Liberty, Missouri A Missouri man was arraigned on a new charge of murder on Friday. He is currently on trial for kidnapping and sexual assault after a lady said she escaped from his custody weeks ago. Authorities claim to have connected him to a woman’s bones discovered along the Missouri River in a barrel.
This week’s filing of the murder accusation brought fresh attention to Timothy M. Haslett’s case. According to the prosecution, Haslett killed Jaynie Crosdale, age 36. Police reports, however, have detailed the severity of the abuse the woman who survived had endured.
When Haslett, 41, showed up in court on Friday, he filed a not-guilty plea.
The following information relates to the case:
What took place?
According to a probable cause statement, the case against Haslett began in October 2022 after a lady told police authorities she had escaped from weeks of torture in his sealed cellar. She had whip marks on her back, according to the police.
The survivor claimed to have encountered Haslett while out for a stroll in a prostitution-heavy neighborhood of Kansas City. She added that after Haslett made an offer to pay her, she accepted and went to his house. After getting inside his pickup truck, the woman reported to the police that he had sexually assaulted her, forced her to consume drugs, and held a pistol to her.
He then escorted her down his basement, which the police depicted as a “dungeon” replete with cameras, torture devices, and handcuffs. She claimed that daily, he would rape, torment, and stop her breathing.
While she thought he was taking his child to school, she made her getaway.
Photos of Haslett and two different women were taken inside the basement area beneath his single-story home in Excelsior Springs, around 40 minutes northeast of Kansas City, were discovered, according to the police. Upon searching his phone, over 100,000 images and videos of women being choked, disguised, and confined were found—mostly screenshots from pornographic websites.
By Friday night, a public defender for Haslett had not answered several emails requesting comment.
And the murder charge?
According to the survivor, Haslett had confessed to killing two other women he had abducted: one had died from severe sexual abuse, and the other had been suffocated.
According to the probable cause statement, he threatened to suffocate her and put her in a barrel with the rest of “them” if she disregarded him.
Additionally, maps of the Missouri River, the location of Crosdale’s body, were saved on Haslett’s phone.
After recognizing Crosdale from pictures discovered at Haslett’s house, the authorities claimed to have been searching for her as a possible witness in the case.
While camping off the river in Saline County in June 2023, kayakers discovered a blue 30-gallon barrel containing her remains, according to the authorities.
This week, Haslett was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Crosdale’s demise.
One charge of rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of second-degree assault, and one count each of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child were all included in his prior indictment. With a $5 million bond, Haslett is being held at the Clay County Detention Center.
This is what remains unknown to us.
If there is a third victim, it is unclear. The investigation is still ongoing, according to Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson, and the charges this week are based on the evidence that investigators currently have. He called on anyone who knew more to come forward.
Thompson stated on Tuesday, “Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families, and our community.”
Crosdale was a person who?
Crosdale participated in track and field in elementary school and “was known for her superior speed in sprints,” according to her family’s obituary.
The family released a statement last year saying, “Her family never stopped searching for her; and although the outcome wasn’t what we prayed for, we found peace in finally being able to properly put her to rest.” “We feel more at ease knowing that we are getting her the justice she deserves, one step closer to that goal.”
Her obituary stated that she “accepted Christ at an early age,” according to her family.
But she had a difficult existence. Meeting her through outreach initiatives, Kris Wade, executive director of The Justice Project KC, said she battled drug addiction and mental illness while living on the streets.
She claimed that she knew Crosdale was killed the moment she learned she was missing.
She expressed her gratitude, saying, “I am thankful that she and her family will get justice.” That’s the major thing for which I’m grateful at the moment. She was a brilliant woman. She struggled with many things.
According to Thompson, the evidence demonstrates that Crosdale and Haslett first met after she was arrested for sex work.
“Everyone in Clay County is entitled to equal protection under the law, regardless of who they are, how much money they have, or what color skin they have,” Thompson stated on Tuesday.
