LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man facing trial on kidnapping and sexual assault charges after a woman claimed she escaped from her captivity for weeks was charged Friday with a new murder count. 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 received renewed attention this week when the murder charge was filed. Prosecutors say Haslett killed Jaynie Crosdale, 36. At the same time, police reports have exposed the extent 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?
The case against Haslett was opened in October 2022 after a woman told law enforcement she escaped weeks of torture in her locked basement, according to a probable cause statement. Police said she had marks on her back from whippings.
The victim said she met Haslett while she was walking in a Kansas City neighborhood known for prostitution. Haslett offered her money and she agreed to go with him to his home. Once in his van, the woman told law enforcement he pointed a gun at her, raped her and forced her to take drugs.
He then took her to his basement, which police described as a “dungeon” filled with torture instruments, cameras and restraints. She said he raped and tortured her every day, and took away her breath.
She escaped when she thought he was taking her child to school.
Police said they found photos of Haslett and two other women taken in the dungeon beneath his single-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 pornographic websites, of women being strangled, masked and bound.
A public defender for Haslett did not respond Friday evening to several emails seeking comment.
What about the murder charge?
The woman who survived said Haslett described killing two other women he had previously kidnapped: one by suffocation, 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 others,” according to the probable cause statement.
Haslett’s phone also contained maps of the Missouri River, where Crosdale’s body was found.
Authorities said they were seeking Crosdale as a potential witness in the case after identifying her in photos found at Haslett’s home.
In June 2023, kayakers found a 30-gallon blue drum with her remains inside while camping off the river in Saline County, police said.
Haslett was charged with first-degree murder in Crosdale’s death this week.
He has already been 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 at the Clay County Detention Center on $5 million bail.
Here’s what we still don’t know
It is not yet known if there was a third victim. The charges filed this week are based on the evidence currently available to authorities, and Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said the investigation is ongoing. He urged anyone with information to come forward.
“Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, their families and our community,” Thompson said Tuesday.
Who was Crosdale?
In an obituary, her family said Crosdale competed 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 finally being able to lay her to rest last year,” the family said in a statement. “We find even more 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 a young age.”
But life was tough for her. She lived on the streets and suffered from mental illness and substance abuse, said Kris Wade, executive director of The Justice Project KC, who met her through outreach efforts.
She said that when she heard of Crosdale’s disappearance, she immediately knew she was dead.
“I’m really grateful that justice is being served for her and her family,” she said. “That’s the main thing I’m grateful for right now. She was really smart, a very bright person. She had a lot of problems.”
Thompson says evidence shows Crosdale had previously been arrested for sex work, which was the reason she and Haslett met.
“In Clay County, no matter who you are, how much money you have, what color your skin is, everyone has the right to equal protection under the law,” Thompson said Tuesday.
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