PALATKA, Fla. – Ronald Cummings was fired this week after his employer said he has not come to work since his 5-year-old daughter Haleigh disappeared from their Satsuma Home more than two months ago.
Haleigh disappeared in the early-morning hours of Feb. 10 just before Cummings came home from his job at PDM Bridge in Palatka.
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PDM Bridge said they held Cummings' job open for weeks expecting to hear from him requesting a leave of absence or make some other arrangement, but they never did.
Cummings' lawyer, Greg Kimball, released a statement saying Cummings agreed to return to work on April 6.
"Ronald agreed to this date and was prepared to go into work when he was told on Friday, April 3, 2009, that the offer to return to work was being withdrawn for 'abandoning his job,'" Kimball said. "Cummings in the last two months has had to deal not only with the disappearance of his daughter Haleigh, but also false muckraking allegations by attorney Kim Picazio, representing Crystal Sheffield."
Kimball said they are consulting with a Daytona firm that specializes in labor and employment law over possible legal action over his termination.
Kimball also denies that Cummings ever threatened anyone connected with PDM Bridge.
Custody of Haleigh and her younger brother was awarded to Ronald Cummings because he had a steady job and could provide health insurance for the children -- something a Putnam County family court judge found Sheffield, their mother, could not.
Search For Haleigh Continues
Haleigh was last seen when Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, Misty Croslin, put her to bed inside Cummings' Satsuma home on Feb. 9. Despite hundreds of leads, Putnam County investigators have found no trace of the girl.
On the first day Haleigh was missing, more than 130 law enforcement personnel from several local and state agencies began searching for her.
Investigators proclaimed everyone -- family members, neighbors and associates -- is a suspect in the girl's disappearance.
"I will give up everything I own. All I want is my child, please," said Ronald Cummings said in the hours after an Amber Alert was issued for Haleigh.
Night after night, family members held vigils and prayed for Haleigh's safe return.
The ground search using hundreds of law enforcement personnel, specially trained dogs and volunteers on horseback continued for two weeks. Investigators went door to door and stopped cars along main road.
Over 1,400 calls -- tips and reported sightings -- poured in to a hot line, leading investigators as far away as Kentucky and Indiana.
The focus began to turn toward Haleigh's parents when a heated interview on national television put Ronald Cummings on the defensive.
After a month, police tape was removed from around Haleigh's home, which investigators said was no longer considered a crime scene. The home, however, remained vacant as Haleigh's father refused to move back home without his daughter.
Five weeks after Haleigh disappeared, Cummings and Croslin were engaged, then married.
The newlyweds were interviewed on the "Today Show," where Croslin was unable to explain her inconsistent accounts to police.
Signs asking about Haleigh's whereabouts remain throughout Putnam County, eight weeks after the girl disappeared.
Two months into the search, friends and neighbors said Haleigh is still on their minds.
"This is a small community. Everybody's hearts are going out to the family. And, we all still have hope. You have to have hope," said one resident.
Anyone who has any information that could help find Haleigh is asked to call Crimestoppers at 888-277-TIPS.
Previous Stories:
- April 7, 2009: Search For Haleigh Enters Ninth Week
- March 31, 2009: Putnam Sheriff Calls Haleigh Case 'Personal'
- March 30, 2009: Mother Of Missing Girl Involved In Car Crash
- March 26, 2009: Haleigh's Father Fights Back Against Abuse Allegations
- March 24, 2009: Search For Haleigh Continues Into Sixth Week
- March 20, 2009: Mother's Attorney Releases Photo Of Haleigh With Cuts, Bruises
- March 19, 2009: Amid Abuse Claims, Father Of Missing Girl Hires Attorney
- March 18, 2009: Cummings Family Responds To Child Abuse Allegations
- March 15, 2009: Family Vacate Tents Near Where Haleigh Disappeared
- March 13, 2009: Haleigh's Dad On National TV: 'Don't Focus On Me'
- March 12, 2009: 100 Deputies, Officers Search New Area For Haleigh
- March 11, 2009: Missing Girl's Father To Marry Thursday
- March 10, 2009: Justice Coalition Increases Reward In Haleigh Case To $35K
- March 10, 2009: Missing Girl's Dad To Wed; Fiancée Says Haleigh Would Want It
- March 9, 2009: Family Of Missing Satsuma Girl Raise Money For Larger Reward
- March 6, 2009: Family Allows Look Inside Bedroom Where Haleigh Disappeared
- March 5, 2009: Family Members Return To Haleigh's Home
- March 3, 2009: Father: 'Please Have A Heart, Let My Daughter Come Home'
- March 2, 2009: Search For Haleigh Enters Fourth Week
- February 28, 2009: As Family Waits, Haleigh Featured On 'America's Most Wanted'
- February 27, 2009: Cadaver Dogs Continue Searching Near Home Of Missing Girl
- February 26, 2009: Dumpster Scoured In Search For Haleigh
- February 25, 2009: Family Shares Haleigh Photos, Home Video
- February 24, 2009: Tip Leads Detectives To St. Johns Co. In Search For Haleigh
- February 24, 2009: Investigator: We Are No Closer To Finding Haleigh
- February 23, 2009: 2 Weeks Into Hunt For Haleigh, Police Have Nothing To Report
- February 22, 2009: 1,600 Leads, Family Distractions In Haleigh Case
- February 20, 2009: Family Holds Vigil, Prays For Haleigh For 11th Night
- February 20, 2009: New Searches, Larger Reward In Hunt For Haleigh
- February 19, 2009: Haleigh's Mother Pleads For 5-Year-Old's Return
- February 19, 2009: Dad To Haleigh: 'We Will Find You'
- February 18, 2009: Reward Increased $16,000 In Haleigh Case
- February 17, 2009: Tip: Dad's Girlfriend Wasn't Home When Haleigh Disappeared
- February 17, 2009: Investigators In 2nd Week Of Hunt For Haleigh
- February 16, 2009: Week After Haleigh Goes Missing, Police Keep Working
- February 15, 2009: Authorities Scale Back Search For Haleigh, Not Investigation
- February 15, 2009: Putnam Chief: 'We're As Optimistic Now As We Were On Day 1'
- February 14, 2009: Search For Missing 5-Year-Old To Continue Into Weekend
- February 14, 2009: Ramped-Up Search For Haleigh Turns Up 'Items Of Interest'
- February 13, 2009: Several Groups Offer Help In Search For Haleigh
- February 12, 2009: Girlfriend Describes Waking Up, Finding Haleigh Gone
- February 12, 2009: Search For Haleigh 'Will Expand As Far As It Needs To Go'
- February 12, 2009: 48 Hours Pass With No Sign Of Missing Girl
- February 11, 2009: School Prays For Haleigh's Safe Return
- February 11, 2009: Detective: Haleigh's Disappearance Considered Abduction
- February 10, 2009: Family, Friends Pray As Search For Missing 5-Year-Old Continues
- February 10, 2009: 5-Year-Old Vanishes From Bedroom; Father Says She Was 'Stolen'