Man Is Accused Of Killing Missing Woman Sought As Witness In Torture 'Dungeon' Case
A Missouri man accused of torturing a woman he kept locked in his basement “dungeon” is now alsocharged with killing another woman who was a potential witness in the kidnapping investigation, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
Timothy Haslett Jr., 41, was indicted on a count of first-degree murder in the death of Jaynie Crosdale, 36, a woman from Excelsior Springs whose body was found inside a blue barrel in the Missouri River, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Haslett had previously been charged with nine felonies, including rape, kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child, according to court records reviewed by HuffPost.
The case began in October 2022 when an unnamed woman escaped from Haslett’s home and sought help at a nearby house, according to an arrest warrant obtained by HuffPost. Police said she was dressed in a trash bag and had a metal collar with a padlock and duct tape around her neck.
The woman said she had been held hostage at a nearby home since September, according to the warrant.
The woman told police she first encountered Haslett in September while she was walking in Kansas City, Missouri, and he was driving a four-door pickup, according to the warrant. Haslett allegedly offered her $350 to go back to his home, but on the way there he pulled out a gun and sexually assaulted her.
Police in Excelsior Springs, northeast of Kansas City, said the woman was forced to take a narcotic and fell asleep, according to the arrest warrant. When she woke up, Haslett had allegedly taken her cellphones and kept her restrained in a secured room in the basement.
In the warrant, police referred to this room as a “dungeon.”
The woman described the room to detectives as having red lights and cameras along with “all types of things that could be used for torture,” according to a probable cause statement. The woman told officers she was tortured repeatedly inside this room and was fed just once a day.
“The physical, psychological and sexual violence are barbaric,” Thompson told reporters at the news conference.
Excelsior Springs police officers said that during the woman’s alleged captivity, she learned two other women had been held there and that Haslett said he had killed them, according to the warrant. Haslett told the woman that if she did not listen to him, he would put her in a barrel like the rest.
The woman managed to escape by slipping her arms out of the chains after hearing Haslett leave the house with his son, according to the warrant. Haslett was arrested shortly after police spoke with her.
A search of Haslett’s home turned up several items, including a black gas mask and large blue barrels, according to the warrant. Police said they found several cameras and photos that depicted another victim in the “dungeon.”
Thompson told reporters that detectives recovered more than 100,000 media files, one of which depicted Crosdale in Haslett’s basement. The prosecutor alleged that Haslett had killed Crosdale between June and October of 2022.
A family member of one of the alleged victims filed a police report on Jan. 11, 2023, stating that she had not heard from her relative since September, according to the warrant. Missouri authorities announced that day that Crosdale was identified as a potential witness in the rape and kidnapping investigation of Haslett.
Authorities located Crosdale’s remains in June 2023, after receiving a call from kayakers who saw a blue barrel similar to those found in Haslett’s home, according to Thompson and reports in the warrant.
Thompson told reporters that Crosdale’s remains showed injuries consistent with a gunshot.
Although the surviving woman told police that Haslett had bragged about killing two other women, Thompson said prosecutors could charge him with only one of the suspected killings based on the evidence available.
An attorney listed as Haslett’s representation declined to comment on the case.
Court records indicate Haslett has been jailed at the Clay County Detention Center since his arrest in September 2022 in the kidnapping case, with the prosecutor’s office requesting a $5 million bond.
