CRIMINAL MIND > FORENSICS & INVESTIGATION

MISSING: 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings

Four inches or four feet?

Misty Croslin

Misty Croslin has trouble describing the exact circumstances surrounding the disappearance of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings. She initially told the two sheriff's deputies that the last time she saw Haleigh the little girl was sleeping beside her in the same bed.

Later, Misty said Haleigh was not in bed with her, but rather that Haleigh was in a small bed near her, in the same room.

Misty's oft-repeated story contains discrepancies in seemingly inconsequential details: why she got out of bed and whether she noticed Haleigh missing before or after she left the bedroom. Misty also reportedly could not describe what Haleigh was wearing when she put the little girl to bed.

During a television interview on Fox News, host Greta Van Susteren asked Misty how far away Haleigh was sleeping from her the last time she saw Haleigh.

Croslin said "three or four inches."

Van Susteren seemed surprised. She had evidently heard of Misty's claim that Haleigh was in another bed. Van Susteren sought clarification. "Three or four inches?" she asked Misty Croslin. Yes, Misty said, "three or four inches."

Then Ronald Cummings, who was sitting beside Misty during the interview, jumped in and corrected her. He knew where the beds were in his room, Cummings said, and they were separated by three or four feet.

Investigators have reportedly interviewed Misty Croslin as many as 10 times and her accounts of the circumstances surrounding Haleigh's disappearance have reportedly contained frustrating inconsistencies.