Missing Girl's Dad's Marriage a Legal Tactic?

Missing Girl's Dad's Marriage a Legal Tactic?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ron Cummings is set to tie the knot with his 17-year-old girlfriend. Why now?

Although his daughter has been missing for a month, the father of Haleigh Cummings will marry his 17-year-old girlfriend today after proposing to her just days ago.

Ronald Cummings and Misty Croslin applied for licenses earlier this week and with the permission of underage Croslin's parents. Speculations abound that the nuptials could be driven by a desire to exercise a spousal privilege that would bar the couple from testifying against each other court.

Attorney Robin Sax, a former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, believes if the couple is marrying to exercise that privilege they're misguided, "It shows that they are not necessary educated in the law. People have a misconception that they do not have to testify against their spouse but there are many, many intricacies."

One such intricacy in the convoluted spousal privilege law is that is does not apply to a crime involving a child.

Another possible reason for the quick nuptials, says Sax, is Croslin's age. Cummings might be under scrutiny for cohabitation with an underage woman. "It certainly would look better if he is trying to maintain custody of Haleigh's younger brother, Junior."

In the meantime, the search for Haleigh continues. She has blond hair and brown eyes and is 3' tall. Please call the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 386-329-0800 if you have any information regarding Haleigh Cummings.

Robin Sax is a former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney who specialized in prosecuting sex crimes against children. She is the author of six books, including "Predators and Child Molesters: What Every Parent Needs to Know To Keep Kids Safe". Robin lives with her husband and three children in Los Angeles, California.

33 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

I think a possibility may be that when you lose someone close to you, you cling to those around you even more. He may not want to lose Misty like he lost Haleigh…not everything has to be to cover a crime.

- JulieB

Posted 03/12/09 05:19 PM

I think Ron is trying to avoid being charged with statutory rape of a minor.

- KaceyF

Posted 03/12/09 05:36 PM

Oh please, JulieB, do you really think Ron Cummings is marrying Misty Croslin because he’s afraid he’s going to lose her like he lost Hayleigh. What color is the sky in your world.

- Anonymous

Posted 03/12/09 06:02 PM

Misty knows what happened to Haleigh, she was 3 feet away from her when she was taken.How does somebody break into a tralier or just happens to know the back door is open,bring a brick to keep it held open,and knows where heliegh is sleeping all the mean while Misty sleeps right through it!!!I’m begining to think Ron knows to, thats why he’s marring her.They can’t be to smart he’s getting married to a 17 yr old and she’s getting married at 17.You ever heard of going to college or school for that matter,being able to support yourself and buy a home and then get married.My little girls missing but I want to get married because she would want that.She’s FIVE!!!!!!!!!!I don’t think so. Another Lee and Casey if you ask me

- Angela

Posted 03/12/09 06:22 PM

I DONT THINK ANYBODY COULD WALK IN MY HOUSE AND TAKE A CHILD THAT WAS SLEEPING IN THE ROOM WITH ME , THE MARRIAGE IS BECAUSE THEY THINK IT WILL PROTECT MISTY. SHE KNOWS WHAT HAPPEN TO THE CHILD . I AGREE WITH ANGELA, A FIVE YR OLD DONT CARE IF U R MARRIED OR NOT AND GETTING MARRIED WOULD BE THE LAST THING ON MY MIND IF MY CHILD WAS MISSING.

- Sheila

Posted 03/12/09 08:59 PM

Well they did get married today ,and are in New York Honeymooning.What are they thinking,not about Haleigh.

- Angela

Posted 03/12/09 10:36 PM

A minor cannot legally leave the US without parental consent.. It could be that they are going to FLEE to canada or something… and a marriage license is as good as gold in getting you out of the country!!!

- D

Posted 03/12/09 10:39 PM

Thats just strange. I think there is alot more to the story. Honeymooning in NY?? Its time to worry about Haleigh!

- Peggy Gorman

Posted 03/12/09 10:55 PM

Well the Bio Mom is tring to get Jr.because neighbors have informed her that he is in alot of danger living with Ron,this coming from her lawyer who interviewed these neighbors.I think the two are in on it together,he went to work alibi,the 911 call was planned.

- angela

Posted 03/12/09 10:57 PM

i have been keeping up with the news media on the anthony and cummings case i live 45min. from orlando an about 90min from putman,county a click w/my remote i have cnn nancy grace.Me and my son father is planning on getting married.we have been together for 8 years our son just turned 5 sat.as much as we love each other and adore are son marriage will be the last thing that would be on are mind.finding my child would be the first thing.your right angela this looks like another lee and casey.

- sherita

Posted 03/13/09 01:22 AM

This whole thing is crazy!! If my child was missing the last thing I would be doing is getting married…Every breath would be for my child! The world keeps turning but mine would stop! If they/he/she has nothing to do with it, they might not be thinking clear but it is insane! It makes me sick to think what people are benifiting from this missing child! Yeah, with loss most cling to their loved ones but this is a circus!

- Kortney

Posted 03/13/09 09:25 AM

How tragic that neither parent was able to take care of Haleigh responsibly. The mother, father and now, step-mother seem profoundly illiterate, unhealthy and disconnected from the real world. That the grandparents did not intervene with either child is unfortunate. I hope the little boy is in a better home. He should not be with any of them. He is at risk, just like Haleigh.

- Ruth

Posted 03/13/09 10:07 AM

i don’t think they are “honeymooning” in new york. they were on the today show, you can watch the clip if you go to the msn home page, then to the news highlight and at the top when the page switches go to the “today” tab. they look so happy, smiles and cake and all that at their backyard wedding. and when she is talkeing to misty and asked why her story had an inconsistency in it, her face went totally blank for 5 seconds, she kinda looks at ronald out of the corner of her eye expecting him to speak up, when he doesn’t she finally answers with “i don’t know”. i personally don’t buy any of their story. the cops could have told them they passed the lie detector test when infact they may not have, just to throw them off until they buid a solid case. i have heard of things that he has been doing (i live within 30 minutes of satsuma) from people who have seen him. i don’t believe he or his teenage bride are innocent.

- Pam

Posted 03/13/09 01:10 PM

The morning the father found out Haleigh was missing - he made a threat to harm the man who took her. Read transcripts of the 911 call to learn verbatim what he said, but the point I want to make is that just moments after Misty told him that Haleigh was missing, he threatened to harm “him”. Who is him? Why did the father threaten to harm “him” and not “her”? Could it be the father was expecting someone, a “him” to do “something”, and so, the father assumed the “him” had done the “something”, by taking his daughter? Also odd that the father said Haleigh was stolen. As though Haleigh were a piece of property. Stolen? Could it be the father stole from someone, and was expecting someone to steal from him, as payback? If so, maybe he is right. Maybe Haleigh was “stolen”. Perhaps the police should try to find out whether anyone was accusing the father of stealing from them. If so, maybe the person who accused him of stealing, is the person who took Haleigh.

- Nancy

Posted 03/14/09 07:04 AM

- Nancy

Posted 03/14/09 07:06 AM

I think it was the bioogical mother and her stepbrother/fiance. She owed money in child support and concocted that story about a man in black taking Haleigh. Said Junior saw the man in black.I think the marriage was more about the custody of Junior as the mother is now trying to get him with her new lawyer’s help.

- Margaret

Posted 03/14/09 08:19 AM

Well I found that also to be funny about the bio mom,but it still does’nt explain how somebody could come in and still Heleigh just 3 feet from where the girlfriend was sleeping!!!! The bio mom does’nt look to believeable either.I still have to say it was the girlfriend and dad.We don’t even know the time in which she was last seen.She went to school and then the girlfriend said 10pm,but only the girlfried saw her and I don’t think she can be trusted. She could have went missing right after school before Ron went to work.The 911 call could have been planned. There is no way my daughter would be missing and I would wait untill her dad made it home to call 911 at 3 in the morning,I think it was all planned.

- Anonymous

Posted 03/15/09 11:58 PM

Oh well, perhaps they should’a checked the laws first, because it happened before they were married, and she is suppose to be the last won who saw the child, however with the scrathes and tactics i’m beginning to think daddy did it,

- Lisa Smith

Posted 03/16/09 10:09 AM

Anonymous47 person or somebody like that on another blog on mom logic described this kidnapping in great detail,who is this person? Well whoever it is needs to be reported to the police,you don’t just make up something like that.

- angela

Posted 03/17/09 04:47 PM

I belive her step mom is resposible for what happen to Heleigh SHE WAS ON HER CARE

- Anonymous

Posted 03/17/09 10:36 PM