Dive Team Searching Grandmother's Property

Dive Team Searching Haleigh Cummings' Grandmother's Property
Posted By: Dave Wax Posted By: Jessica Clark Created: 6/26/2009 11:32:18 AM Updated: 6/26/2009 12:31:53 PM

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/mostpopular/news-article.aspx?storyid=140562&provider=top

GLEN ST. MARY, FL -- Search teams and divers are actively investigating an area on property belonging to Haleigh Cummings' maternal grandmother.

About 40 investigators, including the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office dive team and cadaver dogs, are searching a small pond on Marie Griffis' 30-acre property in Baker County and digging up several areas with a bulldozer.

They're also looking under trailers and videotaping several areas.

Police tell First Coast News that during recent conversations with family members, they learned the family has many animals buried on the property, including horses and goats.

Investigators say they are just being thorough, and that they would be remiss if they didn't check the burials to confirm they are animals.

They stress they have no reason to doubt the family's claim that only animals are buried there, but feel they need to be thorough.

This area was checked already, but it was during the first week of the investigation, and it wasn't a very thorough search at that time, according to investigators.

Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, also lives on that property in Baker County.

This is the first major search effort since police gathered all the search teams together to redefine their focus in the search for Haleigh.

Investigators Search Haleigh's Family Property
New Search Of Relatives' Homes Conducted In Baker County
POSTED: 3:55 pm EDT June 26, 2009
UPDATED: 4:15 pm EDT June 26, 2009

http://www.wesh.com/news/19872146/detail.html

GLEN ST. MARY, Fla. -- Investigators searched the property and a lake of Haleigh Cummings' maternal grandmother in Baker County west of Jacksonville on Friday.
About 40 investigators, including the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office dive team and cadaver dogs, searched a small pond on Marie Griffis' 30-acre property and dug up several areas with a bulldozer, according to a report on the Web site of First Coast News:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=140562&catid=3
The area was searched about a week after 5-year-old Haleigh was reported missing from her home in Putnam County in February. But police told First Coast News that they recently were told the family buries animals on the property, so a new search was ordered.
Police said they have no reason to doubt the family's assertion about animals but want to be thorough. Only animal remains were found on Friday, but the search continues on the property of another relative who lives nearby.
Haliegh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, lives on the property. Haleigh lived with her father, Ronald Cummings, at the time she went missing.