Haleigh Cummings Reminder - A Vigil And Her Birthday

Updated to correct time for balloon launch and add Haleigh's favorite song    "That's What I love about Sunday"

My favorite picture of Haleigh Cumming

Haleigh Cummings was 5 years old when she was reported missing from her home in Satsuma Florida at about 3:30 in the morning on February 10, 2009 by her father, Ronald Cummings and his live-in girlfriend, Misty Croslin..
 
Despite the fact that within 1 hour of Haleigh being reported missing, the FL Department of Law Enforcement activated the Child Abduction Regional Team and searching began by over 100 officers from county, state and federal law enforcement by helicopters, bloodhounds, ATV riders and ground searchers conducted grid searches of the wooded area while boats and divers searched the nearby St. Johns River, there has been no sign of Haleigh and apparently no evidence to indicate who may be responsible for her disappearance.

While there has been no arrests directly related to Haleigh's disappearance, the Putnum County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) did say early on they didn't think this was a stranger abduction case. On April 15, 2010, Sheriff Jeff Hardy, of the PCSO, announced the investigation is now classified as a homicide investigation.

I realize I've been very brief in the introduction of this article. The main purpose of this article is to remind everyone that Haleigh is still missing and to give a heads-up to some upcoming events for Haleigh, which I'll get to in just a minute. First, if you would like to read more about this case and some of the "side issues" that have developed among Haleigh's 'families' and the ' many professionals' who have become involved in this case click here . This link will take you to previous reports on katfish....ponders  related to Haleigh's case from most recent to the earliest.

Secondly, Katfish...ponders wants to commend Simon and Jan Barrett of The Blogger News Network (BNN) for keeping this story "alive" in the media over the past year and a half. BNN has consistently contributed their resources to this case, including doing  a radio show about this case on Blog Talk Radio every Sunday at 4pm Eastern. If you aren't already familiar with BNN, I recommend you check out their website. To view their in depth reporting about this case click here.To listen to tapes of previous radio shows click here. BNN also has a forum linked from their main page. On a recent stop over to BNN, I noticed Jan had written another article about Haleigh, and I want to take the opportunity to help spread the word.....

Jan Barrett wrote, " The Cummings family has decided to hold a vigil to commemorate Haleigh being gone which will be held in Welaka, Florida. The memorial is set to take place at the First Baptist Church on Tuesday, Aug, 10th at 6:30 pm."
Jan also wrote, "They have also arranged for a balloon release to take place on Haleigh’s birthday, August 17th. Since Haleigh was born at 2:16 am they have decided to release the balloons at precisely 2:16 pm that day. The family will be providing the balloons and the release is scheduled to be at the Riverfront Park next to the clock tower."

On Tuesday, August 10, 2010  Haleigh will have been missing exactly 18 months. And then Tuesday, August 17 will be Haleigh's 7th birthday (if she is indeed still with us). I just attended one of my niece's 7th birthday in July, the kids had fun swimming, her parents rented a jump room and all the kids at her party jumped and jumped and jumped some more. They played pin the tail on the donkey and broke a pinata. If Haleigh is still with us I pray that someone makes sure she has a fun day. If she is no longer with us, well.... no doubt she is leading all of  the other angels cloud dancing everyday so this will be just another glorious day in Gods loving arms.

I realize many people who have taken an interest in this case won't be able to attend the activities her family has planned, most likely because of distance, but please honor Haleigh by thinking of her....maybe light a candle and say a prayer for Haleigh and both sides of her family who love her and must miss her so......Crystal Sheffield is Haleigh's mother. I haven't heard of any events organized by Crystal's family but would be happy to include those plans as well.

A regular commenter over at BNN named "J." made the following comment the other day.......

J said,on August 5th, 2010 at 12:36 pm, "Beautiful article, Jan!

I released red and purple balloons last year for Haleigh’s sixth birthday with fliers in them. This year, I will release red and purple balloons (her favorite colors) to “celebrate” her birthday.
There is an email address that people can email pictures into if you do your own balloon releases and the pictures will be shared online.
balloonsforhaleigh@gmail.com I pray so hard for Haleigh and her loved ones. A year and half with no answers is just brutal. I don’t know how they all do it. They all need answers and Haleigh needs to come home (one way or another), preferably ALIVE. Oh how I pray for that!"

Thanks for sharing that wonderful idea "J". Both sides of Haleigh’s family have been trashed on the internet,and unfortunately  because of their behavior “some” may deserve it. Regardless of any of their behavior, they are the people Haleigh loved and they are still missing their little Haleigh Bug. I think the link to submit pictures is a wonderful way to express support to them all.

There has been concern expressed about the effect of a balloon launch on the environment as well as some communities having laws against balloon launches. If you find there is a law against launching balloons in your area or if you live in an area where there may be a concern for sea life mistaking a balloon for food, a picture sent lighting a candle would be a thoughtful gesture. I did a little research and want to share this information:
Here is a website with information about the effects to the environment by balloon releases.
http://www.balloonrelease.com/faqs.htm

Brief summary-
*As long as latex balloons are used they are biodegradable.
*Limit your balloon release to 10 or fewer balloons.
*Use only hand-tied latex balloons and no plastic attachments or strings.
*Never release metallic balloons.
*Never attach metallic ribbon to helium-filled balloons. Metallic ribbon and balloons conduct electricity and may come in contact with power lines when released.
*Always use fully inflated balloons, and release shortly after filling.
* Instead of inserting a flyer inside the balloon (launch issues) perhaps just write a note with a marker on the balloon.
The bottom line is, This is really all about the thought of this sweet little girl and if you take the time to e-mail a picture it is without a doubt an act of compassion for our fellow man.

I think it’s a fair assumption to say that anyone  who has followed this case, has turned the case inside out numerous times and came up with hundreds of theories about what happened to Haleigh, but there just doesn’t seem to be any concrete evidence to support any theory. For reasons that have not been disclosed to the public, Law Enforcement has declared this a homicide investigation. I admit that the only theory I have left standing in my mind is that Haleigh is already in Heaven. I won't go into my theory unless someone asks, but I can honestly say  I have never so wanted to be wrong about something. In all fairness to Haleigh as long as there is no evidence to show me otherwise I will continue to have that flicker of hope for her safety. In that light, here is a picture of distinguishing features of Haleigh and contact numbers to report any sightings or leads:

Haleigh Cummings

At the time she went missing Haleigh Cummings was described as three feet tall, 39 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes. Haleigh has Turner's syndrome so she likely is still of short stature for her age. Other physical features of Turners Syndrome include:

• A short neck with a webbed appearance
• A low hairline at the back of the neck
• Low-set ears.

Haleigh also has a birthmark on her left cheek shaped like a peanut. You can see the birthmark in this picture.
Please keep in mind it is possible that efforts have been made to disguise Haleigh's appearance.
 Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0808 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS. Sphere: Related Content