Cops Search Florida River for 5-Year-Old Haleigh Cummings

April 13, 2010 — -- A Florida river has again become the focal point for a search of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, who went missing more than a year ago.

Investigators today combed the St. John's River for Haleigh, who disappeared from her father's home in Satsuma, Fla., in February 2009. Satsuma is just 60 miles south of Jacksonville.

Calls into the Putnam County Sheriff's office were not immediately returned but, Lt. Johnny Greenwood told ABC News affiliate WTLV in Jacksonville that they were acting on a tip, but he declined to provide more details because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.

The search ended for the day at 8 p.m., but police said investigators would be back at the river on Wednesday to resume the effort.

"No, we haven't found Haleigh," Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy told WTLV, but he said police would continue the search for "as long as it takes."

Hardy said he met today with members of the young girl's family.

"The conversations we had were between me and the family," Hardy said.

Misty Croslin, who was the last person to see Haleigh and who was being held on unrelated drug charges at St. John's County Jail, was taken by investigators to Putnam County, St. John's jail spokesman Sgt. Chuck Mulligan told ABCNews.com.

Mulligan said he did not know more details about why Croslin, who was Haleigh's father's girlfriend at the time the little girl disappeared and is now his ex-wife, might have been wanted for questioning.

The little girl disappeared from the home of her father, Ronald Cummings, Tuesday, Feb. 10. He reported her missing in an desperate 911 call.

"I just got home from work and my 5-year-old daughter is gone," he told a dispatcher. "If I find whoever has my daughter before you all do, I'm killing them. I don't care if I spend the rest of my life in prison."

Ronald Cummings had left Haleigh and her 3-year-old brother in the care of Croslin, who was 17 at the time.

"She was sleeping right next to me," Croslin told the Palatka Daily News. "I can't believe I didn't hear anything."

Ronald Cummings told police that when he returned from work early Tuesday morning, the back door was propped open and Haleigh was gone.