LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man facing trial on kidnapping and sexual assault charges after a woman said he escaped weeks from his captivity was arraigned Friday on a new murder charge. 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 the murder charge was filed. Prosecutors say Haslett killed 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale. At the same time, police reports exposed the extent of the brutality described by the surviving woman.
Haslett, 41, appeared in court on Friday and pleaded not guilty.
Here are some details about the case:
What happened?
The case against Haslett arose in October 2022 after a woman told authorities she escaped weeks of torture in her locked basement, according to a probable cause statement. Police said she had whip marks on her back.
The survivor said she met Haslett while walking through an area of Kansas City known for prostitution. She said Haslett offered her money and she agreed to go with him to his house. Once she was in his truck, the woman told authorities he pointed a gun at her, raped her and forced her to consume 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 and cut off her breathing.
She escaped while believing he was taking her son to school.
Police said they found photos of Haslett and two different women taken inside the dungeon below his one-story home in Excelsior Springs, about 40 minutes northeast of Kansas City. A search of her phone revealed more than 100,000 photos and videos, mostly screenshots from porn sites, of women being choked, masked and restrained.
A public defender for Haslett had not responded as of Friday night to multiple emails seeking comment.
What about the murder charge?
The woman who survived said Haslett described murdering two other women he had previously abducted: one by suffocating her and another who died after violent sexual torture.
He told her that “if she didn’t listen to him, he would choke her and put her in a barrel like the rest of them,” according to the probable cause statement.
Haslett’s phone also saved 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 photos found at Haslett’s home.
Kayakers in June 2023 found a blue 30-gallon barrel with his remains inside while camping near the river in Saline County, according to police.
Haslett was charged with first-degree murder in Crosdale’s death this week.
He was previously indicted on one count of rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of second-degree assault and one count of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. Haslett is being held at the Clay County Detention Center on $5 million bail.
Here’s what we don’t know yet
It is unclear whether there is a third victim. The charges filed this week are based on evidence authorities currently have, and Clay County District Attorney Zachary Thompson said the investigation is ongoing. He asked anyone with information to come forward.
“Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families and our community,” Thompson said Tuesday.
Who was Crosdale?
On a obituaryher family said Crosdale competed in track and field in elementary school and “was known for her superior speed in sprint races.”
“Her family never stopped looking for her; and although the outcome was not what we prayed for, we found peace in finally being able to lay her to rest properly last year,” the family said in a statement. “We find more peace in knowing we are one step closer to getting the justice she deserves.”
The family wrote in her obituary that she “accepted Christ at a young age.”
But life was difficult for her. She lived on the streets and struggled with mental illness and drug addiction, said Kris Wade, executive director of The Justice Project KC, who met her through outreach efforts.
She said when she heard about Crosdale’s disappearance, she immediately knew she was dead.
“I am so grateful that there is justice for her and her family,” she said. “That’s the main thing I’m grateful for right now. She was a very intelligent and very brilliant person. She had a lot of problems.”
Thompson says evidence shows Crosdale was previously arrested for sex work, and that’s how she and Haslett met.
“In Clay County, regardless of who you are, how much money you have, the color of your skin, everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law,” Thompson said Tuesday.
