A 36-year-old Kansas City woman who police sought as a potential witness in a high-profile Excelsior Springs case was found dead, Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said Monday.
The discovery could further the case against Timothy Haslett, Jr., who already faces charges of kidnapping and sexual assault for allegedly holding a woman in his basement for more than a month.
Several law enforcement agencies have been searching for Jaynie Crosdale since last January, when Excelsior Springs Police said she could be a witness in the Haslett case.
Her remains were found in Saline County, Missouri, about 90 miles east of Kansas City, and Clay County authorities were notified on Sunday, Thompson said.
Haslett was arrested in October after a 22-year-old woman allegedly escaped from his Excelsior Springs house and ran to a nearby home where she said she'd been bound, beaten, raped and held captive for more than a month. Haslett had allegedly picked up the woman along Prospect Avenue.
Haslett, 41, is being held on $3 million bond in the Clay County Detention Center. On Monday, Thompson sought a higher bail and asked for the public’s help in getting more information about Crosdale.
“This is a dynamic and ongoing investigation, with new information continuing to be gathered at a rapid pace,” Thompson said in an emailed statement.
Haslett’s attorney, Tiffany Leuty, had no comment. Haslett's next hearing is September 11.
Haslett pleaded not guilty in February after a grand jury indicted him on six felony charges of rape, sodomy and kidnapping, along with two lesser assault charges and another charge of endangering a child, which accuses Haslett of leaving unsecured firearms near a child.
