river, yes, we can get some of those 300 odd bones that would be skeletonized. We could hopefully recover them.

But the St. John`s River does have alligators. And it`s been my experience that when alligators are involved, if you don`t know specifically what alligator took the human or the body part, you`re not going to recover anything.

GRACE: But even if they recover, for instance, a cinder block with yellow rope or Haleigh`s clothes she was wearing that evening -- hold on.

Marlaina Schiavo, speaking of the clothes she was wearing that evening, remember, Misty Croslin first says she was wearing X outfit, but then that outfit was found near the laundry?

SCHIAVO: Yes, she said she was wearing a pink shirt, but then later on, they saw this same pink shirt that she described in the laundry pile. But also about that cinder block, Nancy, if you recall, she said that the backdoor was propped open with a cinder block and then they -- the investigators were looking for that same cinder block at that time.

GRACE: It`s amazing how bits of the truth are woven into that story.

Everybody, we are taking your calls live. And as we go to break on a happy note, a very special birthday to the number one fan of our show, a Navy veteran. He served time in the World War, giving up a college basketball scholarship to serve our country, even lying about his age to join the Navy, ending up on the other side of the world at just 17.

A railroad man for over 40 years. He and his wife -- my mother -- put us all through college, put braces on our teeth, took us to Sunday school, and taught us how to dance.

Happy birthday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARDY: At this point, I`m comfortable to go ahead and say I`m going to call it a homicide.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Searchers are working around the clock at a Florida river just five miles from where she was last seen.

RONALD CUMMINGS, FATHER OF HALEIGH CUMMINGS: It`s hard to believe that she don`t know more, but it`s hard to believe that if she did know more she ain`t already talking.

MISTY CROSLIN, FORMER STEPMOM/BABYSITTER OF HALEIGH CUMMINGS: I`m trying to do everything to find her, you know? I`m answering any questions I have to. I don`t know where she is.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It`s going to be just a matter of time. People are starting to talk.

CROSLIN: I`ll do anything to get her back.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Misty Croslin was baby-sitting Haleigh the night she disappeared.

CROSLIN: I would have woke up if I heard any noise. And then I didn`t hear anything at all.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: She`s been in custody on unrelated drug charges.

CUMMINGS: I want to get to the bomb of what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And she was moved from one jail to Putnam County where this search takes place.

CUMMINGS: One way or another, I want my daughter to come home.

HARDY: The investigative team has identified persons of interest in this case.

CROSLIN: I didn`t do anything with that little girl.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Croslin was briefly married to Haleigh`s father, Ronald Cummings.

CUMMINGS: I had nothing to do with this.

CASAREZ: They interviewed Joe Overstreet.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: This is Misty`s cousin.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FMR. DC POLICE DETECTIVE; FBI TERRORISM TASK FORCE: Is Joe Overstreet involved in this?

JOE OVERSTREET, MISTY CROSLIN`S COUSIN: I didn`t do it.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You didn`t do it?

OVERSTREET: No.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Out to Michael Sapraicone -- Michael Sapraicone, former NYPD detective, president of Squad Security Inc., joining us out of New York.

All these three stories have the same common denominator, the same three individuals. But of course, they`re all pointing the finger at each other. Weigh in.

MICHAEL SAPRAICONE, FMR. NYPD DETECTIVE, PRESIDENT OF SQUAD SECURITY INC.: Yes, without a doubt. But I think if you think about this, Nancy, about a year or so ago, 14 months ago, we talked about this. We always looked at Overstreet as a possible suspect in the case.

I mean, it was a conflict about they way the door was when Cummings came home. Cummings said the door was open with a cinder block. Misty had said no, the door was locked when she woke up and that was an interesting point.

So we`ve always had the same characters, a whole list of -- the same list of suspects. I think there was a problem with Overstreet and a problem with Cummings.

Listen, there were some issues about them having a fight prior to this. So you`re right, you have the same people. And of course, people are going to point the finger at everybody else here.

GRACE: To Dr. Michael Bell, chief medical examiner, Palm Beach County, joining us out of Miami.

Dr. Bell, thank you for being with us. How would you -- especially in light of the fact that you were joining us out of Florida which is full, covered in swampland, how would you answer Karen in Ohio`s question regarding alligators?

DR. MICHAEL BELL, M.D., PALM BEACH COUNTY CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER: Well, whether there are alligators or fish, crabs or the other creatures that reside in the river, if the body is exposed to that, the animals are likely to devour both the soft tissues and the bones, which makes the possibility of recovering an intact body, intact skeleton very remote.

GRACE: Are you telling me that over 300 bones, out of over 300 bones, and I`ve got to find a single one if alligators were involved?

Well, Dr. Bell, I`m not buying that.

BELL: You don`t have to buy it, but still it`s likely true. I think it`s going to be very difficult to recover any bones.

GRACE: So you think an alligator would eat the entire body? There wouldn`t be a toe? A finger? A jawbone? Anything left?

BELL: There might be, but you have to remember that with this time and decomposition, any bones that weren`t eaten by the alligator are likely scattered throughout the river bed.

GRACE: That`s a good point, Dr. Bell.

Also joining us to night, our chief editorial producer, Ellie Jostad.

Ellie, to you, weigh in.

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE CHIEF EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, to go up to what Dr. Bell just said, here`s what they`re up against in that water. They`ve got a 20-foot drop right just a couple of feet from the shore. They`ve got murky, muddy -- they described it as a viscous mud on the bottom of this river.

The divers are trying to go through it by hand. They don`t know how - - how deep in the mud any piece of evidence could be. There`s zero visibility. They`re trying to use special goggles to see better in the water. But this is an uphill battle in that search.

GRACE: Ellie, all of these stories, these stories that we are hearing, not only from Miss Flora Hollars, but other sources.

JOSTAD: Yes.

GRACE: Other unnamed sources. She`s not the only one saying this. Other people are confirming what she is telling us tonight. They all boil down to the same three people and in every scenario, Misty Croslin is in the center of it.

JOSTAD: Right. And there`s this alleged letter obtained by Leonard Padilla. He said they got it from one of Misty Croslin`s relatives. In this letter, Misty Croslin wrote from jail that she was there that night, Tommy was there that night, Joe was there that night.

She says she doesn`t think that Tommy did anything, she`s not sure what Joe did, but she describes them as being very intoxicated. Those aren`t the words she used. But she says she doesn`t know exactly what happened but that all three of them were there.

GRACE: All three of them there. To me, Eleanor Odom, that makes them all party to the crime of whatever happened to that little girl. And you`ve got to think, Eleanor, come on, if you don`t know a horse, look at the track record.

Why would they kill this little girl with a cinder block and rope if those accounts are true?

E. ODOM: Exactly. What reason would they have, Nancy? They must have done something to the little girl, injured her in some way, for them to just toss her body aside like trash.

GRACE: To Jackie in Tennessee. Hi, Jackie. What`s your question, dear?

JACKIE, CALLER FROM TENNESSEE: Is that me?

GRACE: Yes, dear.

JACKIE: OK. It`s Cathy in Texas.

Nancy, first off, the other girls are great. You`re an angel. And I read your -- from your first book (INAUDIBLE) and your TV show, you`re the greatest thing in the world.

As a former officer, I want to know, why would -- was Luminol ever sprayed in the house? Has it been sprayed out of the house?

GRACE: Good question. Marlaina Schiavo, you`ve been in the house. Did they use Luminol?

SCHIAVO: They didn`t give us that information if they did, Nancy.

GRACE: I guarantee you, they used Luminol. And what that tells me was the murder did not take place there unless it was a suffocation.

As we go to break, I was approached this past Sunday and asked for you and your thoughts and prayers for Mary Claire Blackshaw. A young mother in the fight of a lifetime battling bone cancer.

Mary Claire, we are all joining together tonight, and we are praying. Now you stay strong.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARDY: As far as the cooperation goes from who`s cooperating and what plea bargains, I`m not here to talk about any of that. I don`t know of any plea bargain that`s been offered to anybody. Just so you know.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Back to the scene there in Satsuma, Natisha Lance joining us.

Natisha, what`s the latest?

NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: The latest, Nancy, one of the things that Marlaina mentioned is the search around the Cummings home initially.

If you recall, Nancy, they tracked Haleigh Cummings` scent all the way to the edge of the water, so one of the theories that has been played with down here at the scene is that possibly a boat was used in order to get Haleigh Cummings over to this area that has been searched recently.

GRACE: Then why, I`m wondering, the dock? The dock? Why would they bring Misty Croslin out to the edge of the dock as she`s pointing out if that were not the spot they used, allegedly -- according to reports, no suspect, no persons of interest -- to throw the child into the water.

Back to our special guest tonight, Flora Hollars. This is Misty Croslin`s and Joe Overstreet`s grandmother. Miss Hollars is joining us out of West Nashville, Tennessee.

Miss Hollars, have police spoken to you? Of course they have because you called them and told them.

FLORA HOLLARS, MISTY CROSLIN AND JOE OVERSTREET`S GRANDMOTHER: I`ve talked to the police in Florida. I`m the one that told the police in Florida where to look at.

GRACE: Miss Hollars, in any -- in any of these scenarios did anybody ever tell Ronald Cummings what happened to his daughter?

HOLLARS: Not that I know of. I don`t think they have. Well, maybe his mom and them the other day when they was at the jail because I`ve talked to them, too.

GRACE: What did they have to say about all of this? Did they believe it?

HOLLARS: Yes, ma`am, they did.

GRACE: Are you still in touch with Misty Croslin, or has the jail cut off her phone access?

HOLLARS: They had cut off my phone access, but they put it back on again this morning so she could call. That`s how I got the information this morning.

GRACE: I see the photo behind you of you and Misty Croslin. Do you think she could have had anything to do with this?

HOLLARS: No, ma`am, I really don`t think she could. Misty`s too good with kids. Misty loves kids. She`s had an opportunity to hurt them all and she`s kept every one of them. I don`t believe Misty had any involvement whatsoever.

GRACE: With us is Flora Hollars.

Let`s stop and remember Army Specialist Zachary Clouser, 19, Dover, Pennsylvania, killed Iraq. Awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation medal. Remembered as the glue that held his friends together. A member of several local car clubs.

Loved outdoors, hunting, dreamed of college and a career in computers. Leaves behind parents, Deborah and Kevin, four brothers, two sisters.

Zachary Clouser, American hero.

Thanks to our guests but especially to you, and a special good night from Georgia and Ohio friends, Anita, Virginia, Melissa and Teresa.

What a beautiful bunch.

Everyone, I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And tonight our prayers with little 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings and her mother and father.

Until tomorrow night, good night, friend.

END