LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man facing kidnapping and sexual assault charges after a woman said she escaped from his captivity for weeks was indicted Friday on a new murder charge, in a case authorities say they have linked him to the remains of a woman found in a barrel near the Missouri River.
The case against Timothy M. Haslett gained renewed attention this week when a murder charge was filed. Prosecutors say Haslett killed 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale. At the same time, police reports have laid out the scale of the brutality described by the surviving woman.
Haslett, 41, appeared in court Friday and pleaded not guilty.
Here are some details about the case:
What happened?
Haslett’s case came to light in October 2022 after a woman told police she had escaped weeks of torture in his locked basement, according to a probable cause affidavit. Police said she had scars on her back from being whipped.
The survivor said she met Haslett while walking in an area of Kansas City known for prostitution. She said Haslett offered her money and she agreed to go with him to his home. Once she got into his pickup truck, the woman told police he pointed a gun at her, raped her and forced her to take narcotics.
He then took her to his basement, which police described as a “dungeon” filled with torture devices, cameras and restraints. She said he raped and tortured her every day, cutting off her breath.
She managed to escape because she thought he was taking his child to school.
Police said they found photos of Haslett and two different women in the dungeon beneath his one-story home in Excelsior Springs, about 40 minutes northeast of Kansas City. A search of his phone turned up more than 100,000 photos and videos, mostly screenshots from pornography sites, of women being strangled, masked and bound.
A public defender for Haslett had not responded to multiple emails seeking comment as of Friday evening.
What about the murder charge?
The surviving woman said Haslett described how he killed two other women he had previously abducted: one by strangling her, and the other dying after violent sexual torture.
According to the probable cause affidavit, he told her that “if she didn't listen to him, he would strangle her and put her in a barrel like the rest of 'them.'”
Haslett's phone also contained maps of the Missouri River, where Crosdale's body was found.
Authorities said they were looking for Crosdale as a potential witness in the case after identifying her in photographs found in Haslett's home.
According to police, kayakers found a blue 30-gallon barrel with her remains inside in June 2023 while camping near the river in Saline County.
Haslett was charged this week with first-degree murder in connection with Crosdale's death.
He was previously charged with one count 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. Haslett is being held in the Clay County Detention Center on $5 million bail.
This is what we don't know yet
It’s unclear if there is a third victim. The charges filed this week are based on the evidence authorities currently have, and Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson said the investigation is ongoing. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
“Today's charges are the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families and our community,” Thompson said Tuesday.
Who was Crosdale?
In an obituary, her family said Crosdale was involved in track and field in elementary school and “was known for her superior speed in sprints.”
“Her family never stopped searching for her; and while the outcome was not what we had hoped for, we found peace in the fact that we were finally able to lay her to rest properly last year,” the family said in a statement. “We find further peace in knowing that we are one step closer to getting the justice she deserves.”
Her family wrote in her obituary that she “accepted Christ at an early age.”
But life was tough for her, living on the streets and struggling with mental illness and drug addiction, said Kris Wade, executive director of The Justice Project KC, who met her through outreach efforts.
She said that when she heard Crosdale was missing, she immediately knew she was dead.
“I'm really thankful that there's going to be justice for her and her family,” she said. “That's the biggest thing I'm thankful for right now. She was really intelligent, really a smart person. She had a lot of issues.”
According to Thompson, the evidence shows that Crosdale had previously been arrested for sex work, which is how she and Haslett met.
“In Clay County, everyone, no matter who you are, how much money you have, what color your skin is, is entitled to equal protection under the law,” Thompson said Tuesday.
