Haleigh Cummings is Missing: Brother Saw "Man in Black" Take His Sister

Crystal Sheffield, the mother of missing Haleigh Cummings, appeared on "Nancy Grace" Monday (February 23) and told the popular talk show host that 4-year-old Ronald Cummings, Jr., Haleigh Cummings' little brother, told her that a "man in black" took his sister away. Putnam County Sheriff's Office would only confirm that their child-protection team spoke with Ronald Cummings, Jr., but would not reveal what the boy said. MyFoxLA reported that he told his mother that the "man in black" came into the room where he, his sister, and his father's girlfriend, Misty Croslin, had went to sleep.

CF13news.com reported that Sheffield said, "When I see him [Haleigh's brother], all he said is, 'I want to find my sissy,' and he said something about somebody in black took her. He said they were all dressed in black, but I didn't question him, I'm not going to question him."

Crystal Sheffield said that Haleigh Cummings father, Ronald Cummings, had told her the same thing.

But does that mean that there was more than one man that slipped into the double-wide trailor on the night of February 9-10 and abducted 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings? Does it also mean that Misty Croslin was there at the trailor all along, something a tip says was not the case, or did the 4-year-old not notice?

Or could the "man in black" simply be the false memory of a 4-year-old missing his sister and wanting to contribute, to help those looking for his sister?

At such a young age, it is difficult to tell. But authorities investigating the incident cannot treat it as the mere wishful thinking of a small child. Whatever information they can glean from Ronald Cummings, Jr.'s, admission, taken on the supposition that what he says he saw actually occurred, might eventually lead to the finding of Halieigh Cummings.

In other words: Rule nothing out.

The news comes after Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced that they were suspending daily updates on the missing persons / abduction case because they had simply run out of new information to share with the media and the public. The "man in black" lead was known to authorities shortly after Haleigh Cummings went missing.

The "man in black" lead also is potential good news for Ronald Cummings' 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, who had come under increased scrutiny because of a tip or tips that indicated that the teenager was not actually in the trailor when Haliegh Cummings disappeared. Misty Croslin is a live-in babysitter for Cummings while he works.

The reward for information leading to Haleigh Cummings' whereabouts or to the arrest of whoever abducted her has been raised to $25,500.

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Related stories in the Haleigh Cummings missing person case:

Haliegh Cummings Is Missing

Search Expanded

Rumors Abound

Families Near Meltdown

Misty Croslin Appears on "Today Show"

Misty Croslin Connection

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Sources:

"Nancy Grace," HLN Television

cfnews13.com

FoxNews.com