The desperate search for a missing 5-year-old girl in Putnam County continued Thursday. Police say someone apparently snatched Haleigh Cummings from her bed.
Detectives say Haleigh disappeared from her father's house Monday night and she's reportedly at the center of a big custody battle.
So far, search teams have spent more than 60 hours on the ground, in the air and in the water looking for any sign of her. Some familiar faces also joined in the search, including George Anthony and Leonard Padilla. The Cummings family met with both and is asking for help to find their little girl.
Detectives say Haleigh disappeared from her father's house Monday night and she's reportedly at the center of a big custody battle.
So far, search teams have spent more than 60 hours on the ground, in the air and in the water looking for any sign of her. Some familiar faces also joined in the search, including George Anthony and Leonard Padilla. The Cummings family met with both and is asking for help to find their little girl.
PRESS CONFERENCE CLIPS: Father Begs For Her Return
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A Putnam County sheriff's search team chopped its way through thick woods, as thick as the day is long, one deputy said, looking for any sign of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings.
"We're working hard, but we're gonna get it done. We're gonna get this whole thing searched," Det. James Edgar said.
Just a few hundred yards away, Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, fought back tears, begging for his little girl's safe return.
"I want my daughter back, that's all I want. I want my daughter back. I'm not out for revenge. Nothing else. I want my daughter back," he said Thursday.
Haleigh was reported missing during the early hours of Tuesday morning, after Cummings' 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, got up to check on her. Croslin told a 911 dispatcher that a back door that was usually locked had been propped open by a brick.
"I loved that little girl like she was my own, and she loved me," Croslin said Thursday.
Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, also believes someone took her daughter.
"I just want my baby here. I just want them to bring back my baby," she said, tears running down her cheeks.
The family is being comforted by George Anthony, who is in the national spotlight because of the murder of his granddaughter, Caylee. George said he didn't hesitate to come to Putnam County.
"They do not need to be judged. They do not need to be scrutinized. They need your help," Anthony said.
Meanwhile, searchers are checking all the homes and every inch of the woods around Haleigh's house and will fan out from there if they have to as the child's family waits for any word.
"Why would anyone want to take a child from any parent? Period!" Ronald Cummings said.
John Harrell, spokesman for the northeast region of the Florida Department of Children and Families, said Thursday that his agency "was involved with the family." Harrell would not offer any details, citing state confidentiality laws.
Sheffield's family gathered at the mobile home community where the child disappeared.
Her grandmother, Nancy Griffis, 43, described Haliegh as a "highly intelligent" child who loved to play with makeup, purses, cell phones and "girlie stuff."
An uncle, Andrew Sheffield, believes she is alive, but the mystery of her whereabouts continues.
"It's fishy," he said. "Somebody knows something."
"We're working hard, but we're gonna get it done. We're gonna get this whole thing searched," Det. James Edgar said.
Just a few hundred yards away, Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, fought back tears, begging for his little girl's safe return.
"I want my daughter back, that's all I want. I want my daughter back. I'm not out for revenge. Nothing else. I want my daughter back," he said Thursday.
Haleigh was reported missing during the early hours of Tuesday morning, after Cummings' 17-year-old girlfriend, Misty Croslin, got up to check on her. Croslin told a 911 dispatcher that a back door that was usually locked had been propped open by a brick.
"I loved that little girl like she was my own, and she loved me," Croslin said Thursday.
Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, also believes someone took her daughter.
"I just want my baby here. I just want them to bring back my baby," she said, tears running down her cheeks.
The family is being comforted by George Anthony, who is in the national spotlight because of the murder of his granddaughter, Caylee. George said he didn't hesitate to come to Putnam County.
"They do not need to be judged. They do not need to be scrutinized. They need your help," Anthony said.
Meanwhile, searchers are checking all the homes and every inch of the woods around Haleigh's house and will fan out from there if they have to as the child's family waits for any word.
"Why would anyone want to take a child from any parent? Period!" Ronald Cummings said.
John Harrell, spokesman for the northeast region of the Florida Department of Children and Families, said Thursday that his agency "was involved with the family." Harrell would not offer any details, citing state confidentiality laws.
Sheffield's family gathered at the mobile home community where the child disappeared.
Her grandmother, Nancy Griffis, 43, described Haliegh as a "highly intelligent" child who loved to play with makeup, purses, cell phones and "girlie stuff."
An uncle, Andrew Sheffield, believes she is alive, but the mystery of her whereabouts continues.
"It's fishy," he said. "Somebody knows something."
video courtesy: WFTV
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